The Talkative Man speaks
<--Added on 8/22/08 for migration to TPB -->
Monday, August 28, 2006
  Stills from Idhaya Thamarai/Aur Ek Prem Kahani
Idhaya Thamarai(Jan 14 1990)


What a gorgeous pattern of colors on that sari(middle pic)! The 3rd pic transports me straight to an evening in 1990, when I returned home from school in pouring rain.



Janakaraj mistaking that snake for a podalanga and that cracker for a cigarette. Typical late 80s style comedy where most films and TV serials often used absent-mindedness as an amusement source

The location was either Kodai or Ooty. Sir Walter Scott's immortal lines promptly come to mind :
Breathes there the man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
'This is my own, my native land'?
"

Way back in 2001, I happened to switch on Podhigai Channel where a movie featuring Karthik-Revathi was in progress. I happened to watch the most interesting phase of the film and having missed the climax, pestered a colleague the next day at work to fill me with the details. "That was Idhaya Thamarai, it's a really good one", he said. My search ended last year when I got the movie from Netflix, but it was out-and-out disappointing. Perhaps the director thought the lead pair would work magic on screen like in Mouna Ragam. The obvious consolation was PC Sriram's camerawork.


Idhaya Thamarai was a Pongal 1990 release. Oru Kadhal Devadhai(Sankar-Ganesh) is a good song.

***********

Aur Ek Prem Kahani(Dec 30 1995)

Weekday morning on a Madras road. A parked auto with the driver asleep in the backseat


The forsaken lady gazing forlorn at a painful future after some capricious guy dashes her hopes - a familiar scene at the end of every Balu Mahendra movie.

A fine portrayal by Heera, I thought. Don't think the film made waves in the Hindi and not hard to reason why - the first half was horribly crude and the packaging had literally idli-sambhar written all over it.
Songs were Hindi rehashes from Johnny, Alaigal Oivathillai and Moondram Pirai.

To end on a more cheerful note, here's the title credit that used to send blood racing into a thousand pairs of palms :)

Update: Zero adds...
The film itself was a remake of Balu Mahendra's debut film Kokila (Kannada).
 
Comments:
Before reading the post, i saw the pics and I couldn't believe you liked Idhayathamarai.:-)
Sankar-Ganesh's oru kadhal Devadhai song was a surprise. Way different from their usual "pookkalatthan parikkadheenga..." tunes.
There can only be one maestro born in ten centuries. It still gives me goosebums when I think of my first meeting with him. (yeah yeah throwing names, too proud etc. After all, its him. ;-) )
 
this is the first time I am opening your blog from home...my office computer would be always on mute...the BG Music was awesome..
:-)
 
TTM,
I wonder how i missed "Aur Ek Prem Kahai"!...
Endha tunes were rehashed?
 
Deepa,
Agree that Sankar-Ganesh were mediocre but I really have a soft corner for some of their fantastic early-80 songs - Mazhaiye Mazhaiye, Unnai naan paarthadhu, Rendu kannam, Malargale Idho idho.

You really must write about ur meeting with the maestro :)

Syam,
venumna suttukonga ;)

Bala,
It had Kaadhal Oviyam, Kaatril endham geedham and 3rd was Thumbi Vaa I think.
 
The film itself was a remake of Balu Mahendra's debut film Kokila (Kannada).
 
ttm:
Sorry about the off-topic post. But I thought you might find this link about the izzat angle on the Darryl Hir-Inzy issue interesting.
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main19.asp?filename=op090906Anatomy_of.asp

BNB
 
Hi Takative man

How do you capture the video in the movie as images?If you have any software to convert wma to jpeg please do let me know?
 
BNB,
Thanks a lot for that link. Mihir Bose is a fine historian like Guha and the article makes sense though not convincing. Maybe my strong backing for Hair has to do with my resent over the Dalmiyazation of the game.

Karthik,
1. Download the Klite Codec Pack here.
2. Install the software *WITH* Windows Media Player Classic(It's not by microsoft).
3. Play the video with Media Player Classic. Pause when you like and choose "File->Save Image As" -> BMP File(May allow JPEG).
4. Download IrfanView to crop your images and/or convert from BMP->JPG

I personally love WMP Classic as it can play any kind of audio/video format imagineable *including* DVD and lets you extract images. The only con is you cant have a playlist.

MD Saar,
Ilayaraja is a class apart but a hit from Sankar-Ganesh is like Mudassar's 6-32 or Agarkar's 6-41 :-) Has its own thrills.
 
I did see idhaya thamarai before but have totally forgotten the story.. But I can remember Janakaraj's jokes though :)
 
//The obvious consolation was PC Sriram's camerawork//

It was the only consolation in Idhya Thamarai. The director tried in vain to imitate Manirathnam in each and every frame and the resutls.. the film neither attracted the mass nor impressed the class.

Shankar Ganesh too try to show his presence (naanum irukkaen) once in a while during in an era which belonged absolutely to Isaignani Illayaraja.
 
Hi,
I want to say that it was a great movie ! i liked it !

I want to know if i can get a link to download the songs of the movie

Thanks,
Bibhash
 
This blog is an exact representation of skills. I appreciate the blogger for posting the most excellent thought. This topic posted by you is trustworthy. I like you recommendation.Your recommendation is of well use to people. A great article post, this is something very interesting. A great concept that reflects the excellent thoughts of the writer.
 
Hi.. just wanted to mention I absolutely loved this movie .. karthik's actin.. and revathi too.. with unusual comedy of janakaraj.. usually too noisy.. but here just a humming bgm..

we shud not sit with a mood like "oh so he wants to ape Mani.. this is bad that is bad.."

As a plain lover of gud movies.. i liked this movie.. kept me glued for almost the whole movie..
 
I was very encouraged to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this special read. I definitely savored every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
bollywood saree
 
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