Date:19/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/19/stories/2008121958350200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Now Marghazi music gets glitzy

Ramya Kannan

— Photo: Handout

Novel: A still from the concert film ‘Margazhi Raagam’.

CHENNAI: It is Marghazi, that Chennai season of the year, and while the city celebrates its music, art and culture in many ways, it has discovered one more way to do so - concert on film.

The much publicised ‘Margazhi Raagam’, which previewed on Thursday, attempted to do just that, beautifully.

Conceived and directed by Jayendra Panchapakesan of Real Image, the film started with a dedication to audiologist H.Sridhar, whose work on this film is the first of the reasons why the movie would work.

There are others, of course, T.M.Krishna and Bombay Jayashree and their fine troupes not the least of them. Cinematographer P.C. Sreeram adds the visuals aesthetics that contribute to the poetry in motion feel to the film.

On Monday, Vice-President Hamid Ansari spoke of how technology has brought music closer to the people. Margazhi Raagam is a fine exposition of that.

The film, produced by Aghal Films, will also be out in DVD format and on blu ray, which means more people who could not be in Chennai to enjoy its best season, can now enjoy it through Krishna, the intrepid performer and Jayashri, the mellifluous singer, each in their own way characteristic exponents of the art of Carnatic music.

In the genre of the good old music video popularised by MTV, no less, Margazhi Raagam, shot with seven high resolution RED digital cameras in a studio and experienced on large screen with six track surround sound, is definitely a slice of Chennai’s most vibrant music season.

Mr.Ansari also said that he was well aware that despite the best of technology, there would be nothing that could replace witnessing a concert in person. Margazhi Raagam comes pretty close to it.