TM Krishna Interview With Baradwaj Rangan | Face 2 Face

#TMKrishna talks about his journey from being a Carnatic singer on stage to someone who is attempting to engage with the larger world. He puts forth his definition of 'Carnatic music', wonders if #KVMahadevan or #Ilaiyaraaja songs can be called 'Carnatic music', whether art is inherently political, and talks about the boundary-stretching collaborations with writer Perumal Murugan.
Visit us at filmcompanion.in
Do Like, Share, Comment & Subscribe to our channel.
Subscribe: bit.ly/FCsubscribe
Follow Us On:
/ filmcompanion
/ filmcompanion
/ filmcompanion
The Film Companion is a web channel intended to promote Indian cinema through films review, interviews, discussions, video essays and analytical compilations. It is intended primarily for the purpose of encouraging informed discussions, criticism and review of cinema and towards such purpose the programs use short extracts of cinematograph films, sounds recording and photographic works. These clips and extracts are of a minimal nature and the use is not intended to interfere in any manner with their commercial exploitation of the compete work by the owners of the copyright. The use of works are in compliance with the fair dealing exception provided under Sec. 52 of the Copyright Act, and we asset our use of the works under the exception provided for criticism and review.

[@j_surya]

Who all are coming here after TM KRISHNA's award from The Music Academy?

[@krishnamurthiramachandran2432]

❤DMK thondargal also have set themselves in fire for their political masters stupidly! You can follow them, for your leader!!!!! Because your leader is now praised by all Dravidian parties!!!!!!!

[@ka1pana]

A male taking offense to lyrics that demean caste and women and acknowledging that we have a problem in some songs, or the cultural conditioning that pardons such problems - I am literally in tears !! Thank you Mr. T.M. Krishna, may men like you grow and thrive and influence others!

[@vishnushankar4404]

OMG.. Excellent interview. Gives a new perspective to the way Carnatic or for that matter music can be experienced/enjoy.

[@madhusudanan]

My My!!!! Can't believe it. BR you're the best, you brought another interview with TMK. How you both have evolved since your last interview meet up. Can't thank FC South enough. And thanks to KZbin Algorithm, smarty pants picked this up for me when I was listening to TMK right here!

[@user-tf1cn9ve5n]

During lockdown I thought this guy is destroying carnatic. After listening to him and evolving my own views, TM is the most genius person and musician to come out of carnatic community. He stands for novelty.

[@Ravisidharthan]

What the hell.. he's playing, and he's a moron

[@ramkay89]

The questions were of brilliant nature from Bharadwaj. And Krishna was taking us to the thought process what he went through to arrive at that those answers.. brilliant conversation

[@seshadrisubramanian]

Brilliant BR! Excellent conversation that delved deep into Krishna's mindspace.I am a big fan of TMK's music but do not necessarily agree with what he says on other issues and it doesn't affect me continuing to enjoy his music.He is undoubtedly one of the best singers currently and definitely possesses an unique mind.

[@tejasnair3399]

Wonderful!

[@drgopinaath]

Great Interview. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Hats off to BR for bringing the best out of TMK. Don't get me wrong I am a great fan of TMK. I follow him on every platform. He breaks barriers & age-old pointless traditions. But surprised to hear that his stance on Raja & Mari Mari composition hasn't changed. Every human will have our own prejudices, biased & egos. Don't we. We are humans after all. As you said TMK is still "TRANSFORMING".

[@vijaysiddharth1840]

One of the best interviews u guys ever did!

