IS IMMAN GRADUALLY GOING OUT OF THE LEAGUE?

          While watching 10 Endradhukulla, the primary aspect that struck me was not of the very sloppy filmmaking in the movie but rather the very average songs in it. While the background score was pretty decent (note that I didn’t say awesome), the soundtracks clearly lacked the intent of catering to the situation. It was not a surprise because music composer D. Imman has recently been giving very ordinary albums, with nothing much to crave for.

          His filmography states his first album as Thamizhan, way back in 2002, but he himself had stated in some interview that he would never forget his second innings – a sort of a comeback – that happened around 2010, when Mynaa was released. After giving a series of average albums in the following year, he suddenly rose to the peak of fame in 2012 by giving albums like Saattai and Kumki. This was followed by Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam in 2013, which made Imman the ‘folk-father’ of the neo generation. Some other movies like Rummy also added upto his crown of soulful melodies.

          But after the early stages of 2014, Imman has shown signs of fatigue, and has been giving very usual and repetitive set of tunes, apart from Jeeva. This, according to me, is primarily due to two reasons: firstly, he is doing a hell lot of projects without much gap; secondly, this unnecessary hype in the online space and the impulsive glory that follows and flies by has gone too much into his head. Now, he wants himself to satisfy his fans – a trait of an average actor – rather than fulfilling the music lovers. These are pretty much evident in his recent tracks, which contain more speaking voices and movie dialogues than the actual lyrics of the song.

          Adding to this is the peer pressure that is being indirectly thrust upon by the fellow music directors, some of who sing all the songs of a particular album. This has forced him to sing some songs like Ennamma Ipdi Panreengaley Maa in ‘Rajini Murugan’, exposing the very average skills he has got with respect to his voice. To be very frank and honest enough, Ilayaraaja, ARR, GVP and Yuvan have got their unique voices that fit into any situation of a movie, whereas Thaman, Anirudh and Imman do not fall into this category (Here’s one trait for which Harris Jayaraj can be admired; he doesn’t venture into this singing thing at all – hats off, thalaivaa!). So it is best to avoid this irritating attempt to force-fit their voices into the albums.

          I have greatly admired Imman’s musical work in Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam, which comprised of songs pertaining to various junctures. Particularly, Vizhigalil Vizhigalil Vizhunthuvittaai combined the prodigy of Imman and pulpiness of Harish Raghavendra to result in a romantic song, with beautiful lyrics. Ennammaa Kannu Sowkyamaa did justice to MSV by not including too much noisy raps and jarring basses in it; Madhura Jilla Machaan would be the ideal requirement of a kuthu song in a commercial Kollywood movie. The background score was also nice, with appropriate stringed instruments coming in during the sentimental and romantic portions, and percussions talking the centerstage in the gethu scenes exposing the protagonist (Remember Dhanush jumping off the bike with a somersault after selling off the tickets in a government bus in a crooked manner, and the music that accompanies)

          Again in Maasilaamani, Imman gave a great output with cool, breezy melodies like Oh Divya Oh Divya and Dora Dora; there was also this kuthu type track titled Odi Odi Vilayaadu. All these, with that theme music (the piece that plays whenever Nakul pretends to be innocent as Mani and then shows off his real face as Maasi), every now and then, was one factor that made me watch the entire movie, despite a very flat story and boring screenplay.

          Perhaps, Imman is committing himself into too many assignments and hence is unable to provide his 100% in anything. I say this because there were 10 albums of Imman in 2014, of which 9 have been released as movies. Only 3 received good appreciation (Rummy, Jilla and Jeeva). In Sigaram Thodu, there is a scene where the lady-love gets angry with the hero in a mall, and he has to somehow win back her heart. This would usually be done away with the help of a stylish track with tantalizing words that would change her mindset. Instead, we get a country type track (Scene-u Scene-u) with a non-energetic voice that never seems to convey the mood. And, there’s a similar one in Valiyavan, where Imman does the same old thing again.

          Another issue with Imman and Anirudh is that while the former is very much content with a set of singers like Santhosh Hariharan, Ranjith, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal and now Vishal Dadlani (surpisingly, following the footsteps of Anirudh – The Rockstar), the latter would like to sing every song on his own (or with the help of the epic Poetu Dhanush). Harris Jayaraj does a masterstroke here in this aspect, too. Though his songs follow a regular pattern, which can easily be traced out by an above average keyboard player, Harris makes sure to vary the voices and occasionally introduce new ones, so that the listeners do not get bored. That’s why we can hear En Friend-a Pola (Nanban) and Gala Gala (Ko) with the same pumped up feel, inspite of knowing that both follow the same rhythm and tune patterns.

          If Imman is really interested in providing instantaneous hits like Dandanakka  and Yennamma Ipdi Panringale that won’t last in the long run, this would suit him for some 10 to 15 movies from now, after which he has to stay put. Rather, if he focuses on the orthodoxy lines of music, giving due importance to the strength of tunes and the essence of the accompanying instruments, he could sustain the position as one of the most coveted music directors of Tamil cinema in the present scenario.