Bichu Thirumala

Last updated

Bichu Thirumala
Bichu Thirumala.jpg
Born
B. Sivasankaran Nair

(1942-02-13)13 February 1942
Died26 November 2021(2021-11-26) (aged 79)
Occupations
  • Lyricist
  • poet
Years active1972–2021
SpousePrasanna Kumari
ChildrenSuman Bichu Thirumala (Music Director)
Awards
  • Kerala State Film Award
  • Critics Award
  • Film Fans Award
  • Stallion International Award
  • Vamadevan Award
  • Sree Chithirathirunal Award
  • P.Bhaskaran Award

Bhaskaran Sivasankaran Nair, popularly known as Bichu Thirumala (13 February 1942 – 26 November 2021), was an Indian lyricist and poet. [1] [2] He is known for creating the style of arranging beautiful words in Malayalam film songs. In Malayalam cinema, Bichu Thirumala led the group of lyricists who wrote songs for readymade tunes. He won the Kerala State Film Award for the best lyricist two times. His prolific Malayalam film repertoire includes work with eminent composers like Shyam, G. Devarajan, V. Dakshinamurthy, M.S. Baburaj, K. Raghavan, M.S. Viswanathan, A.T. Ummer, K.J. Joy, Shankar–Ganesh, Jaya Vijaya, Raveendran, Jerry Amaldev, Johnson, Ouseppachan, Ilaiyaraaja, A. R. Rahman and the list goes on.

Contents

Life and Career

Bichu Thirumala was born to C.G. Bhaskaran Nair and Sasthamangalam Pattanikkunnu Veettil Parukutty Amma in Thiruvananthapuram. He was the eldest child of his parents. His siblings are the late Balagopalan (who died at a young age, and on whose remembrance he wrote the song "Olathumbathirunnu" [3] from the movie Pappayude Swantham Appoos ), Susheela Devi (singer), Vijayakumar, Dr. Chandra, Shyama, Darshan Raman (music director) and Jayalekshmi. He graduated with a BA from University College Thiruvananthapuram. He was married to Prasanna and they have a son named Suman Bichu Thirumala (music director). [4]

Bichu Thirumala debuted with the Malayalam Movie Bhaja Govindam in 1972, which was directed by CRK Nair and with Jaya Vijaya as the music composer .After his modest beginning, Thirumala went on to become one of the most successful Malayalam lyricists and wrote songs for such notable music directors as Shyam, A. T. Ummer, Raveendran, G. Devarajan, and Ilaiyaraaja. In the 1970s he teamed up with music director A. T. Ummer to compose many sweet melodies. Bichu Thirumala penned the lines for AR Rahman's one and only Malayalam music for film, Yodha and the TV commercial jingle "Manam Pole" Mangalyam [5] for REMANIKA. His first song "Brahma Muhoorthathil" became popular as a "Lalitha ganam" or light song since the movie Bhaja Govindam did not see the light of the day. Radio Ceylon used to air the song in the early 1970s.

Death

Bichu Thirumala, whose career stalled after a massive accident at his home in 1994, was admitted to S. K. hospital in Thiruvananthapuram with breathing problems and had suffered a heart attack as well. He had been on ventilator support after his condition worsened, and died on 26 November 2021 at the age of 79. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] His dead body was cremated with full state honours at Santhikavadam crematorium on the same day. [11] He was survived by his wife Prasanna (retired finance officer, KWA) and son Suman Bichu (music director).

Awards

Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist
YearMovieSongComposer
1981 Thrishna - Shyam
Thenum Vayampum - Raveendran
1991 Kadinjool Kalyanam

Other awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vayalar Ramavarma</span> Indian poet and lyricist (1928–1975)

Vayalar Ramavarma, also known as Vayalar, was an Indian poet and lyricist of Malayalam language. He was known for his poems which include Sargasangeetham, Mulankaadu, Padamudrakal, Aayisha and Oru Judas janikkunnu and for around 1,300 songs he penned for 256 Malayalam films. He received the National Film Award for Best Lyrics in 1972 and was the winner of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist in its year of inception which he received three more times. He was also a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry in 1962.  His collaborations with G. Devarajan produced the golden era of Malayalam film music and many songs written and composed by these duo remain the ever green classics in Malayalam. Ramavarma is regarded as one of the most successful and critically acclaimed lyricist in the history of Malayalam cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayalam cinema</span> Branch of Indian cinema

Malayalam cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Malayalam language, which is widely spoken in the state of Kerala and Lakshadweep islands of India. Malayalam cinema includes the commercial film industry, sometimes known as Mollywood, as well as independent cinema made in Malayalam. According to recent trends and critical acclaim, the Malayalam film industry (Mollywood) is often considered the "best" film industry in India, known for its high quality storytelling, strong performances, and focus on social issues, even though the largest film industry in terms of viewership remains Bollywood