[@guppy277]

எங்கள் ஐயா எங்கள் இதய தெய்வம் டி எம் கிருஷ்ணா ஐயா அவர்கள் தானைத்தலைவராய் தமிழக முதல்வராய் ஆக வேண்டும் என்பது எண்ணற்ற கோடானு கோடி தமிழ் மக்களின் உள்ளக் கிடக்கை ... நிறை வேற்றி வைத்து எங்கள் உள்ளங்களைக் குளிரச் செய்வாரா ... உங்களுக்காக எங்கள் உயிரையும் கொடுக்கத்தயார்

[@NishanthSalahudeen]

Amazing guy! First when he talks about his own evolution, laughs at his own past while not invalidating it.... He has clearly tried to understand himself. I feel an honesty in his approach and the intelligence surely hits you before anything else... That section about thyagaraja being more than rama while also being limited by his context and background for no fault of his... Never heard anyone saying such things openly. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole discussion. He is a good communicator who doesnt resort to jargons and Mumbo-Jumbo. 1:07:42 is an awesome fundamental which very few understand. Its all about social habituation. By itself, without the habituation, has not much in terms of unique meaning.

[@TandonOberoi]

What an invigorating conversation...!! Thanks FC South for doing this... the video surely deserves many more views...Well done BR.

[@nirmalts4378]

Thank you film companion south for this interview. This was one hell of a ride !!! A true 'conversation'. 666...

[@aravind20rahul]

Great interview and TM Krishna at his best as usual.

[@yuvashreeharidoss7496]

I think he's articulated the privilege that denies the existence of caste and that othering of people, keeping people away from the art forms

[@Mukund415]

what keeps most people away from Classical music is that it entails hard work of learning lasing many years and in return for poor material rewards and recognition over a lifetime if adopted as a profession. It is like chess in this respect. For people with passion for this art, the rewards are no concern. Not many in the society would accept such a deal.

[@sunithaiyer9154]

A true person with fantastic thoughts.. Good hearted.. LEGEND T. M. KRISHNA Sir.. Ananthakod namaskarams🙏respect you always.. Good interview.. 💐🙏

[@preethysatheesh685]

Wonderful talk 🙏 🌹 👏

[@hummingleaves3120]

Interesting to hear TM Krishna speaks, a genuine guy in the ocean 9f Karnatic music. Thanks for this interview.

[@UCPRASHANTH]

Very interesting, could not stop watching it till end. 15.5 min topic... Separating art from the artist, is what DR. SL Bhyrappa's novel Mandra is about, 50.5 min, stuck in a box, very valid agree. 1hr 6min to 1 hr 8min, need to have some knowledge, not fully agree, what is wrong if we associate with something we have heard in the past and still enjoy it ?! Watching this interview after a stupendous concert of Shri T M Krishna in Mysuru today.

[@BlackieFyre]

I wish I can be well spoken like that.

[@jeremiahrajanesan829]

Incredible thought provoking interview ! Especially about Saint Thyaharaja’s creation of complex compositions reminds one of Bach’s fugues.

[@yuvashreeharidoss7496]

Omg the point about pattu class conditioning is so truuuuee

[@keshavraj8441]

Brilliant headspace entirely. I've always look up to Krishna for his thought process 👍 the point from @1:04:54 krishna is so true about how could have the original composition sounded in the past, jarring indeed. Do listen to Krishnas sampradaya krithi audio documentation. Ancient music had no sense of commercial attribute

[@wanderingmystic6968]

Interesting observation. Can you please elaborate. Isn’t repeat hearing an attribute of success. Are you referring to the technological advancements of a stage and accompanying instrumentation

[@keshavraj8441]

@@wanderingmystic6968 just like a loaf of bread to being later transformed to cinnamon bun , music got accessorized over time for commercial pursuits i.e kutcheries

[@balnanj]

wow, what an interview. first up, BRs questions are stunning and TMK was a revelation for me. he is so learned and his views on things. we need more people like this.

[@MadhumithaSowndararajan]

One of the most intellectually stimulating interviews i have heard so far..

[@adityamachiraju2502]

One of the best interview

[@rsridhar695]

Wow! What a conversation. Listening to TMK after a long time. His sincerity and conviction are unbeatable. As always Baradwaj's questions were excellent. I will have to listen to this couple of times again ... it is so enjoyable. It is also so well shot. The lighting, the angles,.. superb

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

I had a nice time watching this conversation :)

[@rameshmarlecha8407]

This was an amazing interview. Thank you both.

