Chennai, Jul 14 (IT) : It was three years after Ilaiyaraja had made a staggering debut and was becoming a rage in Tamil Nadu. Film buffs were busy writing off M S Vishwanathan. After all, he had monopolized the Tamil film music scene for three decades now and it was time to rest his laurels. And then came Ninaithale Inikkum - an iconic film that had featured veterans Kamalahaasan and Rajinikanth together, alongside Jayapradha. Directed by K Balachander, the film besides being a commercial hit went on to become a musical sensation.
When Kamalahaasan crooned Engeyum Epodhum on screen, the audiences swooned to the music. When Rajinikanth broke into Sambho Shiva Sambho (sang by MSV himself), the audiences went into raptures. And the peppy numbers came from the man who had rightfully earned himself (along with T K Ramamurthy) the title Mellisai Mannar (the king of mellifluous music). In 1979, three years after Ilaiyaraja debuted, M S Vishwanthan could still not be written off. After all, he was a legend.
Ninaithale Inikkum was not a case in isolation. MSV continued to deliver super hits through the 1980s when Ilaiyaraja was in his peak and films like Sujatha, Billa, Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu are also remembered for their music.
It would surprise many to know that Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan (MSV) started his film career as an office boy for a monthly salary of Rs 3 at Jupiter films in the 1940s. His insatiable love for music landed MSV a job as Harmonium player in music director C R Subburaman's troupe. When Subburaman passed away in 1952, MSV along with TK Ramamurthy - who was then a violinist in the same troupe - came together to complete the music of the films left unfinished by their Guru. Then the duo was offered a chance to score music for Panam in 1952. The partnership went on to become a legendary one, redefining the idiom of Tamil film music.
Soon, MSV along with TK Ramamurthy became a household name. Together they had composed music for over hundred films before deciding to split in 1965 after scoring music for Aayirathil Oruvan starring MGR and Jayalalithaa. MSV however continued to dominate the Tamil music scene reinventing himself at every stage. MSV has over 1200 films to his credit, in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.