Audio Reviews
Pandurangadu - Audio Review
By NaChaKi
May 28, 2008 - 6:30:11 AM

R.K. Film Associates

Pandurangadu (2008)

Producer: K. Krishnamohana Rao
Director: K. Raghavendra Rao
Music Director: M.M. Keeravani
Audio Rights: Aditya Music
Lyrics: Suddala Ashok Teja (3,8); Dr. Vedavyas (2,4,5,6,9,11,14); Veturi Sundararamamurthy (7); K. Shiva Datta (10,13); Chandrabose (12); J.K. Bharavi (15)
Playback: Pranavi (1); Madhu Balakrishnan, M.M. Keeravani, Suneetha & Chorus (2); S.P.B. & Himabindu (3); Shankar Mahadevan & Chorus (4); S.P.B., Malavika, Sowmya & Chorus (5); Shankar Mahadevan & Geetamadhuri (6); S.P.B. & Chorus (7, 14); S.P.B., M.M. Keeravani & Malavika (8); M.M. Keeravani, Usha & Chorus (9); Chorus (10); Vijay Yesudas & Chitra (11); S.P.B. & Suneetha (12); Madhu Balakrishnan (13); M.M. Keeravani & Chorus (15)

Rating: 3.00/5

Summary:
In this yet another devotional movie in Raghavendra Rao-Keeravani combination, Keeravani had better flexibility than in Annamayya or Sree Ramadasu because there are no "preset" compositions (keertana-s or kRti-s) and because the story itself is not entirely devotional in nature. It's surprising to see, though, that Keeravani reused bits or nearly whole of some of his old tunes, used very similar orchestration as in Annamayya or Sree Ramadasu instead of creating gems that could have lived through the next 50 years (like the numbers from the original film, which are still popular)! Given this fact and Keeravani's caliber (which can be seen in his choice of various raaga-s even in this album), and in an involuntary comparison to the original audio album of the film Panduranga Mahatmyam (1957), this album leaves the listeners wishing for quite a lot more quality. Individual songs sum up to a better rating but on the whole, the album should have suffered in rating (but it didn't, now). The overall rating could have been harsher in terms of those who heard the beautiful melodies in Panduranga Mahatmyam (1957), but this rating doesn't take into consideration the comparison!

aadau dEvakidEvi garbha jananam... (Duration: 0:59 minutes) (Rating: 4.0/5)
Playback: Pranavi sings the classic verse very melodiously and with the effect of devotion showing in her voice. The gamakam at the end of the gOpiigRhE-vardhanam is impressive.	Lyric: This is a classic verse known as "Eka SlOka bhaagavatam" as it sums up all of bhaagavata puraaNa in one verse, very aptly used for the movie.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: Keeravani chooses his seemingly favorite, oft-repeated hindOLa raaga with quite minimal orchestration for this traditional verse. At one place, the tune cuts short a longer vowel sound shorter (kii in the word dEvakiidEvi), but it's been done quite often in films of the bygone times too.

gOpaalabaala kRshNa gOkulaashTami... (gOvinduDe kOka chuTTi, gOpemma vEsham kaTTi...) (Duration: 5:35 minutes) (Rating: 3.5/5)
Playback: Madhu Balakrishnan has an apt voice modulation for such numbers. Suneetha's aalaapana towards the end of the song is short yet impressive. Keeravani is okay.	Lyric: The lyric celebrates devotion towards Lord Krishna and how it helps one lead one's life. Rhyming usages like venna paalu-vinnapaalu, kamsaari-samsaari are good.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The tune and orchestration are typical of Keeravani and one can relate little bits through the tune, interludes, and BGM to several of his previous songs. The flute bits are impressive.

hE kRshNaa mukundaa muraarii! ... (Duration: 4:59 minutes) (Rating: 3.75/5)
Playback: S.P.B. is good. The lead line is an appreciable emulation of Ghantasala! The rest of the rendition carries the theme of the song well.	Lyric: The song seems to be placed towards the end of the movie, where the God is beckoned by His devotees to show his mercy. The yamakam in raayilaa-raa ilaa is apt and appreciable.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The tune starts off very much like the original composition by T.V. Raju (Panduranga Mahatmyam, 1957), but immediately shifts from raaga mOhana (of the original) to Sivaranjani. Like the original too, the song ends in the lead line again, but the play with raaga (mOhana) with a 180-second interlude was a good part of the original that definitely leaves audience wanting more in this song.

