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Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy were an Indian music composing duo composed of M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy. They worked together on over 100 films, from 1952's '' Panam'' to 1965's '' Aayirathil Oruvan''. After their split, Ramamoorthy worked on 16 films between 1966 and 1986. He and Viswanathan reunited in 1995 for '' Engirundho Vandhan''.


Early lives


Ramamoorthy

Ramamoorthy, born into a well-known musical family in
Trichy Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...
, was a capable violinist at an early age. His father (Krishnasamy Pillai) and grandfather, Malaikottai Govindasamy Pillai, were noted violinists in Trichy. As a child, Ramamoorthy performed several times with his father. During the early 1940s he worked for Saraswathi Stores (in which
AVM Productions AVM Productions is an Indian film production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappa Chettiar. It is the oldest film studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, ...
owner Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar was a partner), and played violin for AVM composer R. Sudharsanam in several films. Ramamoorthy became friendly with P. S. Diwakar, the pianist-composer of
Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...
, and roomed with P. S. Diwakar. C. R. Subburaman hired him as a violinist for
His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
. By the late 1940s, Ramamoorthy joined C. R. Subburaman's South Indian film-music ensemble and met fellow violinist T. G. Lingappa.


Viswanathan

Viswanathan, who had acting and singing ambitions, had a few minor stage roles during the 1940s. The famous music composer in the 1950s T. R. Pappa who was a violinist for the doyen of the Tamil film music S. V. Venkatraman, met him and obtained him a job as an errand boy. Viswanathan developed an interest in composition, and joined S. M. Subbaiah Naidu. He played
harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...
for C. R. Subburaman and met Ramamoorthy and T. G. Lingappa, another leading violinist. In addition to the harmonium, Viswanathan began playing piano at an early age.


Career


With Subburaman

With C. R. Subburaman, Viswanathan played the harmonium and Ramamoorthy the violin. Although both considered Subburaman their mentor, Viswanathan was also inspired by the music of S. V. Venkatraman and T. R. Pappa. In 1952 Subburaman died unexpectedly, leaving the music for several films unfinished. Ramamoorthy and Viswanathan completed the background music for '' Devadas'', '' Chandirani'', '' Marumagal'' and '' Kaadhal''. Viswanathan then suggested a south-Indian partnership to Ramamoorthy, similar to
Shankar Jaikishan Sankar or Shankar is a Sanskrit word meaning "beneficent" or "giver of bliss" and may refer to: People * Shankar (name) **Ravi Shankar, Indian sitarist and composer **Shankar (actor), Indian actor ** Shankar (Tamil militant), Tamil rebel ** Shan ...
in the north. Initially reluctant, Ramamoorthy agreed.


First film

Their first film was '' Panam'', written by A. L. Seenivasan and directed by N. S. Krishnan (who supported their partnership). Their musical training and personalities differed; the shy Ramamoorthy had a
Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...
al background and Viswanathan, lacking Carnatic training, was a dynamic individual. ''Panam'' was
Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram. Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001), better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, was an Indian actor and film producer. He was mainly active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th centur ...
's second film and his first appearance with Padmini. Although the duo were initially supposed to be billed as Ramamoorthy-Viswanathan, N. S. Krishnan felt having Viswanathan's name first sounded better and told Ramamoorthy, "You are senior to him so you can be behind him, supporting him" and Ramamoorthy assented. Composer and singer C. S. Jayaraman commissioned Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy for '' Ratha Kanneer'' background music, writing the songs himself.


Success

Success was slow in coming during a period which featured composers such as G. Ramanathan, S. V. Venkatraman, K. V. Mahadevan, S. Rajeswara Rao, S. Dakshinamurthi and
Pendyala Nageswara Rao Pendyala Nageswara Rao (6 March 1917 – 31 August 1984), known mononymously by his surname Pendyala, was an Indian composer, multi-instrumentalist, conductor, music producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema along with Tam ...
. In the wake of ''Panam'' success, however, Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy wrote music for over 100 films from 1952 to 1965 and were the most successful composers from 1957 to 1965. They had a flair for light, sweet melodies, and 1950s films such as '' Porter Kandan'', '' Paasavalai'', '' Thenali Raman'', '' Gulebakavali'', '' Sugam Enge'' and '' Sorgavasal'' attracted attention. In 1956 Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy composed music for '' Santosham'', the Telugu adaptation of the Tamil film '' Velaikaari'' with N. T. Rama Rao and
Anjali Devi Anjali Devi (; 24 August 1927 – 13 January 2014) was an Indian actress, model and producer in Telugu and Tamil films. She was well known for her role as the Devi Sita in '' Lava Kusa'' as well as for the title roles in movies like Chenchu ...
, which was a musical hit. It was reprised in Hindi as ''Naya Aadmi'' with music by
Madan Mohan Madanamohana () is an epithet of the Hindu deity Krishna. It translates as, "he whose charm (''mohana'') bewilders even the god of love ('' madana'')". The epithet describes the powerful nature of the attraction for the deity from his devotees, e ...
, who wanted to keep some of the original songs in the Hindi version. The Hindi song ''"Laut gaya gam ka zamana"'', sung by
Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...
and Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay, copies the duo's Telugu song ''Teeyani Eenati Reyi'' (sung by P. Susheela and G. K. Venkatesh) and was a hit in the north. During the late 1950s, Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy composed for musical hits such as '' Pudhaiyal'', '' Nichaya Thaamboolam'', '' Padhi Bhakti'' and '' Bhaaga Pirivinai''. They enjoyed continued success into the early 1960s with directors T. R. Ramanna and A. Bhimsingh. After a 1961 disagreement with his composer, A. M. Rajah, C. V. Sridhar commissioned Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy for his films and
Gemini Studios Gemini Studios was an Indian film studio based in Madras, Tamil Nadu. It was launched when S. S. Vasan, a businessman of many ventures (including the ownership of Ananda Vikatan) bought Motion Picture Producers' Combines from Krishnaswamy Su ...
and
AVM Productions AVM Productions is an Indian film production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappa Chettiar. It is the oldest film studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, ...
later engaged the duo. At this time, they were assisted by R. Govardhanam, G. K. Venkatesh,
Shankar–Ganesh Shankar–Ganesh is an Indian music director duo who has worked on Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu movies for around 50 years. They also directed one movie '' Jagathalaprathapan'' in 1990 Personal life Shankar was the younger brother of ...
and Henry Daniel and used
Pattom Sadan Sadhasivan, popularly known as Pattom Sadan was an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema. He acted in more than 200 films. His debut movie was Chathurangam in 1959. He was a famous comedy artist during the 1960s and 1970s. He acted in many Tamil movi ...
for vocal and sound effects.


