Infinite Thespian Voices of Tamil Cinema.

                                

     The recorded voices catching synchronously the lip movements of actors, generate dialogues of different hues for a theatrical show.This would make everyone awe inspired by the magical process of blending audio visual operations that constitute the foremost concept of  film making.It is this stage of film making, that successfully transfers the import and significance of a scene of action to the audience.The voices of heroes,heroines ,villains, comedians and character actors delivered off screen, would fascinate the audience as an aural treat, based on their sense of appeal and harmony with their body language.Truly speaking,each human voice is made of easily identifiable marks of tone and vibration,though some voices carry the nearest similarity in reach and a few voices are also capable of mimicking others' voice frames.
    For quite long, most of the heroes and heroines reigned the movie world with their singing core and dialogue delivery. Most often the singing component in their voices would carry a dominating impact and hence the dialogue delivery would reflect a musical attitude of intonation as found in the sonorous and scintillating pattern of dialogue delivery of MKT Bagavadhar, P.U.Chinnappa ,T.R.Mahalingam, the renowned comedian N.S.Krishnan and K.B.Sundarambaal. However, this factor underwent a drastic  change in the Nineteen Fifties, when actors without singing talent began to occupy the scene. There began to emerge,voices of distinct frame and vibration carrying an influence of individuality and voice throw, for an invisible reach with the film goers. 

    Roaring quite often like a lion, letting out a plethora of human emotions in their original form, and making a stentorian effect with clarity and masculine vigour, the voice of a mighty Tamil hero, ruled the ears and hearts of men and women, for several decades on the big screen. His Tamil accent  and genuineness of local dialects were so infallible that it was always a pleasure to listen to his grand and masterly delivery of dialogues. That is the immortal voice of Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan, who lived as the icon of Tamil Cinema, during his entire acting career.

   A Dravidian voice with its force of thrust and power of charisma  guided and controlled the Tamils not only inside the talkies and theatres but outside too, in towns and villages alike, by drawing crowds, like the sky drawing clouds for a full rainy season. It was a leading voice, transforming myths into reality, forming  dedicated fan clubs from the audience and later converting die hard fans into the electorate. It was the magnificent voice of a three lettered legend called MGR. Prior to the day when his full throated voice was stunted by a gunshot as well as after the mishap, this splendid voice ever remained as the symbol of success.  

   The other clarion voice with an emphatic sense of dynamism and dramatic variation was that of S.S.Rajendran and it could positively wield a winning effect towards enlightenment and aesthetic appeal.Besides his, the easily identifiable and meritorious male voices of those days were the enchanting romantic tongue of Gemini Ganesan,the mellifluously distinct tone of Muthuraman, the emotion- packed voice of AVM Rajan, the harsh, villainous voice of P.S.Veerappa with its serial cruel laugh, the singular intonation in the  dialogue modulation of M.N.Nambiyar with a little bit of Malayalm base, and the rough and soft medley in the voice frame of myriad mouthed M.R.Radha. The voice of OAK Thevar, a villain actor of fame of the last millennium, had a majestic appeal with a potential both for a roar and a mellifluous ease.  
    The memorable nasal effect in the voice mold of K.R.Ramasamy and S.A.Natarajan would haunt the ears of the audience even after they left the theatres. S.V.Rengarao had a vibrating voice that could hit,penetrate into and soothe the mood of the audience at one go. V.K.R was naturally identified by his loud open voice. 

  Between the TKS brothers,Bhagavathi had a squeezing voice but Shanmugam had a forcefully open voice deliberation. T.S.Balaiah was vested with a distinct tone and mannerism that could create an endearing effect with the audience be it a villain or comedian or character role he performed. S.V.Subbiah's voice carried a peculiar pattern of tone modulation that reflected robustness and grace. 

   Later, the force in the winning voice of Jaishankar and the gruff element in the voice  structure of  Ravichandran transmitted genuine energy and freshness that made them both, wonderful additions to Tamil Cinema. While Sivakumar’s tone reflected innate grace,Sathyaraj never failed to create a taunting effect by his set pattern of dialogue delivery, besides infusing a kind of shivering, coupled with speed as his natural voice characteristic, whenever  he happened to deliver emotions such as anger and rage.The ever excited, forceful voice modulation of late Manivannan,the hearty team mate of Sathyaraj,was proved to be a lovely treasure for the listeners.The distinctly jarring,jammed voice of Bagyaraj  greatly contributed to his winning streak.

