Madrasapattinam stills
Madrasapattinam stills
‘Vaama Duraiyamma’ from Madrasapattinam
Madrasapattinam is one of the very few movies that documented the Madras Presidency before Independence. ‘Vaama Duraiyamma’ is a song about the city, its people and the struggles they face, seen through the eyes of a foreigner. Through her character, we get to see the Madras of a bygone era.
Geetanjali, M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalitha in tamil fim, En Annan.
‘Nenjam Undu Nermai Undu’ from En Annan
What is the easiest way to show Madras? Invariably, there will be an establishing shot of either LIC building or Chennai Central. That happens in this song too. For those who lived in villages and towns, the city was all about these two edifices. In ‘Nenjam Undu’, there is a line about the city’s rapid urbanisation but the visual is LIC building, which actually provided security to the poor. But most people bought into that cliché without knowing what it is.
Chennai: 04/12/2012: The Hindu: Metro Plus:: Rajini Special: A Still from Vellaikaran.
‘Thottathile Paathi’ from Velaikkaran
It is not a song about Madras, but is about the essential qualities of the city. There is an interesting line that describes the Cooum and how the river was reduced to a marshland over the years. While there was a tendency to romanticise Madras in movies and songs, this particular line painted a different picture about the city.
‘Madrasai Suthi Pakka Porom’ from May Madham
There is nothing fresh about this song and I am not a big fan. But it is a good entry point to understand the salient features of the city and its landmark places — it is almost like a tour guide for outsiders. I would say ‘Chennai Pattanam’ from Alli Thantha Vaanam is a better song to understand the city from an outsider’s perspective.
‘Enga Ooru Madras-u’ from Madras
It is an important song to understand the politics of North Madras. The song captures the spirit and livelihood of the community and also makes a powerful commentary on the social inequalities faced by its people. We get to see vignettes of North Madras in the song and the movie, in essence, is about caste atrocities in a cosmopolitan city.
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