Monday, October 26, 2015

Peppy Songs of P.Susheela

Write-up Courtesy: Srividya Sanjay, United States 

  
                                               
                  Whenever one hears the name “ P.Susheela”, the immediate thoughts  that crop up in our mind  are  “What a great singer, what wonderful classics, devotionals and melodies she has rendered, what clear and sweet voice”. One goes way into that classic mode of thinking and hailing her as “Gana Saraswathi” (she has been awarded this title) etc. Also, our memories would go back to faces of heroines like savithri, jamuna, K.R.Vijaya, Padmini,kanchana, vanisri, chandrakala,Anjali, jayapradha, jayasudha ,sridevi etc until the heroies of early 90’s.
                     But can one imagine PS  with Silk smitha, Jayamalini, Jyothi Lakshmi, Disco shanthi? The immediate names that pop out are L.R.Eswari or S.Janaki isn’t it?  It is very hard to associate her with these dancers because a listener always has a conservative approach when it comes to P.Susheela. One would perhaps find it hard to digest that a singer of calibre like PS could render songs in that type!!!!!!!!
                        A genuine and successful singer is one who can handle any type of song and not be constrained or restricted to only certain genres. Otherwise he or she might be labelled or confined only to a particular type of songs and to break from that jinx is not easy. P.Susheela handled every song be it any genre, with dedication and presented it perfectly ,immaterial for who/what character it was rendered! It is of course very challenging for a singer who renders classics and melodies to jump into such seductive and sometimes erotic numbers with profane language and expressions. When one has to render such item numbers, we know of singers who just make use of horrible expressions and make it seem even more vulgar and indecent.
                           But if we look at PS way of rendition, she never oversteps , keeps her calm , expressions remain controlled,  in even saucy numbers. The rest is done by the dance artiste. By her execution, she does try to keep the number at hearing range for family oriented audience (not talking of the masses).
                        In this article we will be looking at songs which PS has rendered for the item numbers/ dancers of the 50’s to 90’s. We will be astonished to see that she has rendered 125 + songs for Jayamalini and 30+ for SilkSmitha, Most of the songs are hits! She has rendered not only for south Indian dancers, but also for actresses like Helen, Jayasri and Aruna Irani from Bollywood.

  
Helan :
             Let’s start with the beautiful Bollywood dancer of yesteryears Helen. PS rendered “Sundaranga andukora” from bookailas!  Helen plays the role of Rambha trying to disrupt Ravana’s penance.
A very very beautiful number both in terms of music as well as choreography. 




1956 Telugu bhookalias sundaranga andukora


Aruna Irani
        Aruna Irani who started her career as a dancer and then ventured into comedy roles with Asrani. PS rendered 2 numbers for her.
1)   A qawwali number “Bangaru guvvanu nenu” (she has expressions in hindi which are so cute) with Md.Rafi from “Bhale thammudu”.
Interestingly in the same movie she has rendered another vamp number for dancer Vijayagirija “Yeh maja”. It is beautiful when she says the words”That’s life”.
2)     “Ayyababoi” , a duet with SPB from the movie Babu.

. Even though Jayamalini was mostly a dancer, she has acted as second heroine or important roles in many movies.



1969 Telugu Bhale Tammudu Yeh Maja

Halam :


     
1978 Malayalam kadathanattu Makkam aanandha natanam apsara
1978 Telugu manchivaadu maapatikosthaavaa
1977 Telugu ramba oorvasi menaka nee pilupu vinalenu
1974 Telugu manmadha leela kushalamena kurradana
1974 Telugu andaru dongale gudu dudu gunjam
1975 Telugu mutyala muggu enthati rasikudavo
1978 Tamil alavudenum arputha vilakkum(new) kalaivanigale kiligale
1978 Malayalam ThachOLi ambu naanam kunungikale
1972 Tamil kaase than kadavulada intru vandha(movie_ver)
1973 Malayalam football champion mathyana venalil mayangum 
1977 Telugu seetha rama vanavasam raavo raavana raviteja
1980 Malayalam Bhaktha hanuman ananda nadanam
1984 Tamil anthappura marmam aadum kalai raniyodu
1979 Tamil Ennaippol oruvan velale vizhigal

Vijaya Lalitha
      Vijayalalitha is one of the dancers of seventees. She was a heroine in many movies.