    In the mid Nineteen Seventies,Tamil film watchers were introduced for the first time, to an amazing voice of alien charm, that came to embrace their emotions with an unheard of gusto and vibration and that was the stylish voice component of Rajinikanth, whose refreshing gusto in voice thrust, became one of the many unusual factors about him that went on to make him the Superstar. Speed, force, and the majestic appeal in intonation, are the invincible intricacies of Rajini’s classic celluloid voice. The ruling force of his voice resembles that of Sivaji Ganesan but the charisma it carries is similar to that of MGR. Kamalahasan the close contemporary and the true actor prototype, is well known for his capacity to meddle with his voice for a variety reach, adding to his zeal to come out with something creatively different, in all his ventures. The variety in his voice play, is just a sample of his tremendous versatility as an actor.

    Among the heirs of actors, Prabu’s voice quite often reminds us of his great actor-father Sivaji Ganesan; whereas, Karthik Muthuraman hardly made any one feel that he has inherited the voice of Muthuraman. To some extent, like Kamalahasan, he too resorts to tongue twisting while delivering dialogues. Of the two sons of Sivakumar, the elder one’s voice goes more perfectly with that of his father and the younger son has imbibed a kind of taunting voice frame in the manner of Sathyaraj. Simbu's voice has retained a separate identity never falling in line with the emotion packed,native voice pattern of his father T.Rajender.

   The immaculate clarity and force in the voice of Vijay, is a vital factor adding up to his victory march. Ajith’s graceful voice is in the line of Sivakumar’s. Among the new generation villains Prakash Raj continues to enjoy the benefit of his loud and open voice throw.[Late] Raguvaran’s husky, manipulative voice  had been his major asset. The effortless voice modulation of Nasser has helped him with a distinct composition of his own.
   The voices of leading Tamil comedians have also been a mixed lot with each one claiming a unique appeal from behind the screen.The persuasive voice of Kalaivaanar N.S.K,the straight bold and simultaneously amicable voice of K.A.Thangavel and Thengaai Seenivasan,the piercing tone of T.S.Dorairaj,the juggling and rolling voice of Chandrababu,the jingling throat of Nagesh, the husky bass voice of Surulirajan, the rustic mold of Gaundamani,the mischievous voice frame of Senthil,the pleading voice of Vivek,the whimpering,wailing tongue of Vadivelu and the boldly taunting and bullying tone of Santhanam, have all been keeping the comedy track of Tamil Cinema, as a cascade of entertainment flowing in varied degrees, with a galaxy of talents. 

   Among the early,leading actresses, T.R.Rajakumari had a titillating voice and S.Varalakshmi had a nasally powerful and clear voice. Anjalidevi's soothing tone was always a special attraction and Pandaribai could effortlessly pour out grief in full form, through her sorrow generating voice. As far as the leading heroines of the previous generation were concerned, it was the voice of Padmini that was built of bold, clear and impressive parameters to strike a specific emotional identity with the audience. 

  Banumathy could be called a female Rajinikanth in making her voice reach human ears, with singular charm and speed, surpassing native imperatives. While Savithri had a soft but firm voice frame,the shrieking, prattling voice of B.Sarojadevi, contained a mesmerizing charm. K.R.Vijaya’s voice consisted of a modestly endearing emotional appeal raising its level wherever it became necessary. Vanisri had an openly sweet voice similar to that of the famous singer P.Suseela. 
   The sobre and sorrow laden voice of Sowkar Janaki and the ever grumbling voice access of Jeyanthi made them both a special category of actresses.Clarity, force and nativity strength proved to be the dominant factors of the voice of M.N.Rajam Vijayakumari and Manorama. The voice of J.Jeyalalitha used to shuttle between fascinating feminine glory and ruling ecstasy. Laksmi always carried a subdued charm in her voice, deliberately suppressing its reach in emotionally choked performances.

   While Sujatha's voice was a combination of suppressed female pride and feminist resistance, the uniquely graceful element in her voice, was the asset of Sri Vidya. Among the new arrivals of the Nineteen Eighties,the boldest voice was that of Radhika, that was formed of a perfect mix of innocence and bravery, similar to that of Sri Priya and Jeyachitra. The siblings Ambika and Radha reflected  different voice frames in terms of openness and clarity. The former's voice was soft and firm, while the voice of the younger sister was gracefully clear and appealing.A tone fluctuating between a firm grip and an out-of-control shriek, affords the voice of Revathi its unique tag of identity.The self suppressed deepness in the voice of Ramya Krishnan is capable of shunting between modesty and pride with a clear note of equilibrium.
   Gone are the days when the voices of heroines were received and identified as a distinct attributes of the over all acting range of every woman. Today, with borrowed voices doing the great task of dubbing, one of the salient features denoting the identity of actresses is becoming a fading trend. However,neither the film makers nor the audience can ignore the fact, that dialogues recorded in one's own  voice are certainly the major contributory factor for actors and actresses gaining a legendary status in their respective positions.

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