sahasraSeersha rakshitam, sahasranEtra vilasitam... (Duration: 1:04 minutes) (Rating: 4.0/5)
Playback: Shankar Mahadevan adjusts his modulation to suit the mood of the song and is okay. But his pronunciation of the word daivatam as deyvatam should have been taken care of.	Lyric: The verse is again, in Sanskrit, in praise of the Lord who's adorned with thousands of virtues and is the Bearer for the whole Universe.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The bit is set nearer to raaga mOhana (bhoop?) too, possibly because it's about Lord Krishna, who's referred to as mOhana himself.

Emani aDaganu, ninu E varamu nE kOranu!... (Duration: 3:35 minutes) (Rating: 3.25/5)
Playback: S.P.B. doesn't need new praises for such songs, but still the way he "speaks" during the song is of particular mention for its resemblance to the film's protagonist Balakrishna's style of speaking. To sing thus even before shooting the visuals is an example of his experience. The female voices fit right in where and when needed.	Lyric: The song depicts the helplessness of a staunch devotee when the God Himself asks him to seek a boon. The lyric goes in an appreciable manner, with the protagonist praising the God while enlisting all the good things that God has given already, and how in the past great devotees sought God's help only in situations more critical than his own.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: Keeravani uses raaga-s bhaagESwari and abhEri very well in parts of this moving song. On the whole too, the orchestration elevates the mood of the song, particularly towards the end of the song.

SreeSreeSree raajaadhiraaja raajamaartaanDa purushapungavaa! ... (Duration: 3:49 minutes) (Rating: 3.25/5)
Playback: Shankar Mahadevan is okay. Geetamadhuri is melodious.	Lyric: The lyric is a regular romantic number. The word "raama raajyam" might have been used indicating the other meaning of raama - a woman. It's surprising that a lyricist with a doctoral degree and IAS qualification can make a mistake of using an English-derived word (villu from "will") that passes through every other filter including the veteran director and knowledgeable music director, who's also a lyricist himself!
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The tune, though catchy, lacks freshness but the strings in the interlude are impressive.

gOvinda kRshNa jai, gOpaalakRshNa jai, gOpaala baala baala raadhakRshNa jai! ... (Duration: 3:49 minutes) (Rating: 3.25/5)
Playback: S.P.B. puts the apt feeling into the song, with a tone that indicates that the devotee is a friend of God who can even tease the latter.	Lyric: In this devotional song that focuses on Lord Krishna's deeds as a child, one cannot miss the subtle filmy expression "Balakrishna jai" used in the song, to mean the protagonist's real identity as well. The rhyme in the song is quite pronounced all through the song.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The racy nature of raaga mOhana suits the tune. The tune works around the prosaic lyric effectively for most part. The BGM carries this bhajan-style song well.

maatRdEvObhava anna sookti marichaanu, pitRdEvObhava anna maaTa viDichaanu! ... (Duration: 6:05 minutes) (Rating: 3.0/5)
Playback: Malavika takes off with the SlOkam and S.P.B. sings most of the song, very effectively for his part. The chorus adds to the effect. Keeravani and Malavika are okay, but it's for later to see how their voice modulation suits the old aged couple they're supposed to be rendering for.	Lyric: The lyric is very prosaic in nature. An inevitable comparison to the ammaa ani arachinaa... song from Panduranga Mahatmyam (1957) puts this lyric in a very poor state. It's worth noting that the first SlOkam of raghuvamSam - vaagarthaa vivasampRttau... - that actually praises Siva and Parvathi as the Divine Parents of the World is broken differently to mean Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi (since the protagonist is a devotee of Lord Krishna), like in the movie Saagara Sangamam. (But, well, is this story supposed to be set at a time after Kalidasa?)
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The tune is okay, but reminds of the original number at places. At places, it reminds of Onamaalu nErpaalani anukunnaa kannaa!... (iddarU iddarE!) too. On the whole, it might be a passable song, but in comparison, the tune is not any great either, possibly because of (or thus) the lyric.

