Vidyasagar

The song ore manam from villain has been on my mind for couple of days now - it has been rendered soulfully by Hariharan /Chandana Bala

Vidyasagar is the music director.

Quite a talented music director. Has created very soulful melodies, catchy foot-tapping songs and equally listless/lifeless songs.

His style is a mixture of many different music directors on top of which he has created his own trademark. You can hear a IR, MSV and ARR - three legends in their own right. It is very tough to be not influenced by the style of any of these three music directors (which is why they stand apart from each other and at the same time stand out as composers)

He uses neo-age sounds/instruments setting the dreamy/wonderland ambience (ARR style), while the structure of his songs are typically IRish and melody ranges from punjabi bhangras, to pukka carnatic passages and western classic interludes, to fast foot-tapping desi numbers.

Durbari Kanada has proved to be his secret to producing chart-busters - but the remark does not do full justice to his ability. He has given many hit songs based on many ragas/styles and come out in flying colors. Early in his career background music (BGM) was a weak point - often people complained of high volumed instrumentation - now he has taken a 'leaf' out of Hollywood movies - e.g. just observe the opening piece of BGM in Dhool - if you heard the BGM withouth watching the visual - you would swear it is Hollywood movie :-)

Vidyasagar announced his arrival with Jai Hind and followed it up with Priyam - Dilruba and Karna, Villadhi Villan, Pasum Pon etc 2001-2003 was his golden era - where he was the undisputed producer of chart busters.

Some of his songs that you'd want to not miss are Dilruba (Priyam), Malare Mounama(Karna), Madisaru Kattindu(Villadhi Villan), Thamara Poo(Pasum pon), Vennilave Vellai Poove(some movie starring Arjun, Meena) , Aasai Aasai (Dhool), (Some songs from Miss Madras that fail me now), Un samayal Arayil (Dhill), Ore Manam (Villan), Nee Katru (Nilavee vaa), Poo Vasam, Mouname Parvayal (Anbe sivam).

The best is a fusion attempt on 'Endaro Mahanu' based on Sri Ragam - the fusion is simply 'hair raising' and gives you goose bumps - very nicely done.

His nemesis has been the 'run of the mill' movies and lack consistency i.e. the number of songs that are good in a movie is nowhere close to what he can create. Rarely do two songs in the same movie carry such high quality songs (compare it with ARR and some of IR when they create, you'd rarely want to skip any song in a movie). If he can cut down on such 'slackness' and make improve his consistency - he can enter into the hall of legends soon..

May he continue to produce wonderful melodies

Long live the ear for good music.