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A vibrant censor - a thing of the past.

 
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madhuraman



Joined: 11 Jun 2007
Posts: 1226
Location: navimumbai

PostPosted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 6:30 pm    Post subject: A vibrant censor - a thing of the past. Reply with quote

Dear Friends,
In my previous posting, I had hinted how the Lyricists, MDs , Orchestra and Movie makers toiled to 'come clean' through the censors of the golden era of TF.
To drive the point home let me start with ''pAva mannippu'. It has 'several firsts to its credit ' like hits galore, brilliant lyrics, singing, orchestration, the I movie to have called for opinion poll of cine-goers for rating the songs in sequence, Latha Mangeshkar taking a copy [16mm] of the movie for the songs especially 'aththAn en aththAn'[ PS], a turning point in PBS's career as a singer etc.

ABOVE ALL THIS APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN THE SINGLE MOVIE WHERE MORE SONGS HAD CENSOR INTERVENTION [ Also a first of its kind]. Let us see the Record Version [RV] and the Movie Version to see the alert censor.

'pAlrukkum pazhamirukkum' PS MSV

R V
'vEdham ellAm kAdhalaiyE marukkavillaiyE'
'adhu vEdham seidha guruvaikkoda viduvadhillayE' CHANGED TO
'ADHU MEGAM SEIDHA URUVAIPPOLA MAARAVILLAIYE'

'vandha nAL mudhal' TMS
R V
'edhanaikkaNdAn madhangaLaippadaiththAn' CHANGED TO
PANAM THANAI PADAUTHTHAN'

The pathos number by GK V
'adhu vEdham vidhi endrOdhuvAn' CHANGED TO

'ADHUVE THAN VIDHI ENDRODHUVAN'


CENSOR INTERVENED TO CONTAIN OBJECTIONABLE REFERENCES TO Religion / Vedic ideas.

More can be added if our friends also join the discussion.

Other cases may come in course.

Warm regards K.Raman Madurai.
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parthavi



Joined: 15 Jan 2007
Posts: 705
Location: Chennai

PostPosted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 12:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dear Prof,

I was one of those intrigued by the changes in lyrics I started hearing in the video versions that began to be played in the TVs since 1975. Some of the changes were noted even at the time of the film's release due to their conspicuous nature. For example, the line
'மேடையில் முழங்கு அறிஞர் அண்ணா போல்'
in the song
'நல்ல நல்ல பிள்ளைகளை நம்பி'
from
பெற்றால்தான் பிள்ளையா?
was changed to
'மேடையில் முழங்கு திரு வி க போல்'
in the film apparently because the reference to a contemporary political leader was not considered acceptable by the censor. I had not seen this film at the time it was released but I vividly remember some of my friends talking about this. This change was so glaring to be missed.

(This song is by Vaali. Though you have been writing about Kannadasan and MSV in this thread, I am taking the liberty to cite some examples involving other lyricists and Music Directors just to show to what ridiculous extent the censors could go and their lack of consistency in applying the standards)

But they allowed a reference to Indira Gandhi in the song
'புதுமைப் பெண்களடி'
composed by KVM for a KSG film (Cinnanchiru ulagam, if I remember correctly.) This film should have been released at around the same time.

I have noted a lot of such instances and I mention a few I am able to recollect immediately.

Sumaithaangi:

'எந்தன் பருவத்தின் கேள்விக்கு பதில் என்ன சொல்லடி ராதா' Record

'எந்தன் பார்வையின் கேள்விக்கு பதில் என்ன சொல்லடி ராதா' Film


Enga Veettup Pillai - Naan aanaiyittaal

'இந்தக் காக்கைகள் கூட்டத்தை ஒழிப்பேன்' Record

'இந்தக் கூட்டத்தின் ஆட்டத்தை ஒழிப்பேன்' Film

Anbe Vaa: Pudhiya vaanam

'உதய சூரியனின் பார்வையிலே' Record

'புதிய சூரியனின் பார்வையிலே' Film


Naadodi:
'கடவுள் செய்த பாவம்
இங்கு காணும் துன்பம் யாவும்' Record

'கடவுள் தந்த பாடம்
இங்கு காணும் துன்பம் யாவும்' Film

There are several more I have noticed but I am unable to recall more at present. I have already mentioned in my posting on 'chnadhrodhyam oru pennaanatho'

http://msvtimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2286&highlight=parthavi

how one whole stanza was changed. I am giving the lines below. (This song was written by Vaali)