1968 Malayalam viplavakaarikal thampurattikkoru
1978 Malayalam ThachOLi ambu makara maasa pournamiyil
1974 Malayalam ara kallan mukka kallan panchabanan en cheviyil

CID Sakhunthala :



1976 Tamil kadamai nenjam night queen
1972 Tamil karunthel kannayiram panam venum panam venum
1972 Tamil karunthel kannayiram paRakkum vaNdaattam nadathu
1978 Tamil mangudi minor En kaiyil oruppathu kathi

Jyothi Lakshmi

Let’s now move onto Jyothi Lakshmi who was a sibling of Jayamalini. Both have danced together in many numbers. Actually it was jyothi Lakshmi who entered the films as a dancer and later  Jayamalini followed.

PS sang many numbers for jyothilakshmi too.
A few include
1)   “Chana channa mane” a very beautiful competition based dance duet with Jayamalini. PS rendered for jyothilakshmi while SJ for jayamalini. It is a song with semi classical background composed by satyam.
2)   Yentha sogasuga  is a beautiful melody by PS,Ghantasala (MD: Ghantasala) picturized on Harnath, jyothilakshmi ),
3)   Konte choopulu from Srimanthudu by PS,Ghantasala is a  mujra style dance on jyothilakshmi and ANR.
4)   A Very funny anthakshari type song “Sannayi vayinchu” picturized on both jyothilakshmi and jaymalini from the movie “Collector gari abbayi”.
Videos :

     

List of Songs :


1968 Tamil poovum pottum ennam pol kannan vanthan
1972 Tamil yaar jambulingam kani mutham pathinthadhu
1969 Telugu vichitra kutumbam naluguru navvara
1968 Telugu ranabheri vayasulona unnappude
1976 Telugu amma naanna noonoorgu meesalodu
1984 Telugu babulugadi debba cheppakaadu rammanu
1980 Telugu bandodu gundamma dikkula kavatala
1973 Telugu jyothi lakshmi kavvinchake nee kallatho
1980 Telugu kothapeta rowdy lotti bitta lotti bitta
1980 Telugu kothapeta rowdy paruvaalo lokam paduthola
1973 Telugu panjaramlo pasipapa naachanda neevunde
1973 Telugu panjaramlo pasipapa thottaloki raakura
1967 Telugu peddakkayya cheliya Kuruva madhuvu
1967 Malayalam Nagarame nanni kanni raavil kalaba kinnam
1968 Malayalam kodunalloor amma kaaveri poompattinathil
1971 Telugu sreemanthudu Konte choopulu 
1984 Telugu justice chakravarthi seethammaku cheyisthi
1962 Telugu punyavathi Yentha sogasuga vunnavu
1967 Telugu punyavathi bale bagundhi

Jai Kumari
    Let’s now move onto Jayakumari who was also a dancer in the 70’s and early eighties.


One Video


1972 Tamil kaase than kadavulada intru vandha intha

Jayamalini
Even though Jayamalini was mostly a dancer, she has acted as second heroine or important roles in many movies.
Let’s have a look at a few numbers for Jayamalini:
1)“Oh cheli “is a wonderful melodious duet of PS with S.P.B for the movie “Devathalara devinchandi”. Jayamalini plays the role of kshudra naga devata who takes revenge.
2) “Pora Pokiri” is again a good number from the movie “Chakradhari”. Jayamalini dances to this song with folkish attire.
3) One of the wonderful Qawwali numbers and also a super hit one is “Medalo cherina chilakkamma” from the movie “Naa pere bhagawan”. PS shares this song with SPB and it is
Picturize don jayamalini and Ramakrishna.
     4) Some  raunchy number’s for jayamalini  include “Gudivada vellanu”(PS from Yamagola0, Puttintolu tharimesaru from vetagadu(PS,SPB), seemanunchi vachava(athmeeyudu(new)),
Ringu ringu(seetramulu).There are many more…………..
5)Some  semi classical dance numbers include “Charitra nayaka” from Sri anjaneya charitra, Natyamu navamohanam from Sri venkateswara vratha mahatyam,jayasiddhi vinayakam from Madana manjari, chai chali reyi from thandrapaparayudu.
6) Some melodies include Ramyam roopam from Gandharva kanya (PS,SPB),pranaya kavyamuna(with SPB ) in “Jayasudha”.
7) Some cabaret numbers include ”Oh subbarao Oh apparao” (with VJ) in Bobbili Puli, Kai raja Kai from “Rangoon rowdy”.

