Noted music director K. Raghavan’s first shot at the industry was as a singer. Unfortunately, this attempt and two later ones ended in failure. That was when P. Bhaskaran, who had tried to introduce Raghavan as a singer, brought him into the new role of a music director. The film was Neelakkuyil , and the rest, as they say, was history. Raghavan went on to score some unforgettable tunes in a lengthy career.
Raghavan was born in Thalassery on December 2, 1913. Drawn to music from a very early age, he was trained in Carnatic music by Narayana Iyer. Initially Iyer had to face a lot of flak from some members of his community for allowing a boy from a lower caste to study music. But he remained unfazed by the opposition and continued to teach the talented youngster.
Raghavan continued his music studies until he went to Madras to join the music section of All India Radio Madras. In his time with Narayana Iyer, Raghavan got the opportunity to play thamburu for his mentor at music concerts and the harmonium for some drama troupes. When World War II broke out, the British government shifted the radio station to Delhi upon receiving information that the Japanese Air Force was targeting Madras city and the radio station. Raghavan was also transferred to Delhi with the other staff.
After Independence, when Calicut AIR opened, Raghavan was transferred there. It was in Calicut that he formed a close friendship with P. Bhaskaran, who was also working there. Singers were in demand at the time in the South Indian cine world and Bhaskaran promised Raghavan a chance to sing in films. Bhaskaran was confident he could provide Raghavan an opportunity either as a music director or a singer because he had a wide network of connections in the film world.
Raghavan eventually got an offer to sing in a Malayalam film but he failed the sound test. After a few months, Raghavan was invited by Bhaskaran again to Kochi for work on a film titled Kathirkanakkili , produced by Akkamma Cheriyan and N. J. Mathew. Akkamma Cheriyan was a Congress leader and freedom fighter and N. J. Mathew was a coir industrialist in Alappuzha. Bhaskaran, who was also the director and lyricist of this film, was involved in the song writing process. Every evening the two went to Bolgatty Palace and spent hours in a meadow writing and tuning the songs. Later, they went to Bombay with producers and new singers. Songs were recorded but the efforts were futile as the producers abandoned the project before shooting commenced
Despite this setback, Bhaskaran offered Raghavan a new opportunity. The new project by producer Kandamath Sreedharan Nair involved adapting the novel Pulliman by S. K. Pottekkatt into a film. Song writing was once again Bhaskaran’s responsibility and Raghavan joined him in this third venture, this time as a music director. He tuned all songs and saw them recorded. However, the project was dropped before it was shot following a financial crisis.
Raghavan’s desire to see his name on the silver screen as a music director was finally realised on his fourth attempt. That film was Neelakkuyil . The film not only fulfilled his ambition to become a music director, but also saw him sing. The success of the songs in Neelakkuyil ensured him a bright future in cinema.
In the early days, he had to hide own name and use the pseudonym Reghunath to overcome the official ban on government servants from pursuing other work. However, Malayalis understood that Reghunath and Raghavan were the same person soon enough.
A man rejected thrice by fortune became one of the mainstays of Malayalam film music, and went on to tune more than four hundred film songs, besides many drama and light songs.
He was a two time State Film Award winner for best composer. Raghavan has been honoured by the State Government with the J. C. Daniel award for comprehensive contribution to Malayalam cinema, and went on to win national accolades when he was presented a Padma Shri. Having overcome failures to achieve his dream, K. Raghavan was a guiding light to newcomers in the music field till his death on October 19, 2013.
