Lingaa Song
Janita Locklin
Lingaa is the soundtrack album composed by A. R. Rahman, to the 2014 Indian Tamil film of the same name written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. The soundtrack album consists of five tracks, out of which, four had lyrics by Vairamuthu while the fifth was written by his son Madhan Karky. According to Rahman, as the film is set in different time zones, the music composed works around these time.[1]
According to Rahman, Rajinikanth did not want to include the first version of the song "Oh Nanba" in the film as he felt that it was more of a song suited for a younger generation actor. Rahman, as a result, reworked the entire song to suit Rajinikanth. The song, which was the introduction song in the film and was the last song to be recorded, was a combination of tunes similar to those composed by M. S. Viswanathan, and of EDM genre of music.[2] For the song, "En Mannava", Rahman tried to compose it in the Hindustani classical genre using different ragas like Bilaskhani Todi and Durbari, but the film's director, K. S. Ravikumar, insisted that the song, which is a period song in the pre-independence portions of the film, should have a contemporary feel so as to make the audience like it. Hence Rahman made it as a folk song.[3] The track "Indiane Vaa" was originally sung by Haricharan and Rahman liked Haricharan's rendition of the song and said the same about it to Ravikumar, who said that Rahman himself should sing the song as he felt that it suited Rahman's style of singing. Rahman agreed to Ravikumar's suggestion and sang the final version of the song himself.[4] The song "Mona Gasolina" was in the genre of Latin American music.[5] For the track "Unmai Oru Naal", Rahman composed seven tunes for Ravikumar to choose.[6] In the scene where Raja Lingeshwaran hosts a party inviting the governor, and speaks to him, the piano cover is the composition of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata 11 in A Major K.33.[citation needed]
On the contrary, Anupama Subramanian for Deccan Chronicle wrote, "One usually finds Rahman's background score to be pretty good, and you may find it to be the case here as well and his tunes (a)re catchy."[19] Critic based at The Times of India who reviewed the Telugu version of the soundtrack claimed, "On the whole, the album features a blend of melodious and peppy tunes."[20] Bollywoodlife reviewed the album thus "Lingaa music review: AR Rahman dishes out a musical treat for all Rajinikanth fans."[21]
The soundtrack of the original version was unveiled on 5 November 2014 by hosting a promotional event at Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai with Rajinikanth, Anushka Shetty, Sonakshi Sinha and K. S. Ravikumar in attendance. Rahman could not attend the launch; a video where he spoke about the film was screened.[22] The Telugu version was unveiled officially on 8 November 2014 by hosting a promotional event at Park Hyatt, Novotel in Hyderabad which was followed by the film's curtain-raiser. Chiranjeevi and K. Viswanath were invited as the chief guests. MAA TV televised the curtain raiser live from 5:00 PM.[23][24] The album for the Hindi version was unveiled on 26 November 2014; prior to its release, five days before, a single track "India Re" (Indiane Vaa) was released on 21 November 2014.[25]
A 40-second song teaser of "Mona Gasolina" featuring Rajinikanth and Anushka Shetty was released on 7 November 2014.[26] Another 40-second song teaser was released on 8 November 2014 of the song "En Mannavva" featuring Rajinikanth and Sonakshi Sinha.[27]
Lingaa is Rajinikanth, AR Rahman and KS Ravikumar's third outing which started with Muthu 20 years ago, Jfollowed by Padayappa in 1999. No doubt, this is Rajinikanth's first full-fledged feature film after an extended break since Enthiran(2010). Vairamuthu has penned 4 songs and one by Madhan Karky.
As many other Rajini introduction song, this song is loaded with advice, aspirations, uplifting words and wishes to make India better. The song doesn't go overboard on patriotism. The song touches upon the central theme of the movie about unification of rivers and water problems. The song arrangements and instruments sometimes remind you of Kochadaiiyaan. Vairamuthu's lyrics are appropriate for the song situation despite lack of novelty. AR Rahman singing sounds a bit strained at places.