All these numbers are different in styles and shows PS adeptness in rendering them

Videos :

     

     

 See this  Link for her songs

Silk Smitha
While Jayamalini was ruling the roost in late 70’s, silk smitha gave her tough competition and dethroned he rto become the “Queen”.
Let’s have a look at some numbers for her.
1)   "Pesa koodathu" (PS,SPB), "Mella mella ennai thottu", "kalidasan kannadasan", azhagana pattampoochi" are evergreen hits in tamil.
2)   Sringara seemanthini, is a beautiful melody by PS,SPB and thadisinakoka(PS,SPB)   is a sizzling number and akesi  pappesi (PS)is a lullaby number from the movie “Abhimanyudu”. MD:KVM

     3)Some mischevious numbers include “SAcchi naa kadupuna” from Goodachari no 1 with chiranjeevi,naruda naruda from chattamtho poratam
Videos :


     


Here is the Link for her songs.

Anuradha
Anuradha tried to compete with Silk smitha during the eighties and let’s see a few  PS numbers for her
1)   Cheema anta from aakrandana
2)    maa amma kotimiraku from nippulanti manishi

3)   Hayi hayi form PAndenti kapuraniki panendu sutralu.


One Video 


Year Language Movie Songs
1980 Telugu pandanti kapuraniki panendu sutralu intha hayiga intha
1982 Malayalam kaaliyamardhanam pushyaraaga theril
1983 Tamil seerum singangal pallakkai thookki paarkkka
1984 Telugu bhola sankarudu choostha choostha
1985 Tamil mayavi vitha vithamana nyabagamo
1985 Telugu aakrandana cheema anta
1986 Telugu nippulanti manishi maa amma kotimiraku
1986 Telugu vikram salamidigo savalidigo
1988 Tamil simma soppanam raava pagala

Disco Shanthi
Another dancer who made her way through the mid eighties and early nineties is Disco shanti. She is a daughter of Anandan, who acted in "Roja malare Rajakumari" song.  PS rendered a few songs for Disco Sahnthi also.
1)Love lo missu from Donga kollu
2)O guma gumamdi puvvu (a nice melody) by PS,SPB from kalyana thamboolam
3) sivarathri  from marana sasanam.
One video song..


1987 Telugu marana sasanam sivarathiri
1988 Telugu donga kollu lovullo missu
1986 Telugu kalyana thamboolam O gumma gummadi puvvu

Kuyili
  Kuyili was a Group Dancer and got intorduced as heroine through "Poo Vilangu" movie by K.Balachandar. Later she turned as a dancer.
  

One Video Song :

1989 Tamil valadhu kalai vaithu va sangeethak kuyile en


Bapitha
       Bapitha is a daughter of old Stunt actor Justin and She also did some glamourous roles in Eightees.  "Naan sirithal deepavali" is one of the famous songs for her.  The telugu version of that song is sung by P.Susheela and Jamuna Rani.

One Video :



1978 Tamil achani naan azhaikkiren then 
1987 Telugu naayakudu Naa navve deepavali


Abhilasha





1992 Telugu raakasi kona oore ore
1992 Telugu raakasi kona aha adavi

To conclude , PS exhibited her versatility in enthralling the masses with  these colorful numbers and emerged victorious in this category too!