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Superbly synaesthetic!

Rajitha

It was over a year ago that I met director Vasanth on the sets of Rhythm. And the first thing he told me then was, "A R Rahman has given me some beautiful music, people will love it."

The film has been a long time in the making, thanks mainly to financial constraints. But now, it is finally out -- and Vasanth's words are proving prophetic. Within a week of its release, the music has gone platinum, and the industry expects that the Arjun-Meena-Jyotika film will do prodigies at the box office with this music backing it.

I have a problem reviewing music tapes -- I know what I like and what I don't like, but for the life of me, I can't do the lingo, and talk of bee-bop and R&B and soul and rock and metal and all the rest of it. So... what follows, is a review by a listener, not an expert.

This is the first time Vasanth and Rahman are teaming up. And, interestingly, it was Rehman who suggested the title for the movie. Behind which lies a tale.

When you listen to Rahman's music, you sometimes get the feeling that he is rhythm-oriented. That he first decides on his beat structure, and then builds the rest around, and over, the percussive underpinning.

So when you hear the word Rhythm, and that it is Rahman composing, you mentally prepare yourself for a drum-centric track. What you get, though, is pure melody.

Vasanth explains: "It is not only music that has rhythm. There is a rhythm to life, to everything you do, to everything that happens. And it is this rhythm that is the subject of the story, and that is why we have used this title."

Another interesting aspect here is that the songs in the album have a single unifying theme -- namely, the five elements (water, air, earth, ether, fire). Lyricist Vairamuthu has his own rationale for this: "The earth is made up of five elements. We believe that the human body is similarly composed, of the same elements. So why not, I thought, think of love in terms of the elements? Why not symbolise love through these elements?"

Following on from which thought, each song in the album focuses on one element, and sees love through its properties.

The music and backdrops are equally evocative -- thus, in the song that has air as the theme, you get the feeling of wind, breeze. And it is shot in Rajasthan (on Arjun and Jyotika), where, thanks to the swirling sands, you get the illusion that you can actually see the wind as it passes by.

This is, in fact, the logical extension of something Vairamuthu attempted earlier, when in the Kurukku siruthavalae song in Shankar's superhit Mudhalvan, he brought in all five elements into one song.

Vairamuthu, in fact, specialises in 'theme' songs. Like Pachai nirame in Mani Ratnam's recent hit Alai Paayudhey, the focus is on various colours, through which the shades of love and romance are picturised.

For his part, Vasanth has a penchant for having good music in his films -- Ilayaraja in Nee Paathi Naan Paathi, Deva in Aasia and Nerukku Ner, and Puvellaam Kettupaar, which was a superhit for Ilayaraja's younger son, Yuvan Shankar Raja.

The first song on side A, Nadhiye nadhiye, starts off with the gentle patter of water droplets, and is obviously focussed on water. Superbly rendered by Unni Menon who, in this song, sounds a lot like K J Yesudoss, this song has you reaching for the rewind button time and again. While the tune is different, the impact of the song on the hearer is reminiscent of Menon's own Enna vilai azhage from Kaadhalar Dinam.

Kaatre, en vaasal vandhaai, the second song on the album, teams up Unnikrishnan with Kavita Subramaniam (nee Krishnamurthy). The song opens with the sound of wind rushing along the desert dunes. Mellifluous and enchanting music is complemented by lyrical flights from Vairamuthu.

Song three, Nilave poru nilave, focuses on the third element, earth. Vairamuthu says this is his personal favourite, thanks to the rendition of Shankar Mahadevan. "I can listen to this song endlessly," Tamil Nadu's poet laureate says. This song could well be Shankar's first success after Varaha nadhikarai oram, from Sangamam.

Side B begins with sky, the fourth element, and En vanavile is rendered by Sadhana Sargam. Again, an effort has been made to imbue the feel of the particular element in the melody. Thus, the opening bars evoke visions of azure skies, with birds fluttering past. Very melodious, and a surefire favourite for those who like female solos that reach for the upper registers (I must confess that I do not share this preference).

The second song is a reprise of song two in Side A, Katrae en vaasal. And the final song is Haiyo Pathikichu, sung by Udit Narayan and Vasundhara Das.

This one is about fire, the fifth element. It is peppy, fast-paced, and the lyrics, and singing, both have a touch of the naughty about it. Vairamuthu has this thing of introducing a sensual, occasionally sexual, note into his lyrics at times, and that penchant is in evidence here.

What strikes you about this album is the way all concerned have contributed towards a common goal. The songs evoke the elements successfully, and the thanks for this is due to the coming together, in perfect harmony, of composer, lyricist, and the individual singers.

Vairamuthu, in fact, stressed on the music when he said: "Rahman has outdone himself in this film. When I first heard the tunes, I realised I was listening to something special, and this inspired me to work twice as hard, to ensure that the quality of lyrics matched the quality of the music.'

That is a supreme compliment. It is also an olive branch of sorts -- you will recall that not long ago, at a public function, Vairamuthu was complimented on his lyrics. To which he responded, by saying that it would be easier for his lyrics to be heard if the music were not so loud -- a remark that was seen as a pointed, and uncomplimentary, reference to Rahman.

The composer and lyricist had a falling out of sorts following the incident, and Rahman broke a long-standing partnership and went on to compose with another lyricist.

Rhythm, you will recall, was begun much before this spat, which explains their team-up. And Vairamuthu's effusive praise -- deserved as it is -- could well be an indication of the ongoing efforts, on either side, to forgive and forget.

In any case, Rhythm is a must-buy -- for the melody, the poetry, and some inspired singing.