Face to face with TMS

He has rendered his voice to the uncrowned kings of Tamil film industry of yesteryears MGR and Sivaji Ganesan … his voice had merged with the air that pervaded even the corners of hundreds of hamlets … his fans were captivated by his precise pronunciation and his vibrant voice … that is the popular playback singer T. M. Soundararajan. He was energetic enough to reply our queries even at the age of 86 about his journey through tinsel world and personal life.

Excerpts:

Q: Please tell us about yourself and your family.

A: I was born in the year 1923. My native place is Madurai. My father was Meenakshi Iyengar, my mother Venkatammal. My father was a priest. He was a bhajan singer. The name of the urchav perumal of Azhagar temple is Soundararajan. I was given this name. My wife’s name is Sumitra. We had seven children. But only, three of them are alive now. We’ve 16 grandchildren in total.

Q: What was the first film song you sang?

A: My first song was for the film Krishnavijayam in the year 1946. Narasimhabharathi was the hero for whom I rendered my voice.

Q: Tell us about the songs you sang first for Makkal Thilakam and Nadigar Thilakam.

A: For MGR, I sang the first song for his film Malaikkallan, for Sivaji Ganesan, it was all the eight songs for the film Thookkuthookki. There’s an interesting story behind it– Udumalai Narayanakavi and Sivaji Ganesan both had recommended C. S. Jayaraman for the songs of this film. But the film’s director Krishnaswamy and the lyricist Maruthakasi were particular that I should be the playback singer for the film. I told the director that I would sing three songs which could be played for Sivaji’s opinion. If he agreed, I would sing all the songs or else I need not even be paid for my work, I said. Sivaji was highly impressed and gave his consent.

Q: Tell us about some unforgettable incidents in your career.

A: I can tell umpteen things! I used to listen to MKT, Chinnappa, Kittappa etc. and followed their style. Before becoming a playback singer, I had sung in choruses. Many tried to block my progress but I didn’t give up my efforts. I’ve sung ten thousand songs in Tamil alone. I’ve tuned many devotional songs. I had worked as music director for the Muthuraman starrer Balapareetchai. I had acted in dramas during my early days. I had acted as hero in some movies also.

Q: How do you react when you listen to your songs on radio or TV today?

A: I feel I could have sung it better. Many artistes became popular thanks to my voice and it was vice versa. I remember them with gratitude.