Songs rule Tamil films

Tamil music buffs are being entertained with different varieties of tunes.

With the advent of newer music directors in the Tamil film industry, music buffs are being entertained with different varieties of tunes and background music.

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Music directors, especially the newer ones like AR Rehman, Bhardwaj, Suresh Peters and Deva, are much sought after. The wide use of piano by Viswanathan-Ramamurthy duo, has given way to computerised music. This is not to say that musical instruments are not being used.

Whether it is Illayaraja's melodious Agaya Vennilave, or Rehman's Sundari neeyum Sundaram nyanum or for that matter a song like Vidyasagar's Appidi poodu, appidi poodu, film music is getting today a much more dedicated audience.

However, one question still being asked is whether songs are required in Tamil cinema.

A majority of people to whom this reporter spoke to agree that without songs the current crop of films would not go far because these films have a sketchy story line.

Many see Kollywood films as a mere "time pass" and therefore prefer songs. One trend is that no one leaves the theatre to have a smoke when a song sequence is being shown.

Many of them, including youngsters, feel that if a Tamil film does not have at least three or four songs, then there is no charm in viewing it.

First year engineering student Suresh Joshua said that he saw no contradiction between watching an English movie, which is not generally interspersed with songs, and Tamil movies which have many songs.