Movie: Kodi Parakathu
Song: Selai Kattum Pennukoru Vasam Undu
Singers: SP Balasubrahmanyam, Chitra
Cast: Rajinikanth, Amala
Music: Hamsalekha
Based on raga MadhyamAvathi, the song of the day today is the sparkling Selai Kattum Pennukkoru from Bharathiraaja’s Kodi Parakkudhu. Starring the resplendent Rajinikanth and the awesome Amala, the movie boasted a cast almost as good as this writer’s ability to alliterate affortlessly. One key difference was that the movie flopped miserably, while the writing is a sure winner.
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In an otherwise terrible movie, the songs by Hamsalekha were big hits. The composer was well-known in Kannada then, but this was his Tamil debut. The movie wsa released in 1987, a period when Bharathiraaja had a feud with Illayaraja, and was experimenting with different composers. He used Devendran for Vedam Pudhidhu and Hamsalekha for Kodi Parakkudhu, and both films had remarkably good music and the amazing Amala in them.
In fact the songs were so good, they are regularly mistaken for Ilayaraja songs. This writer’s mother was once accused of being engaged in a seedy profession when he helpfully informed someone that this was not an Ilayaraja song. So yes, the song is good.