RAJKUMAR SONGS KANNADA OLD TV

The story goes that M Ranga Rao, who made the music for that film, was moved to tears when he heard Rajkumar’s rendering at the studio, and rushed to hug him. Rajkumar brings to it an intensity all his own. Based on raga Lalit, its tune is clearly taken from the Jagjit Singh ghazal ‘Koi paas aaya savere savere’. The similarly pensive Kanneera dhare ideke ideke from Hosa Belaku (1981) is one of his best songs. A hit in this category is Idu yaaru bareda katheyo from the murder mystery Premada Kaanike, whose story, incidentally, was written by the superstars of Bollywood scriptwriting, Salim-Javed. Rajkumar sang some melancholic numbers too. Eradu Kanasu (1974), starring Rajkumar but with songs sung by Sreenivas, was one of their biggest all-time hits. Both films had music by Rajan Nagendra, who produced numbers that became all the rage in the 1970s. Rajkumar’s voice was capable of greater vivacity, best seen in songs like Naa ninna mareyalaare, from the 1976 film of the same name, and Thai thai thai thai bangaari from Girikanye (1977).

Baadi hoda balliyinda is a fine example in the latter playlist. Like Mukesh, Sreenivas sang with a melancholic heaviness: his voice could handle lighter love songs all right, but it excelled in moody, darker numbers. Once Rajkumar the singer was discovered, Sreenivas all but lost his job. Among the most enduring songs he sang for Rajkumar are Nee mudida mallige hoovina maale and Nee bandu nintaaga. Till then, P B Sreenivas had been Rajkumar’s voice, giving Kannada cinema some of its most beautiful, stylish songs, all through the ‘60s. Ilaiyaraaja was then an assistant to music composer G K Venkatesh. Ilaiyaraja has gone on record to say he was instrumental in persuading Rajkumar to sing that wildly popular song. Rajkumar was the biggest hero in Kannada cinema for five decades, but he emerged as a singer only mid-way in his career, when he sang the energetic ‘Yaare koogadali’ in the 1974 film Sampattige Sawal. He shied away from it, saying he was not up to its challenges.

RAJKUMAR SONGS KANNADA OLD TV

Yet, as fellow-singer S P Balasubramanyam recalled in a recent interview on a Telugu TV channel, Rajkumar was reluctant to sing film songs. Tunes made for the stage were mostly raga-based, and an actor with no grounding in classical music got nowhere. They were, in effect, preparing to don grand mythological roles. Rajkumar’s proficiency dates back to his stint in company drama, which put actors through rigorous grooming in music and Kannada diction. In other words, they are just not in the same league as Rajkumar.

Not that today’s actors don’t attempt singing they do, and produce songs that bank on timbre and spoken-word drama rather than melody. It is difficult to imagine any of his contemporaries, or heroes who came after him, singing it professionally. Naadamaya, the song that won him a national award, is based on difficult ragas in the classical Karnatic tradition. No hero in any Indian language can pull off the kind of songs he did. Indian cinema no longer boasts actors with his level of musical proficiency. Rajkumar hailed from an era of singer-actors. April 24 marks the 91st birth anniversary of actor-singer Rajkumar, and provides an opportunity for music buffs to look back at his legacy.

Rajkumar songs kannada old