COIMBATORE: More than 50 years after legendary lyricist Kannadasan penned the evergreen Malarnthum Malaratha Pathi Malarpola song in the memorable Sivaji Ganesan-starrer Paasa Malar, Uttar Pradesh-based mattress manufacturer ‘Sleepwell’ has earned the ire of Kannadasan’s heirs and fans for mocking the lyrics in a television advertisement.
Among the angry fans are two-time Sahitya Akademi award winning poet Puviarasu and Coimbatore-based poet Marabin Mainthan Muthaiah.
The advertisement shows a woman tossing and rolling on her bed deprived of sleep. A man then appears on the screen advising people not to be like a Malarnthum Malaratha Pathi Malar (a half-bloomed flower) due to sleeplessness and instead enjoy a good slumber on ‘Sleepwell’ mattresses.
“Kannadasan penned those lines to describe the soft, beautiful eyes of a child. But this advertisement has denigrated his work by mischievously misinterpreting it. The Kannadasan Kazhagam (a literary forum) condemns the company’s action,” said Muthaiah.
Puviarasu, who noted that the melodious lyrics had taken Kannadasan and playback singer P Susheela to heights of fame, said it is condemnable that such a beautiful line is being misused. Prof I K Subramanian, assistant editor of the 10-volume Tamil encyclopedia, argued that a lyric that had transcended generations should not have been trivialised thus. “It is saddening that a touching melody has been belittled in the advertisement,” rued film critic Jeeva, whose book Thirai Seelai had bagged a national award.
The late poet’s publisher-son Gandhi Kannadasan warned that the family would not remain a mute spectator in the issue.
Poet Kannadasan’s son has said that he will issue a legal notice against mattress manufacturer Sleepwell if he finds that the company is maligning his father and the lyrics penned by him.
Gandhi Kannadasan said he would take action “If our father’s lyric is denigrated by a corporate to promote its products.” He had not watched the advertisement. “My friend drew my attention to it. If I find there is anything that maligns my father and his lyric, I will issue a legal notice to Sleepwell to withdraw its advertisement failing which I would sue them,” he said.
Prince Gureja, media executive of Sheela Foam (P) Ltd (Sleepwell) said, “Since the lyric is so popular in Tamil Nadu, we found it suitable to hold the viewer’s attention and promote our products.” Parrying further questions, Gureja asked his correspondent to e-mail him the queries.
