05/03/2016
If I ask you to name the top 10 songs of legendary composer M.B. Sreenivasan, chances are that this one won't figure in that list. Probably you aren’t even aware of this song, and even if you are, you may not know it's an MBS composition.
It’s one hell of a song. Here you go: “Peethambara O Krishna… Peethambara O Krishna” (Click here for YouTube link) from the 1977 film Sivathandavam. Every time I listen to this song, I am awestruck by its orchestration, rhythm and rendition, and can’t help but wonder why on earth this song remains a hidden gem. It’s probably the best fusion song ever recorded for a Malayalam movie, and one that underscores what a musical genius MBS was. Thanks to YouTube and social media, music buffs are again listening to this song.
"It’s an amazing composition," says music director and singer Jassie Gift. "It’s a true blue pop song that was well ahead of its times."
MBS, Sankaran Nair and Usha Uthup
Music in the 1970s was remarkably eclectic elsewhere. After the rebellious 60s, the decade saw the birth of so many musical genres, including disco and hip-hop, and the emergence of bands such as Queen and Pink Floyd. But at home, Malayalam film music was still dominated by G. Devarajan, M.K. Arjunan and V. Dakshinamoorthy, and most of our songs were still based on Carnatic ragas. However, as films began to explore new themes and film making advanced, music too started to evolve.
In 1974, we had Usha Uthup singing the wonderful `Love is just around the corner’ in the film Chattakkari, probably the first such song in a Malayalam movie. Later in the decade, new music directors such as Shyam and K. J. Joy and composers from other languages such as Salil Chowdhury emerged, creating some beautiful music and their own niche.
For Sivathandavam, director Sankaran Nair (his other films include Madanolsavam, Vishnu Vijayam and Rasaleela) wanted a musical score in tune with his fresh, young lead pair of Kamal Hassan and Jayasudha. Nair explained the scenes to MBS and asked him to compose one of the four songs with a hippie beat. The situation of the song was that of a group of guitar-playing hippies teasing a temple priest.
Perumpuzha Gopalakrishnan, the film’s lyricist, recalls: "The music was composed by MBS at his house in Madras. We - Sankaran Nair, MBS and I - along with the composer’s regular orchestra, assembled at his house and composed all the songs in the movie. When Nair told us he needed an English song, I remember writing the first lines of the song as 'Hey Krishna.' MBS changed it to 'O Krishna,' and we completed the other lines."
Nair jumped with joy when he heard the score MBS had created. The team quickly decided to rope in Usha Uthup to sing the female part. Accompanying Uthup on the vocals was the movie’s male lead, Kamal Hassan.
"We had a great time recording it," Uthup told this writer in Thiruvananthapuram. "Kamal and I had a great rapport since we were both getting popular in the South Indian film industry at the same time. They thought his voice was the best match among the English singers of those days. Kamal sang well in a bass voice."
MBS later on composed so many classics such as 'Oru vattam koodiyen' and 'Chaitram chayam chalichu.' Whenever he teamed up with O.N.V. Kurup, magic happened as in films such as Chillu, Yavanika and Ulkkadal. Among these everlasting songs, Peethambara too surely deserves a place.
(Cover photo credit: Eser Aygün via Foter.com / CC BY-NC)