Song: Radhai Manadhil from Snegithiye
The Artists:
Singers – KS Chithra, Sujatha Mohan, and Sangeetha Sajith
Composer – Vidyasagar
Lyricist – Vairamuthu
The Setting:
A group of college girls perform a combination of ballet and Indian folk dance on stage, as Jyothika and Sharbani run around college hiding bodies.
The Film:
Snegithiye, directed by Priyadarshan, was a female fronted film made even better by the presence of talents like Tabu, Lakshmi, and Jyothika, among others. Jyothika plays the more headstrong Vasu, who has to deal with the cop on her trail as well as the fears of her fragile friend (Sharbani). At first, it is all fun and games. There’s a Mean Girls-esque group that thrives on belittling others, and Jyothika takes it upon herself to teach the leader a lesson. Tabu, meanwhile, plays a no-nonsense cop as if she was born to wear khaki.
A friendship drama at heart, Snegithiye revolved around the antics of Vasu (Jyothika) and Radhika (an aptly cast Sharbani Mukherjee) at a hostel. Eager to avoid marriage, the duo cook up a story about a boyfriend, only to have him show up one day and promptly fall down dead. What follows is a thrilling tale of age-old betrayal and a friendship that only gets stronger.
While the ending (Tabu winds up in a mental institution) may seem tacked on now, when the film released, it actually served as a chilling warning about the all-consuming nature of revenge.
The film had high production values for its time, apparent even in the set design of this song, with its sunset themed backdrops and bevy of group dancers. The costumes alone would have eaten into a healthy portion of the budget. That a major producer backed it in 2000, with no Vijay, Ajith, or Surya to help these maidens is a true victory.
Cameo Alert: Major Ravi plays the unfortunate ‘dead’ man being hidden by the girls.
The Song:
Recommended
Radhai Manathil’s energetic pacing and instantly catchy tune meant that it dominated airtime the year it released. Inspired by Rajasthani folk music, music director Vidyasagar paces the song’s background instruments just right, ensuring that the core melody isn’t overshadowed. The song slows down to a chorus, before picking up speed and diving back into the proceedings. As KS Chithra, Sujatha Mohan, and Sangeetha Sajith sing about Radha and Krishna, the dancers – Ishita Arun and Manasi Scott – prance around in inspired ballet outfits.
Vairamuthu, as always, writes a 7-minute long song out of almost nothing. The ladies sing about Radha’s futile search for her love across three stanzas. It ends in a plea to Krishna to appear before she dies. And makes one wonder why the girls sport such huge smiles when they’re dancing to, essentially, a desperate plea for attention.
Nonetheless, this song still finds a special place in the hearts and minds of every millennial, and is a testament to the talent of the underrated Vidyasagar whose tunes had even Kamal Haasan tapping his feet.
*****