There are close to 5000 songs Ilayaraaja has composed. So even if a huge 3000 are outstanding songs across languages (which in itself is incredible), it leaves us with a grey area of about 2000 songs. While as a fan, it is everyone’s duty to celebrate the good/great songs, it is equally important that one also concentrates on the very rare, missed, unheard songs or experimentations that have gone unnoticed. It is my surmise that a good chunk of those 2000 odd songs have tales to tell which are lurking in an unknown corner (while admitting not every song in a 5000 song career can be great or outstanding and there is bound to be quite a few slips along the way, but considering I have a treasure with the good/great ones, I don’t mind). Among such rare/unnoticed songs lies today’s number, Kottunga Kottunga from the film ‘Rajavin Parvaiyile’ (the only film which starred Ajith and Vijay) from 1995.
It may qualify as a failed experimentation for some but I was opened up to it through a brilliant post from Violin Vicky in his blog a few years back. Having read it thus and having listened for the first time, I couldn’t but agree this was a masterpiece, albeit one that didn’t work with the masses (maybe most of them have never heard it yet). I shall try to take you through the same content with my words. The song is an experiment with the thaaLa (rhythm) pattern. It is based on the simple Aadi Thaalam, which is performed by slapping the palms once followed by counting from the little finger to the middle finger (1+3) and slapping the palm and the other part of the hand twice called Thirutham (4 times in all) and so it comes up to 8 beats per cycle.
For any song (most film songs are set to Aadi Thaalam), the lines start with the 1st beat and end with the 8th beat (samam). The next line starts from the 1st beat of another cycle. Every song is constructed thus by nearly all composers. It is here in this basic structure that Raaja decides to break the rules and play around in this song. The prelude with the chorus is important because it starts with Aadi Thaalam. But however, the first line of the pallavi Kummi Kottunga does not start at the first beat of a new cycle as it ought to but in the 8th (and final) beat of the previous cycle. Hence the Kottunga (second word of the pallavi) hits the first beat of a new cycle and not Kummi (which hits samam, the final beat) and the first line from Kummi Kottunga goes on for 18 counts. This includes 1 count from the previous cycle where it started and 17 more counts beginning from the new cycle. Every Aadi Thaala cycle runs for 8 counts. Hence 17 more counts would be 2 full cycles and the 1st beat of a new cycle. The next line hence begins in the second beat of the Thaala cycle and not at 1st as it should. That line, Kaigal Thattunga runs for 19 counts. It has 7 remaining counts of the current cycle (1st count gobbled up by the previous line) and 12 more counts from another 8 beat cycle and half of a new cycle (4 beats; 7+8+4 = 19). Maybe the poet knew of such pyro technique and coined this song based on kummis and asking people to play the beat (kottunga).
When Arunmozhi’s voice goes for Iru Siru Idhayangal, it starts with the Thirutham of the running cycle. That line goes for 32 counts, i.e. 4 full 8 cycle beats (5th count of exisiting cycle to 3 full cycles and back to the 5th count of the 4th cycle for the next line) and the following line, Kadhai Kadhaiyaam goes on for 12 counts. This can now be mistaken for Rupakam which is a 3 beat Thaalam and 4*3 = 12. But this line actually begins in the 5th beat of the existing Aadi Thaala cycle (in the Thirutham) and completes 4 beats of the existing cycle and has 8 full beats of a new cycle and ends at samam as all songs do. With only the pallavi, he has broken the rules within it but has stayed true to musical formula (as every song should to make musical sense) in the grander scheme of things.
This is why the second interlude looks forced. It may appear to be starting abruptly and this may be a failed experiment to most but he does that to begin bang from samam following from the pallavi. The picturization, on cue cuts from a dream dance to a dream first night. I am assuming the director mentioned about the first night while asking for the song and he plays around with the pattern yet all those games kind of weave into the narration to aid it. Infinite genius or forced experimentation? Take your pick while I pick the former.
Even in the charanams, the first 2 lines are fine but the following line, Kannaal Kaniyum, goes for 16 counts unlike the usual 8 and takes up 2 full cycles (the problem being it is hard for us to catch up with 1 line running for 16 counts and we begin to doubt if this is Aadi Thaalam). The following line, Thottaal Thudikkum, runs for 24 counts and it can easily be mistaken for Roopakam again (3 beat cycle and 8*3 = 24) but it is Aadi Thaalam (8 beat cycle going 3 full cycles for 3*8 = 24). Oh and by the way, it is a lovely tune to boot.
This is complex math and genius level experimentations for an unknown, uninspiring, run-of-the-mill film and I do wonder how many such are hidden in the unlimited oeuvre of this man.
raajasongadaykeepsboredomaway 