Oh, the swooning touch of love!

SA Raj Kumar is a music director who inhabited the music sphere of Telugu film industry in the post-Ilaiyarajaa phase. In a career which spanned around a quarter of a century, this 51-year-old music composer worked with some of the leading names in all the four film industries of south India, working in nearly 140 films.

Rather notably, Raj Kumar made his entry into Tamil in 1987 and composed music for over 60-odd films when Ilaiyarajaa was virtually holding the fort and worked his way up to survive the onslaught of A R Rahman who succeeded him in Tamil. His foray into Tollywood was a good decade later, and here too he had a privileged existence with leading banners backing him to the hilt.

His numbers are still a major draw, having formed the playback for heroes like Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna and Pawan Kalyan, not to forget Dr Rajasekhar for a good part of the past 15 years. Not surprisingly, in a shorter span, he created music for 50 and odd films in Telugu too. Call it clever positioning or the impact Ilaiyarajaa had on him, his songs were melodiously crafted and carved their own niche in the listeners’ hearts as they sailed into their minds.

His numbers in the film ‘Suswagatham’, the 1997 release of the then up and coming Pawan Kalyan, who scored his first silver jubilee hit with that film, are still favourites for the music lovers of that era. ‘Suswagatham Navaragama’ is the song, which is the best of the lot he created for that film, one that closely resembles the tuning of the number “Kannanule”, starring Manisha Koirala in the film ‘Bombay’, released in 1995.

The reason: the qawwali strain, which is the opening music bit for both the numbers. Sung by three big names of Indian cinema, Hariharan, KS Chitra and Jaspinder Narula (who had suddenly shot into the limelight with her Hindi numbers along with Remo Fernandes) the song has an ear-friendly lilt to it for sure.

As the soft tone of Hariharan affirms the romantic tilt of the song right from the beginning, the lyrics obviously match it to the hilt. Savour this one: “Nee toli sparshalo, intha sukha maikama” (Your first touch is itself so intoxicating, a rough translation!) as the tabla thump enmeshes itself with the high-pitched strain of the background singer.

Shot in picturesque locale of Jaipur, its impressive fort background lending it the right upcountry feel, the number paces itself steadily with the high-pitched female chorus singers upping the tempo alongside. Stanza two, as the female voice comes in; the flute bursts in short staccato spells, taking one to the Ilaiyarajaa style of orchestration, his trademark.

The junior artistes, draped in blood red costumes mark a sharp contrast to the lighter shades that the lead pair sport as they wiggle around to the continuing percussion beats. The choreography oscillates between slower, rhythmic moves to violent jerks of the hero, who otherwise has been known ever since for his hyper screen presence. Devayani, his onscreen pair, maintains the feminine grace, a relief in many ways.

The humming, by now however is a continuing crescendo. As if the riot of colours which otherwise one gets to see on the screen, the flags crop up in multi-hued variations as Raj Kumar employs the flute to maintain the continuity. The Hindustani tuning to a typically southern song is now a winner.

As the song comes to a close, the screen is awash with yellow- flowers and flowing lehengas of the background performers. The duet-crooning duo halt their frenetic dance moves and dissolve into an embrace, as the music settles down in one’s mind. A repeat listen forever!

Song : Suswagatham Navaragama

Film : Suswagatham (1997)

Singer : Hariharan, K S Chitra, Jaspinder Narula

Lyrics : Shanmukha Sharma

Music : S A Raj Kumar

By K Naresh Kumar