இதழோடு இதழ் வைத்து இமை மூடவோ
இருக்கின்ற சுகம் வாங்கத் தடை போடவோ
மடிமீது தலை வைத்து இளைப்பாரவோ
முகத்தோடு முகம் வைத்து முத்தாடவோ
கண்ஜாடை கவி சொல்ல இசை பாடவோ Record

எழிலோடு எழில் சேர்த்து இமை மூடவோ
எனக்கென்று சுகம் வாங்கத் துணை தேடவோ
மலர்மேனிதனைக் கண்டு மகிழ்ந்தாடவோ
மணக்கின்ற தமிழ் மண்ணில் விளையாடவோ
கண்ஜாடை கவி சொல்ல இசை பாடவோ Film

Obviously, the censor board members were excessively sensitive to references relating to God, Religion, Love with sexual overtones, politics, offensive phrases (like Kaakkaigal koottam) etc. Sometimes they went to absurd lengths as when they got the line

'முகத்துக்கு மேலே வா வா'

(Ammammammaa kannaththai killuu - Vallavan oruvan)

changed to

'மனத்துக்கு மேலே வா வா'

P.S: I think the film version of Vedham seydha guruvai is

'அது மேகம் செய்த உருவம் போல மறைவதில்லையே' (what does this mean? Kavignar was forced to fill in some words!)

I think the film version of the other song
was also.
'அதுவே தன் விதியென்றோதுவான்.'


'அது வேதம் விதி என்றோதுவான்' does not sound meaningful. Coming after the lines describing man's acts like,
'நிலை மாறுவான்...'

blaming it on his fate appears logical. However, if you have heard the film version the way you have written, then that was what it was.
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madhuraman



Joined: 11 Jun 2007
Posts: 1226
Location: navimumbai

PostPosted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 6:35 am    Post subject: Censors Reply with quote

Dear MR.Rangaswami,
Thank you for the excellent back up by way other citations on the theme. Yes, Censors too got slowly politicized where upon preferential treatment came about . My only admiration is the toil put in by lyricists /MDs to help the producer out. But now the regulation is just not visible, as lots of suggestive , physically compromising stance of genders in movement are liberally permitted in the name of dance. Things have gone too far and audience too are only happy. No amount of crying would help.
I thank you for the additions to the theme; this is exactly what we need for continued posting.
Warm regards K.Raman Madurai.
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madhuraman



Joined: 11 Jun 2007
Posts: 1226
Location: navimumbai

PostPosted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 6:40 am    Post subject: Censors... Reply with quote

Dear Friends,
Thanks to Mr.Rangaswami's references, I am reminded of one more item in the movie'' petrAl thAn piLLaiyA''


'sakkara katti rAjAththi' TMS PS

In the recorded version,
'uravaicholli nAn varavO' 'en udhattil uLLadhai tharavO' CHANGED TO
'en uyirai unnidam tharavO' [ in movie]

Valee and MSV did it for the then needs of certification.

Any reference to censor certification keeps haunting me of the 2 movies of
1965 ''veNNira aadai'', [colour]

''kArththigai deepam'' [B/W Direc: Kasilingam].

Both were stamped with 'A' [Adults Only] certificate for no serious reason. In the former the innocent heroine seeks the hero's help to hook up her brassiers from behind, while in the second movie, there was a scene depicting the plight of a lady through labour pain. The 'A' awarded created far fetched expectations among cine goers and the 'outgoing' viewers from cinema halls used to lament loud to those standing in queue ''there is nothing''[to merit 'A']. The viewers got the wrong message that there is nothing in the movie. This way the movies suffered at the box office.

Please add your experience on same or similar items.

Warm regards K.Raman Madurai
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S.Balaji



Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 772

PostPosted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 12:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I think the film version of the other song
was also.
'அதுவே தன் விதியென்றோதுவான்.'


