namastE! (ra)sAlUri rAjEswara rAvu (S.R) took 6 months to compose music for the movie mallIswari. In those days, composing sessions use to involve the MD (music director), lyricist and the director. Every person involved would have a very clear understanding about the situation. The MD used to give suggestions to director on how to picturize the song and the director used to give suggestions to the lyricist and the MD. It is actually a good team work. One of the main reasons of the success of the songs in rahasyam (finacially it was a disaster) is the team work. Even the producers used to have a good taste. In the same movie, the hero/heoine get seperated but keep thinking about each other. So, the team decided to use kALidAsAs mEghasandEsam as the theme to create the song "AkAsavIdhlO... " in a rAgamAlika. The yettugaDa of G in the caraNam "gagana SImalanElu O mEghamAlA.... " is very well composed by S.R and sung by G. Now, nobody has time to have these kind of detailed sessions. More than half of the movies in telugu last year (1996) are dubbed from other laguages. With the changes in the technology and introduction of new musical instruments and new recording techniques are giving a new dimension to the cine music. Only time can tell the life of these songs. Nowadays everyone seems to be in a hurry including the hero/heroine to express their romance :-))). One day SPB sang 18 songs and recorded them (I think it is a record in recording :-))). The life of a song lies in its creativity. We forget some songs soon after we get out of the theatre. Some we can never forget in our lifetime. In the cine/light music compositions, there are no restrictions that the MD/composer has to stick to the same notes of the rAga in the well defined ArOhaNa/avarOhaNa. They deviate from the standard notes to give a different punch/flavor to the compositions. If the composer deviates too much from the ArOhaNa/avarOhaNa then it is difficult to say the rAga in which it is composed. It is always a challenge to find the rAga of K.V. Mahadevan's compositions as he deviates to a great extent. People who do not have any classical music background can also compose songs. But their creativity can be limited. At the same time, not everybody who learns classical music can compose music. Getting exposed to various forms of music/instruments is very important for a creative MD. The harikadha "sirulucelangE bhArata bhUmini pAlincina bhUpAluralO.." in "shAvukAru" is a superb creation by G. IMHO, it is just because of his exposure to this form of art (please note that G's father is a harikadha bhagavatAr) since he was a child. I would like the list members to listen to it one more time as it has a piTTakadha in it and it is the usual way of narrating the harikadha. Again, the burrakadha in kanyAsulkam, "puttaDi bommA pUrNamma" is a master piece of its kind. Understanding the situation where the song is picturized is the most important for the success of the movie. BUT, you might have come across some movies where the songs are good but the movie is bad (rahasyam is a typical example). Using an instrument also has some influence on the MD to compose a song in a particular rAga. Examples are: 1. tushAra sItala sarOvarAna in sAntinivAsam is composed in hindOLam. The singing character uses sitAra and hence G might have decided to compose in hindOLam. 2. manasE andAla bRndAvanam in manchi kuTumbam is composed in hindOLam. Again the singing character uses vINa and hence kOdanDapANi might have decided to compose in hindOLam. How can people without any classical background compose? The key to that is that they have good voice. They can reproduce any song sung by others and with some imagination, can borrow the mood for their own compositions. Some smart singers, know their vocal abilities and choose/compose songs that would perfectly match their voice. IMHO, SPB falls into this category. He is able to succeed more of a singer than a MD. In one of the episodes on pADutA - tIyagA, one of the contestant sang a song (more of a combination of a folk and a lullyby) of his own composition. He selected that song, because he felt it would suit his voice and he is very much right in that aspect. But he could not succeed beyond the quarter finals. In my opinion every person is a singer, only the degree varries. For a person to be a writer, first she/he has to be a good reader. Similarly, for a person to be a singer/composer, one has to be a very very very good listner. The listening should not be limited only to the singers voice but it should include the beat, the mood, various intstruments used in the compositions and last but not the least the lyrics. Using a singer just for a small line gives a diffent dimension to the song. The first song I noticed was composed by G in "peLLinATi pramANAlu" and the song is "bRndAvana candamAma" by leela. G comes at the end of the song with a small line "andamella nIvE Anandamekada nAdE..". In the movie, it is the best way the hero lets the heroine know that he is interested (you can call it love :-))) in her. What a subtle way of expressing the love? Similarly, in "iddaru mitrulu" S.R did compose the song exactly the same way in "pADavEla rAdhikA". G comes at the end and sings "praNaya sudhAgItikA". I do not see these kinds of exchanges in the new movies. :-(((( Regards, Ramanna