kRshNa harE! (bRndaavanamuna andela ravaLulu chindulu vEsEnendulaku!)... (Duration: 2:24 minutes) (Rating: 3.25/5)
Playback: Keeravani has the apt modulation for the song. Usha follows suit.	Lyric: The flow of the lyric and the way it is rendered reminds of the number aanandam paramaanandam... (Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu, 1956), though the current song goes in a question-and-answer format.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The tune is catchy, though it could have been fresher. The BGM, complete with cymbals, is typical of a bhajan, and the flute makes up for most of the rest of orchestration.

jwalatkaraaLa dhimsikaa, dhagaddhagOLa dhwamsikaa! ... (Duration: 0:40 minutes) (Rating: 4.0/5)
Playback: The bit is rendered well. The numerous voices add the right effect to the verse.	Lyric: This bit is in Sanskrit, praising Lord Narasimha.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: There is not much to the tune or orchestration or even rendition of this, but it comes out well on the whole anyway.

chandanam prEmaavalambanam priya chumbanam !... (Duration: 4:07 minutes) (Rating: 4.5/5)
Playback: Vijay Yesudas sings good, sometimes sounding very much like his father, but might leave one wondering how a veteran like S.P.B. would have rendered this rousingly romantic song. Chitra is perfect! In fact, she pronounces prak Rti and vij RmbhaNam very correctly, and not as prak ruti and vij rumbhaNam like most of us do.	Lyric: The cx`ontent of the song is typically in the SRngaara rasa, and thus could come before the transformation of the protagonist to bhakti rasa. The same director and music director combination has generated several romantic numbers in the past, but this is the time it's expected to reach the heights of the same, and the lyric is systematically apt to the situation and the rasa.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The tune plays around in various raaga-s, changing them (and the pace) based on the rasa indicated by the lyric (and thus possibly by the visuals). One can hear the raaga-s udayaravichandrika (?), kaanaDa, hamsaanandi, chakravaakam, kadanakutUhalam, and kaLyaaNi among others. The lead humming and music inevitably reminds of Keeravani's recent composition noonoogu meesaalODu... (Yamadonga).

kOsala dESapu kOmalitO, konkiNi nagarapu bhaaminitO ... (Duration: 4:41 minutes) (Rating: 3.25/5)
Playback: S.P.B. and Suneetha are both good in this romantic number. Balu's aalaapana-s and his pronouncing the word peeDanaalatO is worth noting.	Lyric: Chandrabose uses several names of places and rhyming words to refer women each time. The usage parimaLamaddaanu panTi poolatO is good. However, there're at least some inappropriate usages in the song, in such examples as naanaa jaatula paDatulatO, itaratraa palu intulatO... (What can be "et cetera" after "several/nearly all kinds" of women?) and saying his skill is "na bhootO na bhavishyat" (So, he now lost it, eh?!)
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The tune is a rehash of hRdayamanE kOvela talupulu... (Pelli Sandadi) done in the same director-composer combination, but goes in raaga udayaravichandrika (unlike hindOLa of the earlier composition?).

maataapitR samOdEvO naasti naasti jagattrayE! ... (Duration: 0:32 minutes) (Rating: 4.25/5)

Playback: Madhu Balakrishnan has this expressive modulation needed for such an emotional verse.	Lyric: The verse goes in similar lines as vEnkaTESa samOdEvO... and tells that there're no Gods equal to parents in the three worlds and that serving them is the best virtue. This is possibly used in lieu of the verse E paadaseema... in Panduranga Mahatmyam.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: This bit is set in raaga abhEri, and has not much orchestra in the little bit of length it is.

neelamEghavara varNa nigama nigamaanta nijanivaasaa!... (Duration: 2:35 minutes) (Rating: 4.25/5)
Playback: It's S.P.B. all through, with his wide-ranged voice. Maintaining the feeling all through and the modulation all along is an appreciable feat, though common for the veteran.	Lyric: The song starts off in Sanskrit phrases of praise of the Lord Panduranga, and then goes off as a devotee's agony of seeing God coming for him exclusively but turning into a stone idol!
jaya ranga ranga viThalaa! jaya paanDuranga viThalaa! ... (Duration: 2:03 minutes) (Rating: 3.75/5)
Playback: Keeravani and everyone else too sing the song with the right elevation of the mood of the song.	Lyric: This song possibly marks the end of the movie. The insertion of gaayatri mantra on Lord Panduranga is a good attempt!
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The lyric and tune remind some of a similar song in Sati Sakkubai.

By NaChaKi

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