Song: Mounamana Neram
Composer: Ilaiyaraaja
Lyrics: Vairamuthu
Actors: Kamal Haasan, Jaya Pradha
Singers: S Janaki, SP Balasubhramanyam
Film: Salangai Oli
Today is K Viswanath’s birthday. As a tribute, our song of the day is ‘Mounamana Neram’ from Salangai Oli, the 1983 film written and directed by him, originally made in Telugu as Sagara Sangamam.
In Kasinathuni Viswananth’s career of sixty years, he has worked as a director, screen writer, actor, sound specialist. His films had strong messages and were critically commercially well received. Sankarabharanam (1979) and Saptapadi (1981), Mooga Manasulu (1964) and Doctor Chakravarthy (1964) were among his best.
Salangai Oli had a huge following and inspired many dance films that were made later. Kamal Haasan and Jaya Pradha meet because of their love for dance, and are soon in love. The pace is slow yet gripping, as they quietly walk together. This song ends with their silence, just like the beginning, but they realise the growing fondness between them. It’s new and special, and the quietness weighs their hearts.