LYRICAL ROMANTICISM.

"It is not easy to compose a lyric for a duet without knowing the given situation, more so if it is a dream song. It is a difficult task to weave words from thin air, and allure the audience". This was the lament of lyricist Gona Vijayarathnam during the course of an interview while narrating his own experience. The teacher-turned-lyricist was assigned by writer-producer-director Giduthuri Suryam the job of writing a song for his movie, Kathanayukudu (1971). Vijayarathnam was then in the august company of literary luminaries like Sri Sri, Arudra, Sunkara Satyanarayana and Elchuri Subramanyam to write lyrics for the film and he was eager to prove himself. Suryam gave him the dream song to be shot on the film's lead pair - Sobhan Babu and Vansiri.
Even after a week and the lyricist having come up with about forty pallavis (opening lines of a song), music director Akula Appala Raju alias A.A. Raj was not satisfied. He had started his career as a violist with Saluru Rajeswar Rao and later became a music conductor for some of the popular music directors of the time. Besides being a musician, Raj was also a literary enthusiast and had some literary knowledge; it was but natural that he expected more appealing opening lines for the romantic duet. An exhausted Vijayarathnam, who by then had almost lost his patience, gave the music director a stanza and said that if he was not satisfied with it too, he might engage another writer for the job and spare him. A.A. Raj read the lines: 
"Thanuvaa - Oohu - Harichandama / Paluka - Oohu - Adi Makarandame / Kusumaalu Thaakagaane Naligenu Kaadaa Nee Menu / Naligenu Kaada - Ee Menu". 
On reading these lines a broad grin crossed Raj's face. He asked the lyricist to go ahead with the rest of the song. Vijayrathnam, a native of Vekatagiri in Nellore district, was then a tenant at former heroine Pushpavalli's house in T Nagar, Madras. He sat through that night at home and completed the song. 
"Nee Soyagaalu Kanusaiga Chese Anuraga Lathalu Bandhaalu Vese / Harivillunai  Ee Viribaaname Guri Choosi Hrudayaana Visireyanaa Ninu Cherana...Voo...Muripinchanaa/ Thanuvaa.../ Nee Kosame Ee Nava Paarijaatham Virabhoosi Nee Mundhu Nilichindile / Madhupaayinai Maru loorichanaa  Vuyyala Jampaala Looginchanaa/ Thanuvaa..."
Inspired by the writer's lyrical romanticism, A.A. Raj composed a slow melody that breathed life into it by the enthralling voices of P. Susheela and an up and coming singer S.P. Balasubramaniam. The song was recorded at Gemini Studios recording theatre by P.V. Koteswar Rao.
The Scene: Raghu (Sobhan Babu) is the son of Bhujangam (Nagabhushanam), the owner of a mill in which Janaki (Vanisri) is the union leader. He hides his identity from her. She knows him only as a poet and meets him in the park. He gives her the poem he has written. After reading it she praises him. He says, "If you sing, it would be all the more sweet". She starts reciting the poem, and in his imagination, it turns into a duet song. During the shooting for the song at Venus Studios (formerly Sobhanachala Studios)< the lead pair Sobhan Babu and Vanisri were so impressed with the lyric that they invited Vijayrathnam to the location and heaped praise on him. Though Vijayrathnam subsequently wrote many more lyrics, he could not live up to the expectations this song had generated as none of his other songs was as good as this. In the late Eighties he retired to his home in Venkatagiri, where one night, while sleeping in the open, he was said to have succumbed to snake bite.
Though he died at a young age, Vijayrathnam is remembered to this day for the song - thanuvaa oohu harichandaname - which is still popular with music lovers, despite the dismal failure of the movie.
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