Sachin De Villiers

The Maniratnam-ARR-Vairamuthu caravan has travelled far and wide: From the conflict-ridden valleys of Kashmir to the riot-torn streets of Bombay , from making Shah Rukh Khan go wild atop a mountain train to composing an introduction-cum-propaganda song for MGR.From displaced Tamils longing for a better future to Arvind Kejriwals entering politics to college dudes freaking out in late-night pubs to world peace bodies protesting against Israel's atrocities to a couple eyeing each other secretly in a crowded Madras local train to DMK workers who accidentally misplaced their Nagoor Haneefa cassettes to new Ambanis who aspire to build new business empires, every person has their own Maniratnam-ARR-Vairamuthu anthem.

22 years and 11 albums later, when these three sit down after lunch ,it is easy to get into conversations bordering on "Ah! Those were the days!". Instead,here they are out with their latest offering "Oh Kadhal kanmani" which features Chitra, flute in one song and Aryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam,"nama nama dei" raps in another song. Of the three, Vairamuthu and Maniratnam remain respected artists and just that whereas it is A.R.Rahman who has grown into a pop icon with a fervent fan following which doesn't seem to wane a bit,especially in the world of tweets and likes.

Rahman is in a phase of his career where he has nothing left to achieve (National awards,Filmfares,Oscars,Grammys and tears shed somewhere across the world whenever one listens to "Yeh Jo Des" or "Poongatrile"). He is in the 23rd year of his career and still remains the most popular film music director in India.(Now,even Ilayaraja can't boast of such an achievement. In Raja's 23rd year,A.R.Rahman was the most popular composer).

But being the most popular composer doesn't exactly mean he is the sole emperor. Just as how a senior Sachin Tendulkar shared the dressing room with starry-eyed youngsters, Rahman is competing with a bunch of very special talents in the Tamil scene. Thus, we have a Suresh Raina in Anirudh (a great entertainer inspite of weaknesses), a Virat Kohli in Santosh Narayanan (a special talent here to stay) and an Ajinkya Rahane in Ghibran (a shy genius in the making). And we still have the other old men around -a Rahul Dravid-like Yuvan Shankar Raja (a genius who is yet to get credit befitting his work) and a Ganguly-like Harris (God in off side/soft melodies and clueless almost everywhere else).So,to stay afloat in such a competitive scene, our Sachin has tried to transform himself into A B De Villiers in "Oh Kadhal Kanmani".

Take "Kaara Aatakaara Kaathirukene". It is a killer hook which can be converted easily into a traditional two-stanza song. A ball outside the off stump and ARR does not try to play a cover drive. Instead,he shuffles across,gets down on his knees and tries to hit it in the stands behind final leg. He doesn't exactly succeed and is caught in the deep. The rap portions are too random to give a wholesome audio-alone experience yet the sight of Sachin indulging in such acrobatics is exhilarating.

Even in "Aye Sinamika" which plays for more than six minutes, there is space for an extra stanza yet Rahman eschews it and gives space to a single line "Nee ennai neengathe" for two minutes. Typically idiosyncratic of the "new" Rahman we are seeing in the past few years. Of all the fresh punches ARR unleashes in this album ,the most soulful is "Parandhu sella vaa" which starts out as yet another experimental acrobatism but becomes musical manna once Karthik goes "Nanaindhu kolla vaa".It is an AB De villiers shot which Sachin successfully pulls off and Tony Greig is going bonkers somewhere above : "Oh that's a biggie ! Whadda playa ! Whadda playa".

Almost all songs avoid the conventional two-stanzas format and it is evident that after having travelled all around India and composed all sorts of anthems for all,ARR and Maniratnam are trying to explore what else can be done within the film song template.I am finding an Amit Trivedi lurking somewhere inside in the classical-contemporary fusion of "Theera ula". I am thoroughly enjoying how Shashaa Tripati strains her way to become ARR's next favorite female singer in "Naane Varugiren". I am wondering how  Jonita Gandhi can beat A.R.Rahman's version of "Mental manadhil" by rendering a single line "Netru inbadhu indrillai" with enjoyable nuance.Oh Kadhal kanmani" provides the most creative output by the Mani-ARR combo since 2004 but on a soulful quotient,it definitely falls short. Like how Sachin's 1999 Madras century against Pakistan falls short of 1998 Sharjah century against Australia..

The previous paragraph began with "almost" because there is a song which follows the traditional route to a good song. "Malargal keten" has Chitra,two soulful flute interludes, clearly audible lyrics which also happen to be simple and straightforward. It almost feels like we are back in the 1990s once again. And in the last minute, there is a pleasant surprise as A.R.Rahman joins Chitra. It is for moments like the one when Rahman sings " Edhai naan ketpin unaye tharuvai unaye tharuvai" that we keep coming back to Rahman. It is as if Sachin makes the De Villiers inside him sleep and plays a classy straight drive down the ground. And somewhere above, Richie Benaud observes pithily : "Marvellous".