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Salil Chowdhury

Karumbu (1973)

A Tamil film with rare compositions by Salil Chowdhury, including traditional and lyrically rich melodies rooted in classical Tamil literature.

Karumbu Poster

Film Information

Language: Tamil

English Title: The Sugarcane

Lyrics: Song #KR2 and #KR3 by Sitapathikaram, Song #KR1 is traditional

Though initially believed to be unreleased, Karumbu (1973) was later confirmed to have had a theatrical release. The songs were extremely rare for many decades until collectors were finally able to locate recordings.

Songs

Nr Song Singer(s) HndMalTamTelKanBngOth
KR1 Kanne Kanmariye Mrs. Salil Chowdhury -------
KR2 Thingal Malai K. J. Yesudas -------
KR3 Thingal Malai P. Susheela -------

Notes & Background

When initial research on Karumbu was undertaken, reports suggested that the film was never released. This was later proven incorrect by Ranabir Neogy, who confirmed that it did release, although it did not run for long.

The rediscovery of the songs took years of searching. Deeper understanding of the lyrics and historical background emerged when V. Venkatramanan contacted collectors requesting the track "Thingal Malai".

He described the remarkable cultural synthesis behind the song: a Tamil composition sung by K. J. Yesudas (Malayalee) and P. Susheela (Telugu), tuned by Salil (Bengali) for a film directed by Ramu Kariat (Malayalee).

The song captures the spirit of kANalvari and is loosely based on the Carnatic raga Chakravaham, with Yesudas delivering an unforgettable performance.

Ramu Kariat’s association with Salil dates back to the iconic Malayalam film Chemmeen, recipient of the President’s Award in 1965.