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When Ouseppachan created the first tune of his life, and played it on his violin, he was 17. He never imagined at the time that director Bharathan would make him play it as background music for a film and then ask him to turn it into a song for another.
Neither cold he have imagined that the same song would return, some 37 years later, in a new form and become a rage. Devadoothar paadi... is giving the kind of recognition to Ouseppachan that he did not get when the song, from the 1985 film Kathodu Kathoram, first caught the music lover’s attention.
The new version of the song for the film Nna Thaan Case Kodu, featuring Kunchacko Boban’s delectably humorous dance sequence, continues to trend on YouTube five days after it was released.
It has been viewed over 80 lakh times already.
Ouseppachan, a winner of the National and State Film Awards for music, is happy the song, which proved the turning point of his life, has won over a new generation of music fans.
“It feels nice to know that my song has stood the test of time and it is great to find the kind of response the song is generating now,” Ouseppachan told The Hindu over phone. “I could not enjoy the song’s success when it first reached the audience. I was in Chennai then and had no clue about the impact the songs of my debut film (as composer of songs) Kathodu Kathoram made. There was little media attention those days, and of course no social media.”
The tune of Devadoothar paadi... was used first by Bharathan for the background music in his 1980 film, Aaravam. “I had also acted in the film, as a violinist,” he says. “Bharathan liked the tune so much and asked me to be the composer of Kathodu Kathoram.”
O.N.V. Kurup was the lyricist. “He was a bit hesitant initially to write the lines according to the tune, but soon he became okay with the idea,” says Ouseppachan. “My tune was a mix of Western and Indian music and his lyrics brought to the song the religious fervour.”
It was sung by Yesudas, Lathika and Krishnachandran and it
had some talented musicians playing the instruments, like A.R. Rahman (on keyboard) and Sivamani (drums). Kathodu Kathoram had two other melodies, Nee en sarga soundaryame... and Kathodu Kathoram...
The songs were released by Tharangini in an audio cassette that also had songs from Panchagni and Nakhakshathangal. Composer Ravi (Bombay) had made a smashing debut in Malayalam cinema with those films.
That album remains one of the biggest successes in the history of Malayalam popular music.
