AR Rahman’s latest composition is creating waves on social media for more reasons than melody. The ‘Saarattu Vandiyila’ song from Mani Ratnam’s Katru Veliyidai instantly brings to mind a tune composed by Mohan Sithara four years ago.
As a controversy rages on whether Rahman was inspired by Sithara’s song or both directors had drawn from a folk tune, Sithara opens up on the issue in a chat with Onmanorama.
“I do not even know if Rahman had listened to my song. I do not know how the two songs came to be so similar in tune. He is a great composer. Maybe this was a coincidence. May be he heard the tune somewhere and was inspired by it. I cannot tell for sure,” Sithara said.
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The Malayalam composer said he was yet to listen to the 'Saarattu Vandiyila' song.
“Many people called me up to say that the song was very similar to what I did for Breaking News Live in 2013. I do not really agree to the theory that two music directors could come up with the same tune in various points in time. There is a difference between copying a song as it is and listening to it and coming up with another version of it. I have nothing else to say on the matter,” Sithara said.
The situation in Breaking News Live required a folk melody and I composed the song accordingly, he added.
The ‘Thannakkum Thana’ song was written by Premadas Iruvallur and sung by Jisha Naveen, Thulasi Yatheendran, Sunil and Sithara himself.
The song has suddenly shot into limelight after the music release of the Mani Ratnam movie. Several music critics took to social media to note the similarities between the two songs.
The ‘Saarattu Vandiyila’ song, penned by Vairamuthu and sung by AR Raihanah, Tipu and Nikhita Gandhi, has been viewed by 35 lakh people on YouTube in two weeks.
