He can act, dance and... sing. On the occasion of his 46th birthday, here’s a small guide to Thalapathy’s crooning skills with ten of his best!
Bombay Party Shilpa Shetty (Coimbatore Mappillai)
Among his earlier outings as a singer, Vijay teams up with Shahul Hameed to give us this catchy number composed by Vidyasagar. Featuring some quirky lyrics (with special emphasis on the word ‘jolly’), this is a fun-filled song that also has visuals of Vijay and comedian Goundamani wearing bright yellow clothes and dancing around some familiar Chennai landmarks. Who would have thought that an actor who sang the words ‘Shilpa Shetty’ would go on to actually dance with her four year later (in Kushi )?
O Baby Baby (Kadhalukku Mariyadhai)
I wonder how this recording went - with Ilaiyaraaja reciting notes and Ilayathalapathy following them. A pleasant tune with Vijay showing us a glimpse of some killer dance moves (3:30-3:45) that would later go on to become one of his USPs, this song features in one of Ilaiyaraaja’s memorable albums that also consists of gems such as ‘Ennai Thalaata’ and ‘Oru Pattam Poochi’. Love and Love Only, indeed.
Ennoda Laila (Badri)
Give Vijay a simple tune, and chances are that you have a superhit in your hands. Check out this uber-fun song composed by Ramana Gogula that 90s Tamil kids would absolutely adore. There’s Vijay singing English lyrics (’Why doesn’t she talk to me’), foreign background dancers trying out some local costumes and cool steps and a lot more fun packed into this five-minute track.
Vaadi Vaadi (Sachien)
There’s a hilarious start to this number, one in which Vijay chides a singer trying her hand at ‘rock music’. The song is pitted as Vijay’s counter to that, and it’s a full-on- gaana song that is sure to have you tapping your feet the whole time. Devi Sri Prasad’s use of local beats and the wacky lyrics extolling the ‘gaana’ genre make this track whistle-worthy.
Google Google (Thuppaki)
Local might have been his go-to factor, but with this high-on-energy pub track, Vijay proved that he had the ‘cool’ in him as well. Harris Jayaraj’s upbeat track included in-vogue words like Google and Yahoo (lyrics by Madhan Karky) and a conversational attitude that got us all in party mode.
Kandangi (Jilla)
This is Vijay the singer trying his hand at melody. It’s something he isn’t entirely comfortable with, and is certainly a task when he has to match an established co-singer like Shreya Ghoshal, but this Imman-composed track proved he could attempt a slow melody too.
Selfie Pulla (Kaththi)
Another trending word: Selfie. Combine that with a local word (’Pulla’) and get composer Anirudh to create a foot-tapping musical landscape...and you have a hit on your hands. This easy-to-deliver tune was apt for Vijay to sing, who aced it.
Chella Kutti (Theri)
GV Prakash weaves a bit of melody into an otherwise foot-tapping number that appealed to both children and youngsters alike. The catchy ‘Thulli Odum Meene’ stock phrase was among the highlights of this superhit track.
Verithanam (Bigil)
This is a complete theatre song. Director Atlee packs his visuals with hundreds of people, with Vijay singing - and dancing - this fast-paced musical feast. This is also special because it marks the first colloboration of AR Rahman and ‘singer’ Vijay. We wish more follow.
Kutti Story (Master)
Anirudh’s first viral song - Kolaveri - featured a lot of English words. He repeats this success formula in ‘Kutti Story’, narrated by Vijay. A simple, no-nonsense tune, the emphasis here is more on the lyrics (by Arunraja Kamaraj). That Vijay professed positivity in this track thrilled fans. In these troubled times, that’s exactly what we need.
