It would not be an exaggeration if I call the movie Markazhi Ragam a Carnatic Sound and Light show. The auditorium was dark; lights appeared and disappeared at appropriate time and to evoke the mood of the song, stage décor and artist costume kept changing as the artist moved on from one rage to another and one composer to another and one deity to another. The dais was free from clutter (are we in Singapore) no flask or Bisleri bottles, no electronic sruthi box to hide notebooks. I could not see any kancheevarams, jasmine flowers, glass bangles, shawls or kurtas, (except for the artists) but instead it was jeans, salwar, skirts, high heals, and expensive perfume fragrance. Does it sound uncarnatic? Are we pushing the boundaries of music, art and culture? or should we call this redifining the boundaries? Is this movie for serious carnatic aficionados or an effort to glamorize carnatic music or bring out the physics of carnatic music? Why can it be all of the three?You can have diffused lighting, expensive Bose speakers, but none other than Mayamalavagowlai can create the carnatic concert mood and tether all audience in the concert hall. Jayashree in her typically meditative style sang Ponnaiya Pillai’s (Tanjore Quartret) Mayathirthaswaroopini. The camera was busy framing the vocalist, her mohana maalai and stone studded pendent, and exposing the fabric in her expensive silk draped over the piped blouse. Then the camera stood over the violinist shoulder to capture the dynamics between the violinist and the vocalist and finally it decided to settle with Jayashree as she kept pouring the swaras for this lilting composition. The song ended with the Mudhra "Guruguha Swamiku Ne dasu daini" in the Samasti Charanam.
The screen turned dark and blank like the starless and moonless night and suddenly the new dawn broke and Jayashree had taken us to Nagapattinam. One could hear the boundaries of Neelambari sketched with atmost devotion, mastery and sincerity and slowly unfolding Muthuswamy Dikshithar’s Amba Neelayathakshi. Images from 3 cameras were beamed on the screen captured the breaking sweat beads on the percussionist’s forehead and the mike popping out from her sternum.
Jayashree sat on the stage like a fully bloomed lotus with a 1000 petals adorning the pond. Her right hand was busy holding the baby and moving it back and forth while her heart was doing the talam count. It would not be an exaggeration if I said Jayashree became a mother to the mother goddess while rendering this kriti.
Every raga is a fresh canvas on which artists paint their imagination and creativity. The audience was busy swaying their heads soaked in the raga, while some were busy trying to guess the krithi. One could hear enthralling Reethigowlai on the horizon against Jayashree’s silhouette. Subburaya Shastri’s Janani Ninnuvina, the famous beautiful madhyama kaala krithi in Reethigowla raga was presented. Nereval at Saraseeruha lochani Suvaasini Taamasamu Seyakane Brovumu was delectable and effusing with surrender and bakthi. The camera zoomed in on her face while the lights made the diamonds on her nose dazzle (reminded me of Devi Kanyakumari.) while she sang the krithi with poise and perfection. For some music is a hobby, but for Jayashree music was definitely tapasya. There was no change in timbre of tambura, and at an unexpected moment clad in a red kurta and dazzling kadukkan TM Krishna appeared on the horizon and completed the kriti after the taniavarthanam. It was indeed a nice way to introduce him in the concert movie!
I don’t know if it was it Michelangelo stroke, Picasso’s brush or Midas touch, but all of it seemed to be present in TM Krishna’s elaboration of Behag. The raga engulfed the auditorium, while both vocalist and violinist were on a motivating journey to get each other beyond the imagination boundaries of absent rasikas. TMK rendered Swati Tirunaal’s Saramaina Maatalanda chalu chalu ra Javali in Telugu.
Be it reflections of the string, fabric of the bow, craters on the Mridhangam, or viboothi, kumkum on the artist forehead, cuticles on his nails, the camera captured the stage dynamics real and raw without any deception or manipulation. Swaying his arms, and picking up the swaras and sahityam with his right in enthusiasm TMK was playing a perfect volley with the violinist. The eyes of the violinist RK Shriramkumar kept watching the vocalist’s lips and transmitting them back on the strings. While the Mridhangist Arun Prakash was kept his ears open to play apt theermanans for the sangathis rendered by the vocalist.
Could there be a concert without a Thyagaraja krithi? May be Thyagaraja didn’t want Seetha to feel insecure and possessive and that is why he addressed Rama as Seethapathi in the Kamas kriti?
There was no premium pricing for this concert and a front row or back row really didn’t matter and everyone got to see everything clear, candid and without any compromise. May be that was the reason why Arun Prakash looked very conscious, while the TMK sishya on the tampura was joyous all the time, while the French sishya was always hiding behind the Tampura?
Can there be a Markazhi without RTP? TMK elaborated the Subha pantuvarali and presented a short thanam and pallavi “Brahmai vaha kila satguru kripa” in Sama, Kamas and Subha Pantuvarali. It was not just TMK who had less interaction with the Mridhangist, but the cameras too stayed away from this artist. Why this partiality?
If she was a calm ocean, he was a rumbling volcano. Both of them had their distinct and captivating styles. TMK remained muted while Jayashree rendered Kararavindhena Mukharavindham from Balamukundashtakam in Ragamalika in her impeccable meditative style with only tampura sruthi on the background. TMK came right back into the frame to render Purundaradasar’s Jagodhodharana in Kapi.
The sound and light show ended with a piece in raga Yamuna Kalyani. This brought all artist and instruments together – a perfect ensemble and spirit of unity. Jayashree and TMK took turns to render Vandemaataram in Yamuna Kalyani, Kapi and Sindu Bairavi.
Everything seemed the same at the end of this concert on reel. A portion of the crowd that walked in sipping coke and carrying a tub of caramel popcorn seemed happy, contented and musically satisfied at the end. I found them chewing the same cud discussing on camera angles, artist costumes, jewellery with fervor and enthusiasm. A few musical die-hards were busy discussing real music on the reel – ragas, swaras, composers, physics of sound and music.
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