AR Rahman packs a lot of infectious energy in this number. AR Rahman lets himself off the hook fusing multiple styles of music in quick successions. This song showcases AR Rahman's proficiency sliding in and out effortlessly between musical styles with a simple change in beats and instruments. Madhan Karky is asked again to do what he does best -- blending algorithmicly metered foreign language words. Mano starts with no restraint and settles with his powerful singing fits well for Rajinikanth. The female singers Tanvi Shah and Neeti Mohan bring in some freshness and variations. Pick of the Album.
The duet song that is too simplistic, tad uninspired with archaic lyrics. The song proceeds flat with interlude transitions constructed along expected lines. The song has a blend of Carnatic and hint of Hindustani music. The song fails to make a big impression during initial listening.
It is now SPB's turn to stretch his vocal chords for Rajinikanth. This is yet another advice song sung in high scale. The lyrics urge the comrades to go out, conquer and living life to its fullest. The song may potentially unfold through montages.
A few of the Lingaa tracks suffer from hangover effect from Kochadaiiyaan while the rest strictly follows the standard template of previous Rajinikanth movies. There is not much to write in terms of its novelty, but the songs are carefully engineered for the purpose of firing up the masses when Rajini emerges on the big screen.
ఇది స్వోత్కర్ష కాద. Luckily I've never needed to learn Telugu music the traditional way; I am totally ignorant of the classification of "ragas". Yet I can catch a tune (be it a Hindi song, Carnatic kriti, etc.) by ear, by just listening. But I cannot read the (music) sheet. Perhaps, being born in a musical family helped. Or, it could be the proximity to high decibel loudspeakers/radio/record players during formative years. Even when I do not know the melody (and rhythm), I could form a tune by just humming the lyrics - usually this works with Tyagaraja or Annamayya songs.
Regarding this Siva song, I will definitely try to speak with a music teacher about the "raga". And when I get the right answer, I will post it here.
Radha Vyas,
One of our young relatives, herself an accomplished Kuchipudi dancer quickly checked on the Internet and found it to be "Kalyani" (raga). I have no way of confirming it. I've asked two musicians about it, still waiting for an answer. My feeling is this: Every song (tune) can be identified with one of the major 72 mela-kirta ragas. If I have learnt any thing from Dr Balamuralikrishna and if I have understood a bit of music it is that - "any song in any language (culture) can be mapped to be a part of the 72 major ragas." Thanks for visiting this page. After reading and learning a bit of music theory I have realized that it is not easy to identify the raga of any song. Still the research is going on. Modern computer scientists (mathematicians, electrical engineers, and audio scientists) are still trying various algorithms and electronics instrumentation to correctly identify the raga of any given song. So there is a lot to this question.
Well here I am in 2022. Heard this 'tatvam' by accident and came across your blog for the lyrics of song ' emi sethura linga'. Indeed very happy to see something so old being kept alive. Wish you all the best Patri
Reverberating SPB kicking in with the flamingo type orchestration, Oh nanba is a thorough retro. Isaipuyal has taken an outdated genre' and has cleverly fused it with party-mix and rap. The acoustic strumming and the congo add a constant pace. The period setting in the movie might give an edge to the track.
Rahman tends to keep it simple when its for Superstar. Thanks to the tune, this duet is chirpy and Bollywood like. The bhols, swarasthanams and tambourine give us an idea of what to expect on screen. Might not be instantly accessible though.
The magical Rahman voices for a song that readily talks of unity and patriotism. The powerful chorus, authoritative lyrics and the groovy rhythm progression make it an addictive number. Rahman scores as a quality tenor again. The experimental tape-beat towards the end and the sudden change in the lead tune are typical Rahman elements.
The powerful Mano is back. Nadhaswaram for a melody? That is AR Rahman. Starts off like a mash up of all the recent international trends in music with all the growling in the singing and the Spanish phrases. But the catchy lyrics, thavil and interesting chords in the background make it fun filled and celebratory. Neeti and Tanvi, the female singers are top class.
The much needed pathos of the album. With just the hand drum and the deep Haricharan's voice, Unmai orunaal is soft and sober. The instrumentation and the singing neatly parted for an uncomplicated listen shows Rahman reaching out to the casual listeners.
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