'அது வேதம் விதி என்றோதுவான்' does not sound meaningful. Coming after the lines describing man's acts like,
'நிலை மாறுவான்...'


Dear Rangaswamy Sir,

Since the character of Nadigar Thilagam was of a Muslim, the censor would have thought it will not be appropriate to blame Vedham and Vidhi, supposed to be Hindu beliefs.... consequently, they would have tried to edit this part .

However, I wish to add that if the original version is true, its surprising considering the good nature of that Rahim character who possessed admirable qualities and who lived along with all the community members in a slum area .....

May be Bhim Singh would not have narrated appropriately, the character's background to Kavignar . Otherwise, Kavignar never would have written like that ! Really surprising Rolling Eyes
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parthavi



Joined: 15 Jan 2007
Posts: 705
Location: Chennai

PostPosted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dear Balaji,

I just listened to the film version (as confirmed by the line 'panamthanaip padaiththaan'). I heard TMS pronouncing

adhuve dhan vidhi yendrodhuvaan.

He says 'dha' not 'tha' and he doesn't leave a space after adhuve. I think saying dha instead of tha is a slip which sometimes happens with spoken (which includes sung) Tamil. This might have sounded like adhu vedham, vidhi (to Professor and perhaps others), especially because there was no space after the word possibly due to the notes constraint.

But I have always heard it as 'adhuve than vidhi' in the audio version. Hence the other version mentioned by professor was new to me. I feel that bringing in vedham in this context was not appropriate and Kavignar might not have written the lines this way. However, I didn't want to dispute what professor had heard and understood. Since the difference between these two versions is very subtle, there is a possibility of hearing it and understanding it differently.

As I write this now, I recall that while listening to this song in the past , I had perceived TMS pronouncing 'than' as 'dhan' and had been silently disapproving the deviation.
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parthavi



Joined: 15 Jan 2007
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Location: Chennai

PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A couple of more changes I recalled are:

வீரத்திருமகன்: வெத்தல போட்ட பத்தினிப் பொண்ணு

பருவம் பாரு உருவம் பாரு
விவரம் பின்னாலே Record

பருவம் பார்த்து உருவம் பார்த்து
விவரம் சொல்லாதே Film

காசேதான் கடவுளடா: ஜம்புலிங்கமே ஜடாதரா

அச்சடிச்ச அந்தப் பச்சை நோட்டுக்கு
அர்ச்சனை செய்வோம் தமிழாலே Record

அச்சடிச்ச அந்தப் பச்சை நோட்டுக்கு
அர்ச்சனை செய்வோம் மலராலே Film


பூவா தலையா: மதுரையில் பறந்த

The following line referring to Bharathidaasan was removed.

புதுவை நகரின் புரட்சிக் கவியின்
குரலோசை உன் வாய் மொழியோ

I have heard this in the audio version. We can see that the second charanam in the (now available) video version. The second charanami will be truncated. It will have only 3 lines against 4 of the first charanam.

One change at which Kavignar was aghast was made not by the censors but by his transcriber Panju Arunaachalam.

காத்திருந்த கண்கள்:
Kavignar dictated (recited) the lines as
ஓடம் நதியினிலே
ஒருத்தி மட்டும் கரையினிலே

Panju Arunachalam transcribed the second line as

ஒருத்தி மட்டும் தரையினிலே

No one including the sensitive MSV observed anything amiss. The song was recorded. Kavignar was upset on hearing it and wanted the song to be recorded again correctly. But the producer politely turned down his request.

I had been "hearing" the word as கரையினிலே all these years. Only after MSV narrated this incident in Endrun MSV, I listened to the song closely and found that Sreerkaazhi had sung as தரையினிலே, true to the transcript given to him! I think most of the listeners would assume the word to be கரையினிலே, which would throw up in anyone's mind as the obvious word contrasting with நதியினிலே.

This incredible gaffe from a person credited with creating 'ponnezhil pooththadhu' only confirms my long held doubt about the authorship of this song.

The last example does not fall under the category of variations between video and audio versions and I am just mentioning this in passing.
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