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnson (composer)</span> Indian composer

Thattil Antony Johnson, popularly known as Johnson Master, was an Indian film score composer and music director who has given music to some of the most important motion pictures of Malayalam cinema, including those for Koodevide, Namukku Paarkkan Munthiri Thoppukal, Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam, Vadakkunokkiyantram, Perumthachan, Njan Gandharvan, Ponthan Mada, and Bhoothakkannadi. Regarded as one of the finest composers in the industry, he was noted for his lyrical and expressive melodies together with simple but rich tonal compositions of thematic music. Johnson is a recipient of National Film Awards twice and Kerala State Film Awards five times. He has composed music for more than 300 Malayalam films, the most by any composer except for Devarajan. He was the first music director from Malayalam cinema to be honoured with the National film Awards. He died of a heart attack in Chennai on 18 August 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. Devarajan</span> Musical artist

Paravoor Govindan Devarajan (1927–2006), popularly known as G. Devarajan or Devarajan master, was an Indian music composer and Carnatic singer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Indian film music. He scored music for more than three hundred Malayalam films, many dramas, and twenty Tamil and four Kannada movies. His collaborations with Vayalar Ramavarma produced the golden era of Malayalam film music and many of his compositions remain ever green classics in Malayalam. His music in the Tamil film Annai Velankanni has received many accolades. Devarajan received Kerala Government's Best Music Director award five times, among other honours. In 1999, he was honoured with the J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala government's highest honour for contributions to Malayalam cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raveendran</span> Indian composer

Madhavan Raveendran, alsoknown as Raveendran Master, was a South Indian music composer and playback singer from Kerala. He composed songs for more than 150 films primarily for the Malayalam and Tamil film industries. He also composed a few albums, including Vasantha Geethangal, Ponnonatharangini and Rithugeethangal. Raveendran composed melodies based on Hindustani Ragas also.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidhu Prathap</span> Indian singer

Vidhu Prathap is an Indian playback singer. He has sung many songs in over 600 films in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu languages.

Anjukandy Thalakkal Ummer was a Malayalam music composer from Kerala, India. He is known for composing many soft melodies for 174 Malayalam movies.

<i>Vartha</i> 1986 film directed by I. V. Sasi

Vartha (transl. News) is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by I. V. Sasi and produced by P. V. Gangadharan. The film stars Mammootty, Mohanlal, Rahman, Seema, Venu Nagavally, K. P. A. C. Lalitha and Prathapachandran. The film has musical score by A. T. Ummer. The film was successful at the box office. The film was remade in Tamil as Palaivana Rojakkal (1986), and in Hindi as Jai Shiv Shankar (1990), which never released.

<i>Thachiledathu Chundan</i> 1999 Indian film

Thachiledathu Chundan is a 1999 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Shajoon Karyal and written by Babu Janardhanan and produced by Thampi Kannanthanam under the banner of Jooliya Pictures. The film stars Mammootty in the lead role, along with Nandini, Thilakan, Nedumudi Venu, Captain Raju and Kaveri in supporting roles. The film revolves a boatrace fantic, Kochu Kunju. The film features original songs composed by Raveendran, with the background score done by S. P. Venkatesh. The lyrics were written by Bichu Thirumala. The film was released on 1 April 1999 on the occasion of Vishu. The film was major commercial success and went on to become the third highest grossing film of the year. The film was director Shajoon Karyal's breakthrough in Malayalam cinema.

<i>Anubandham</i> (1985 film) 1985 film

Anubandham (transl. Relation) is a 1985 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by I. V. Sasi. It stars Mammootty, Mohanlal, Seema, and Shobana. The film won four Kerala State Film Awards—Best Story, Best Actress (Seema), Best Child Artist (Vimal), and Best Editor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poovachal Khader</span> Indian lyricist (1948–2021)

Poovachal Khader was a Malayalam lyricist from Kerala who worked mainly in Malayalam film industry. His first movie as a lyricist was Kaattuvithachavan (1973) but his first released movie was Chuzhi (1973). His last movie was Mothathi Kozhappa (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rafeeq Ahamed</span> Indian poet, lyricist and novelist

Rafeeq Ahamed is an Indian poet, lyricist and novelist. He has won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry and is a six-time winner of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyrics. With more than 600 songs to his credit, Rafeeq Ahamed is regarded as the most successful and critically acclaimed lyricist of contemporary Malayalam films.

