Singer – Sadhana Sargam
Composer – Ilaiyaraaja
Lyricist – Palani Bharathi
Starring – Vijayakanth, Simran, Ashima
The Setting: Ramana, a lecturer, takes his kids out for a day in the park. This idyllic day serves as a tool to show Ramana and his family at their happiest, before his dark secret tears it down.
The Film: A vigilante film that cemented Vijayakanth’s status as the man who got things done, Ramana is the story of a man who seeks vengeance for a personal tragedy. Everybody is to blame for his loss, and so he sets out to reshape society and the system before it destroys another’s happiness.
The Song:
Vaanaville Vaanaville (Oh Rainbow!) is placed at a crucial juncture in Ramana. Vasuki (Ashima) has just found the truth about the many children that Ramana raises as his own. Each child comes with a tragic past, and it is Ramana who takes them all under his wing. Cut to this beautiful Ilaiyaraaja number sung by Sadhana Sargam. Ramana, Vasuki and the kids have a beautiful day out in the sun. They laugh out loud, ecstatic at spending time together. The mood is upbeat. Nothing can pull them down today.
This song is all the more relevant today. The Supreme Court has decriminalised homosexuality in a historic verdict. Section 377, an archaic law that prohibited any form of sexual relationship that went against the “order of Nature”, was struck down earlier today.
And Vaanaville, which talks about rainbows that come unheralded (Vaanaville vaanaville vanthathenna ippothu) is a perfect metaphor.
Lyricist Palani Bharathi meant for the song to be a paean to social equality. Songbirds from every country sing the same way; Parrots from every nation have the same child-like quality to their speech, he writes. The elements do not see caste or country before giving us their bounty. The wind does not touch us after asking about our caste. Rain does not discriminate on the basis of country or nationality. A heart full of love does not discriminate, the lyricist says.
This powerful affirmation can be extended to our current scenario. The LGBTQ community has long been misunderstood and ostracised by a moralistic society. Now, with the repeal of Section 377, it is up to us to look at each other with a heart full of love. And not stoop to discriminate.
Entha naatu kuyilin kootamum paadum paadal koo koo
Entha naatu kiligal pechilum konjum mazhalai ondru
Jaathi enna kettu vittu thendral naamai thoduma ?
Desam ethu paarthu vittu mannil mazhai varuma ?
Unnodu naanum ellorum vor sontham anbulla ullathile
Vaanaville vaanaville vanthathenna ippothu
Alli vantha vanangalai engal nenjil nee thoovu