Everyone who knew Vaali, called him a workaholic. No one can attest to that better than Bharatbala, one of the last directors to have worked with the legendary lyricist for his film Maryan.
“It’s quite a rude shock,” said Bharatbala, who admittedly looked a little shaky ahead of the first screening of his film on Thursday, “Especially now. It seems like it was yesterday that Rahman suggested we rope him in for Maryan.”
It was actually closer to five months ago, when Bala first called Vaali and asked him if he could pen a couple of songs for his action-drama starring Dhanush. “When I called him, he didn’t just agree,” relates the documentary filmmaker, who is making his foray into Kollywood now. “He actually asked me to tell him the entire story, from the characterisation to the script. I was hesitant because of his age, but he was resolute and we were on the phone for a really long time,” he added.
A week later, when Vaali and Bala met in A R Rahman’s AM Studios, the first thing he did was walk up to the director and pat him on his shoulder, “I had met him a few times before in Rahman’s studio but it was very hi-bye then. Now he suddenly smiled and told me ‘I love this script, vithyasama irukku (it is very different)’,” and he began to write the lyrics for Sonapariya then and there,” he said. Call it fate or whatever, Sonapariya was the biggest hit from Maryan and is one of 2013’s largest selling songs. Bharatbala also admitted that he was surprised at the energy the 81-year-old poet had, despite bodily issues. “He was like an eager little child and it seemed to both Rahman and I, that he was a lot younger than either of us. It feels strange to think that he is no longer with us,” he said with a deep sigh, rife with emotion. As he turned to prepare for the eventual release formalities for his film, Bharatbala paused and then said, “You know, the most telling lyric he wrote for Maryan was the song Netru Aval Irundhal, Avalodu Naanum Irunthen.... (She was there yesterday and I was there with her) but now all I seem to hear when the song plays is ‘You (Vaali) were there yesterday, and I was there with you’,” he trailed off.
Incidentally, it is believed that the last lyrics that Vaali wrote from his bed, will be heard in Vasanthabalan’s next Kaaviya Thalaivan, for which A R Rahman is composing the music.