Other collaborations

Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy, particularly Viswanathan, are credited with moulding the careers of their regular singers T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela, P. B. Sreenivas,
Seerkazhi Govindarajan Sirkazhi Govindarajan (19 January 1933 – 24 March 1988) was a Carnatic vocalist and a playback singer of Indian cinema, predominantly in Tamil cinema. Early life Govindarajan, was born on 19 January 1933 at Sirkazhi (a small town in prese ...
and L. R. Eswari. A. L. Raghavan and
S. Janaki Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely referred to as Janaki Amma and Nightingale of India(nightingale of South) . She is one of the greatest playback singers in the history ...
sang less often for them.
K. J. Yesudas Kattassery Joseph Yesudas ( /jeːʃud̪aːs/; born 10 January 1940) is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. He is widely considered one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian m ...
had his only collaboration with the duo in two songs from ''
Kadhalikka Neramillai ''Kadhalikka Neramillai'' () is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film produced and directed by C. V. Sridhar, who also conceived and co-wrote its script with Chitralaya Gopu. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Bala ...
'' (1964): ''"Nenjathai Alli Alli"'' with L. R. Eswari and P. Susheela and ''"Enna Paarvai Undhan Paarvai"'' with P. Susheela. After the partnership dissolved, he sang with Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy separately. During their early years, they worked with established male singers such as
Thiruchi Loganathan Thiruchi Loganathan (24 July 1924 – 17 November 1989) was an Indian playback singer of the Tamil film industry. He is known for his work in movies such as '' Manthiri Kumari'' (1950)and Sarvadhikari'. He was married to Rajalakshmi, daughter ...
, C. S. Jayaraman, S. C. Krishnan, Ghantasala and V. N. Sundaram. The female singers were P. A. Periyanayaki, M. L. Vasanthakumari, R. Balasaraswathi Devi, P. Leela,
Jikki Pillavalu Gajapathy Krishnaveni (3 November 1935 – 16 August 2004), more famously known as Jikki, was an Indian playback singer from Andhra Pradesh. She sang around 10,000 songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Sinhalese, and Hindi lan ...
, T. V. Rathnam, T. S. Bagavathi, M. S. Rajeswari, K. Jamuna Rani, K. Rani, A. P. Komala and A. G. Rathnamala. The singing actors N. S. Krishnan, T. A. Madhuram, V. Nagayya, T. R. Mahalingam, K. R. Ramasamy, J. P. Chandrababu, P. Bhanumathi and S. Varalakshmi also sang for the duo. G. K. Venkatesh, M. S. Viswanathan's friend and assistant, sang a few songs as well. T. M. Soundararajan was Viswanathan's favourite singer and
Jikki Pillavalu Gajapathy Krishnaveni (3 November 1935 – 16 August 2004), more famously known as Jikki, was an Indian playback singer from Andhra Pradesh. She sang around 10,000 songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Sinhalese, and Hindi lan ...
, followed by P. Susheela, were the duo's primary female singers. They were divided on A. M. Rajah; although Ramamoorthy favoured him, Viswanathan had a personality conflict dating back to ''
Genova Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitants ...
''. Rajah sang only five Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy songs, at the height of his career during the 1950s. He voiced
Gemini Ganesan Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred as Kaadhal Mannan (King of Romance) for his romantic roles in films. G ...
, the actor for whom he was the primary voice, only in '' Padhi Bhakti''. P. Leela,
Seerkazhi Govindarajan Sirkazhi Govindarajan (19 January 1933 – 24 March 1988) was a Carnatic vocalist and a playback singer of Indian cinema, predominantly in Tamil cinema. Early life Govindarajan, was born on 19 January 1933 at Sirkazhi (a small town in prese ...
, Udutha Sarojini, K. Jamuna Rani, M. S. Rajeswari and A. L. Raghavan owe their 1950s and 1960s vocal success primarily to the duo, particularly to Viswanathan. Directors such as B. R. Panthulu, B. S. Ranga,
Krishnan–Panju R. Krishnan (1909–1997) and S. Panju (1915–1984), collectively referred to as Krishnan–Panju, were Indian film directors. The duo directed more than 50 films in South Indian languages and in Hindi. Early life R. Krishnan was born on 18 ...
, A. Bhimsingh, P. Madhavan, C. V. Sridhar, T. R. Ramanna and A. C. Tirulokchandar worked with Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy frequently until 1965. K. Balachander never worked with the duo, preferring to work with Viswanathan alone even before the split.


