Kaithapram Viswanathan, who died while undergoing treatment for cancer here on Wednesday at the age of 58, tuned several chart-topping melodies though he wasn’t among the busiest of composers in Malayalam cinema.
He may have worked in only 30-odd movies, but he arrived at a time when music still really mattered in films. That allowed him to come up with some beautiful songs, such as Ennu varum nee..., which he tuned for his maiden film, Kannaki.
Sparkling debut
It was indeed a sparkling debut by Viswanathan, whose elder brother Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri had already established himself in cinema as a prolific lyricist. Besides Ennu varum nee..., rendered soulfully by K.S. Chithra, the Jayaraj film also had melodies such as Karineelakkannazhaki... (Chithra) and Iniyoru janmamundenkil... (Yesudas).
His next film Thilakkam proved that Kannaki was no fluke. The highlight of the album was Neeyoru puzhayaay..., sung by P. Jayachandran. K.J. Yesudas’s Enikkoru pennundu... also became popular.
He went on to create melodies like Aaadedi... (Ullam), Swantham swantham... (Madhyavenal), but he somehow was never flooded with work, even at a time when his kind of music had plenty of potential in Malayalam cinema.
Background music
He once told this correspondent that he was glad that three of his compositions fetched the State Award for the best playback singer for Yesudas, Jayachandran, and G. Venugopal. Viswanathan himself won the State Award for the best background music for Kannaki. Its director Jayaraj said he decided to give the man a break because he was convinced of his talent.
“He had deep knowledge in music and had a knack to come up with the right tune for a song at the first attempt itself. That is something I haven’t seen in any other composer I have worked with,” Jayaraj told The Hindu. “It is a pity that his potential was never fully utilised.”
A teacher of music
Viswanathan was also a popular teacher of music. A trained Carnatic musician, from the Sri Swathi Thirunal College of Music (Thiruvananthapuram), he set up a music school at Payyannur, his home town. It was inaugurated by Yesudas and had hundreds of students.
He had also taught music at schools. The songs he had composed for the students at Raja’s HSS, Neeleswaram, had won prizes at the State School Arts Festival. Little would he have imagined that his songs would years later win the highest music awards in the State.
