Tamil films are unimaginable without songs. From the early days, music has been an essential element of Tamil movies. The songs, which were mostly classical with some popular embellishments, are remembered till this day. But, as is true in any walk of life, cinema went through a process of metamorphosis and the purely classical format gave way to a modern and eclectic base. It heralded the golden era of film music in which the baton of MSV’s genius held us enthralled. He was not trained in any form of music. Yet his range of compositions is truly spectacular. MSV’s greatest asset was his ability to score music which was perfectly in sync with the mood of the song.

Then came Ilayaraja who wafted in like a breath of fresh air. His music had earthiness and rustic appeal. But the real secret of his genius is his inward looking journey in music. With the passing years, he was able to imbibe the influences of several world music forms. His crowning glory was the rare distinction of conducting a Western orchestra and his album of Tiruvachagam in symphony mode. Both MSV and Ilayaraja have served as role models to succeeding generations. A.R. Rahman has a unique approach in mixing international influences to suit the local tastes. Any music director in the industry today owes his or her creative perspective to the impact of these greats.

Yet the main point of this article is not to chronicle the contributions of the composers. It is to highlight the fact that music has always played a background role or second fiddle to the screenplay.

There are very few films which had musical experiences and experimentation as the central theme. Music has been used as a glittering accessory without exploring its soul. What has resulted therefore is an insufficient utilization of the immense talents of the music directors.

Songs in the films have become hits but their musical worth has not been appreciated much. There has been no conscious attempt to educate or enlighten the lay audience about the intricacies in musical genres. One is not attempting to say that the audience should become connoisseurs of music, but then they should not be led to believe that any kind of sound could be called music. In this regard, we must note that the genre of musical films has been quite well developed in Malayalam. Tamil producers and directors should take a leaf out of the Malayalam industry and make a sincere effort in this direction. As the standard of fare offered to the audience improves, there will be freshness and innovation in the kind of music developed. This will lead to healthy all round growth.