''Mellisai Mannargal''

On 16 June 1963, Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy were given the title of ''Mellisai Mannargal'' (, Kings of Light Music) by
Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram. Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001), better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, was an Indian actor and film producer. He was mainly active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th centur ...
at a Madras Triplicane Cultural Academy ceremony sponsored by T. M. Ramachandran, director C. V. Sridhar and Chitralaya Gobu of the Hindu Group of Publications.


Split

Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy split up after the release of ''Aayirathil Oruvan'' on 9 July 1965. They composed for films separately, with the assistants remaining with Viswanathan. Although producer-directors T. R. Ramanna and A. Bhimsingh were saddened by the development, they worked with both men individually. The split was the result of interpersonal issues. In 1964, C. V. Sridhar directed '' Kalai Kovil'', starring S. V. Subbaiah, R. Muthuraman,
Chandrakantha ''Chandrakantha'' is a 1936 Indian, Tamil-language film directed by P. K. Raja Sandow. Cast The following list was adapted from the book ''Thamizh Cinema Ulagam Part-1''. ;Male cast * Kali N. Rathnam Thirukallur Bandaara Sannidhigal *T ...
,
Nagesh Nageshwaran Rao (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor and comedian mostly remembered for his comic roles in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in ov ...
, V. Gopalakrishnan and V. S. Raghavan; Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy produced the film and composed its music. The film and its songs were unsuccessful, and a ''
Kalki Kalki (), also called Kalkin, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vishnu. According to Vaishnavism, Vaishnava cosmology, Kalki is destined to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga, the last of the four ages i ...
'' article was critical. Disagreement between the composers worsened by '' Server Sundaram'', starring
Nagesh Nageshwaran Rao (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor and comedian mostly remembered for his comic roles in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in ov ...
, R. Muthuraman and
K. R. Vijaya Deivanayaki, better known by her stage name K. R. Vijaya, is an Indian actress who has featured in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films. She started her career in 1963 and has been acting for more than six decades in South Indian cinema. ...
, which was released at the end of 1964. Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy were scheduled to shoot a scene suggested by Bollywood music director
Naushad Ali Naushad Ali (25 December 1919 – 5 May 2006) was an Indian composer for Hindi films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularising the use of ...
to producer A. V. Meiyappa Chettiar; Ramamoorthy could not appear, and after completing ''Aayirathil Oruvan'' the duo announced their split. In his solo career, Viswanathan composed music for over 700 films from 1965 to 2015. Ramamoorthy was less successful, composing for 19 films from 1966 to 1986. Viswanathan, the highest-paid music director from 1965 to 1985 but faced competition from next generation music composers like Ilayaraja in 1980s and AR Rahman in 1990s but continued to compose until 1998 in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu films. After a period he started composing devotional songs. He continued doing live orchestras from 1960s to 2015. He restarted composing songs for albums and films from 2000 until 2015.


Reunion

Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy briefly reunited in 1995 for the unsuccessful Tamil film '' Engirundho Vandhan'', starring
Sathyaraj Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), known professionally as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, film producer, film director and a media personality who appears predominantly in Tamil films. He also appears in works in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam ...
and Roja. It was the remake of the megahit Malayalam film '' Chithram''. The film was a box office disaster and the songs went unnoticed. It was also their last film together. They received
honorary doctorates An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
from
Sathyabama University Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (SIST), formerly known as Sathyabama Engineering College and Sathyabama University, is a private, STEM-intensive, multi-disciplinary, multi-campus deemed university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. ...
in September 2006.


Thirai Isai Chakravarthy

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...
J.Jayalalithaa gave Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy the title of ''Thirai Isai Chakravarthy'' (, Emperors of Cine Music) in August 2012.


Deaths

Ramamoorthy died in a
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
hospital after a brief illness on 17 April 2013 at age 91. On 27 June 2015, Viswanathan was admitted to Fortis Malar Hospital in Chennai with respiratory difficulty and died there at 4:15 a.m. on 14 July.


Filmography


References


External links

* *
List of movies composed music by Viswanathan Ramamoorthy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy Indian musical duos Kannada film score composers Musicians from Tamil Nadu Tamil film score composers Telugu film score composers Indian male film score composers