Almost 400 years ago, a quaint fishing village was bought by two men, Andrew Cogan and Francis Day, for the British East India Company to trade and rule. Though the city was founded for British interests, now 1.23 crore people call Madras (that is Chennai) home. While Tamil Cinema has showcased the city beautifully, in true Chennai fashion, we take a journey through Chennai with the help of music.
One cannot ignore AR Rahman, when you have a conversation about Madras. 'Urvasi Urvasi' from Shankar's Kadhalan (1994), has everything that represents the city — upbeat music by the 'Mozart of Madras', Vaali's lyrics that will help you to 'take it easy' in life, and most of all Prabhu Deva and Vadivelu's antics throughout the city, that features some Chennai staple such as the Madras High Court, Anna Salai (or Mount Road, which is featured in the image above), and The Temple Tower. The visualisation of the song is a perfect showcase of the old-meets-new culture and acceptance of the city.
A line from 'Madras Song', "Uzhaikkum iname ulagai jeithidum oru naal" (The people that work hard, will conquer the world one day), best represents the self empowering spirit of the city. The song which is from Pa Ranjith's Madras (2014), is a powerful ode to the hands that made Madras and the shoulders that sustain Chennai. Kabilan's lyrics coupled with Santhosh Narayanan's music is reminiscent of the quiet toil of the city.
In what can be termed as a quirky entrant to the list, 'Vanakkam Chennai' from Marina (2012) is a song that personifies the city. With lyrics by Na Muthukumar and music from debutant Girish, both the video and lyrics highlight the continuous hum of the city. It is worth noting that the line "Ellarukkum thani thaniya thaai irruppa, namma ottu motham thaayaaga Chennai irruppa" (Every person has their own mother, but Chennai will always remain a mother to us), sums up the love that the people have for the city.
Let's travel back in time to the Madras that was then under the British Raj. Arya as Ilamparithi in AL Vijay's Madrasapattinam (2010) showcases the history of the city to a British woman, who is new to the place. Na Muthukumar once again writes in praise of the city for the song, which is composed by GV Prakash Kumar and sung by Udit Narayanan.
Another AR Rahman composition makes it into the list, as a meta reference for the list itself! Vineeth and Sonali take a ride through Chennai in May Maadham (1994), as a poncho and sombrero-clad Manorama sings the pride of different parts of the city. Featuring the vocals of Shahul Hameed, Swarnalatha, and a young GV Prakash Kumar, the song is a sweet ride through the city.
'Kanda Kaara Vadai' from Saguni (2012) is a song that shows the sweeping changes of the city through the eyes of a newcomer. With Karthi's happy-go-lucky charm that highlights the different parts of the city in the background. GV Prakash Kumar composes the song, which is sung by Shankar Mahadevan with lyrics by Paramu. The song ends on a reflective note, resonating the mindset of the city's people with the line, "Risk ah irundhalum, life jolly boss" (Even if there are a lot of risks, life is still fun).
