Every Tamil cinema fan would know that the 'Mannil Indha Kaadhal' song is the first one-breath experiment done by music composer Ilaiyaraaja. Before this cult song, however, there was 'Kanmaniye' that featured S Janaki and SP Balasubrahmanyam in a one-breath pallavi (intro), perhaps as a warm-up before Ilayaiaraaja and Balasubrahmanyam teamed up for the former.
Thanks to standup comedian Alex, many got to know about this song and some even participated in his #KanmaniyeChallenge that he started a couple of weeks ago. On Sunday, Alex posted the results on his homemade video featuring cooker whistles and bird calls, showcasing some of the entries. These included Carnatic singers, amateurs, a casting director, a seven-year-old and even a playback singer.
Alex, also a yoga teacher and singer himself, gave some of the participants a few tips on how to hold their breath longer. Introducing a little about the song that featured in Rajinikanth’s 1979 tragedy drama Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai directed by SP Muthuraman, Alex spoke about how Ilaiyaraaja himself had shared this piece of information during one of his interviews. “The maestro had composed this song in such a way that about 6 to 8 lines from the pallavi are sung in one breath…” he says, and sings the intro, breaking at oviyamo to draw his breath, and continues “…that ends with the word soludhamma.”
In the film, the song is a romantic number, shot on set with disco balls and bright chandeliers. Rajinikanth and actor Sangeetha perform in the song.
What was even more enjoyable to watch than the challenge itself was Alex’s response to the participants. The harshest comment by the standup comedian known for his clean humour in the entire 20-minute video was, “You can sing even better”. His YouTube description also has a note requesting respectful comments for all those featured in the video.
Alex ended the video with a little more on the song, explaining how the song goes from waltz beats to loud music in the second interlude. “He (Ilaiyaraaja) would have brought in tavil and nadaswaram,” he says, and picks up a wind instrument to imitate the nadaswaram music from the song and to perform a little more.