Tharangini Records is the music company founded by noted Indian Playback singer K. J. Yesudas in 1980 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It was the first recording and distributing music label in Kerala from where Malayalam film songs on audio cassettes came out. Other than Malayalam, Tharangni also released songs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, English, Malay, Arabic, Russian and Latin. Tharangni release albums under various labels, Tharangni, Tharangni or Ayaan, Bharath Sangeeth, 9th Angel Records, Diva Records, V Records & Entertainment, Amplify More, all licensed or incorporated under Dr. K. J. Yesudass Audio and Visuals Corporation Limited and Yesudass Media Private Limited.

<i>Angadi</i> (film) 1980 Indian film

Angadi (transl.Market) is a 1980 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by I. V. Sasi, written by T. Damodaran and produced by P. V, Gangadharan under the banner of Grihalakshmi Productions. The film stars Jayan as Babu in the lead role along with Sukumaran, Seema, Jose and Sankaradi, in supporting roles. The film revolves around the rivalry between a laborer, Babu and Beeran, an evil businessman. The music was composed by Shyam, with the cinematography done jointly by Chandramohan and C. E. Babu. Angadi was one of the major successes of the year 1980, running for 125 days in theatres. The film broke the box office record of Jayan's Sarapancharam (1979) and emerged the highest grossing Malayalam film of the year. The film was a milestone in the Malayalam film industry, achieving cult status in Kerala. The film was instrumental in establishing Jayan's macho hero image.

<i>Aarattu</i> (1979 film) 1979 film directed by I. V. Sasi

Aarattu is a 1979 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by I. V. Sasi, written by T. Damodaran, and produced by Ramachandran. The plot revolves around the life of fire workers in Kerala. The film stars Jose and Seema, along with Hindi actress Shoma Aanand, Balan K. Nair and Kaviyoor Ponnamma in important roles. The film has musical score by A. T. Ummer.

<i>Ee Manohara Theeram</i> 1978 Indian film

Ee Manoharatheeram is a 1978 Indian Malayalam film, directed by I. V. Sasi. The film stars Madhu, Jayan, Jayabharathi and Vidhubhala in the lead roles. The film has musical score by G. Devarajan.

Manasa Vacha Karmana is a 1979 Indian Malayalam film, directed by I. V. Sasi and produced by P. V. Gangadharan. The film stars Jayabharathi, Sukumaran, M. G. Soman and Seema in the lead roles and was scored by A. T. Ummer. The film has art direction by Kalalayam Ravi.

Karimpana is a 1980 Indian Malayalam film, directed by I. V. Sasi. The film stars Jayan, Seema, Kaviyoor Ponnamma and Adoor Bhasi in the lead roles. The film has musical score by A. T. Ummer. The film was shot in Ayira, a village near Parassala, Thiruvananthapuram district. The movie was in hit chart.

Innale Innu is a 1977 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by I. V. Sasi and produced by Thiruppathi Chettiyar. The film stars Prem Nazir, Sheela, Kaviyoor Ponnamma and Jose Prakash in the lead roles. The film has musical score by G. Devarajan.

<i>Angadikkappurathu</i> 1985 film

Angadikkappurathu is a 1985 Indian Malayalam film, directed by I. V. Sasi and produced by Rosamma George. The film stars Mammootty, Mohanlal, Kaviyoor Ponnamma and Adoor Bhasi in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Shyam.

References

  1. ലേഖകൻ, മാധ്യമം (26 November 2021). "മെലഡികളുടെ തിരുമല | Madhyamam". Madhyamam (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  2. "Bichu Thiruamala: The writer of dreams". Malayala Manorama. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXQEI07gncs&ab_channel=TunixRecords
  4. "CiniDiary". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcpnZPsDhwY&ab_channel=TunixRecords
  6. Praveen, S. R. (26 November 2021). "Malayalam lyricist Bichu Thirumala passes away". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  7. "ബിച്ചു തിരുമല അന്തരിച്ചു; ഈണമൂറും വരികളിൽ പാട്ടുനൂലിഴ കോർത്ത കവി". Malayala Manorama (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  8. കാവ്, സ്വീറ്റി. "നീര്‍പ്പോളകളുടെ ലാളനയില്‍ നീലത്താമര വിരിയിച്ച അനശ്വരനായ കവി". Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  9. "Noted Malayalam lyricist Bichu Thirumala no more". The New Indian Express . Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  10. "Malayalam lyricist Bichu Thirumala passes away at 79 | Thiruvananthapuram News - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  11. "ഭാവഗാനങ്ങളുടെ സ്രഷ്ടാവിന് വിട; ‌ശാന്തികവാടത്തിൽ അന്ത്യനിദ്ര". Manorama News. Retrieved 27 November 2021.