Remixes

Almost every other soundtrack these days seems to have a song that is a remix of an older song. The term remix covers many different kinds though. We have songs that retain the same tune but put in new lyrics(like Billa's My Name is Billa...) and we have songs that play around with the tune but have the same lyrics as the original song(like Yaaradi Nee Mohini's Paalakkaattu...). Then there are songs that retain the old song but introduce pieces of new music(like Pollaadhavan's Engeyum Eppodhum...) and songs that borrow a little bit of an old number and include it in an otherwise new song(like Pattiyal's Namma Kaattula...). I think the first remix number in Tamil cinema was probably Oorai Therinjukkitten... from Samsaaram Adhu Minsaaram, which took the blockbuster number from Padikkaadhavan and gave it new lyrics.

Remixes have both opponents and defenders. While the critics see a remix as outright blasphemy and consider it a pointer to the lack of creativity on the part of the music director, its defenders say that it is simply proof of the original's enduring appeal and argue that it is a homage since it popularizes the original among a new generation of listeners.

I tread the middle path in this argument since my opinion about remixes changes on a song-by-song basis. I do have my own favorite songs but I don't think I have the kind of attachment to any of them that makes me immediately frown upon an attempt to remix it (or maybe its just that there hasn't yet been a remix of a song I really really like!). While something like the Nalandhaanaa... remix from Silambaattam, even if it borrows only a couple of lines from the original, horrifies me and makes me lean against remixes in general, I do enjoy numbers like the Vasantha Mullai... remix from Pokkiri. The argument that a remix points to the composer's lack of creativity doesn't really fly since the music director does compose the other songs in the album. For instance, G.V.Prakash remixed Engeyum Eppodhum... in the Pollaadhavan soundtrack but he also gave us the fantastic MinnalgaL Koothaadum... in the same album.

So my criteria for liking a remix are simple - it respects the original and it fits the situation it is used in (ofcourse, it should also be picturized well but that goes for any song). By those criteria, my favorite remix so far is PonmagaL VandhaaL... from Azhagiya Thamizh Magan. Apart from being really catchy(I absolutely love the way the muthukkaL... line plays out in different tunes), its lyrics perfectly reflect Vijay's frame of mind since he is going to marry the very rich Shriya. Another remix I like is Aahaa Vandhiduchu... from Vallavan. There too, the remix's situation of a disguised Simbhu wooing Nayanthara mimicked the original song's situation of a buck-toothed Kamal wooing Sridevi and so it fit in perfectly. Another favorite would be the Ennammaa Kannu... remix from ThiruviLaiyaadal Aarambam since it was put in to describe the clash of wits between Dhanush and Prakashraj, in quite the same way that the original described the clash between Rajni and Satyaraj.

Its clear that only a few remixes so far have been used appropriately. The remaining were born out of the composer's wish to piggyback on the popularity of an old song or simply follow the trend of remixing. Its clear that remixes are here to stay, atleast for the near future and there are quite a few in the pipeline(BadrakaLi's Kettele Ange... and Rajadhi Raja's Engitta Modhadhe... for example). Hope the makers realize what makes remixes work and use them the right way.