[@shanthip3987]

Genuine conversation!

[@unapologeticinherwaysdb3692]

Love love loved this interview!❤

[@ithris4523]

Great human ...

[@TaraRajendran]

Great interview!

[@k2krutha]

How i wish a conversation with him could have been done in Tamizh.. I feel that it will reach a larger audience, even within the privileged class.

[@TheNancystella]

Krishna Sir, you are truly an intelligent man full of wisdom. What I really appreciate about you is your integrity with which you pursue your passion for music 🎶

[@sivasubramanian3082]

You associate for some days, you will understand what a cheapest creature this fellow and the community.

[@rahulsrinivasan5163]

Are the statues behind Krishna indicative of jain implement in the middle Ages? ( samanar kazhuvettram as it is known in Tamil)

[@ramaprabharamaprabha3534]

It seems all out from an age old pandora box.good to see this ,right thinking people will surely respect and expect more such interviews and endeavors of the musician.

[@xavierprathish5963]

Just look it as art / music question answered .. TMK Answer kept me smiling from @26:00

[@shylahrd]

He is clearly a thinker ,who values for spaciousness , autonomy and freedom,not only for himself but others too . Kudos FC

[@Sketcher86]

It is appropriate to describe him as a left-wing thinker. You don't understand what kind of disgrace he has brought to the Carnatic music community. If you think he is free to insult a genius like MS Subbulakshmi, you are wrong.

[@subramanianarumugam9532]

Great Interview Baddy sir !

[@anayadiprasad2587]

Sir what are the possibilities in all religious (hindu muslim,christian etc….)songs mixed together in a concert.?

[@vijayn7200]

T.M.K Inteview Spellbinding as always.

[@lavialu]

Wow, just wow! What a clarity of thoughts. ❤️

[@jaisuryabayyaram316]

Great interview.

[@sridharangopalaayyangar6553]

why Mr.Krishna omits the Bhava parameter (the sentiment or emotion) from his consideration of parameters along with Raga ( melodic framework of based on a scale with a given set of notes), Thala (Rhythmic beats), Sahitya (prosody or lyrical script)

[@hanumanthuramacharan610]

Great interview

[@anbudhasanthirupathi]

❤️❤️❤️❤️ loved the conversation at the best

[@ganeshkrishnan9857]

Amazing conversation. Thank you.

[@naliniraghavachari5162]

Brilliant!

[@gabdrd6260]

What a fascinating man to listen to !

[@adharshrs887]

Absolutely true

[@kasturisundar8594]

Tyagaraja is wider than we assume - consider "Entha Maatramulu." Considering "Maaru Balka"; "Dudukugala" is not a confession. The likes of Tyagaraja dont confess, they renounce.

[@smrithi08]

What should I call this interview....a controversial or Intellectual or complex one 🤔 I should say...i just enjoyed every bit of it..the greatness of this interview is ..when BR didn't understand..he was quite open to ask Krishna to explain differently....this is first interview that i have gone back rewinding in many a instances to know what TMK was meaning..debate, difference of opinion , liberty to try out new will make a great society... happy to see this and i suggest FC to create a new channel interviewing many artists of different forms..Great show👌👍👏 keep doing it!!

[@mrvaal63]

Well done good interview

[@rixdu]

What a fantastic interview!

[@param953]

Very nice interview. Cud get TMK's perspective . This is the reason I only listen to RTP and not the typical Telugu songs

[@lekshmisateesh]

You are great TM Krishna….🙏🙏🙏

[@anassumer6199]

“Carnatic is melancholic”

[@sudhamsukalluri335]

It's a great interview and I loved the way his wisdom spoke. It was wonderful listening to him speaking about confinements of our society and his approach in bringing a change. I just have one doubt over here. Let's say I liked the lyrics of a specific Carnatic Keerthana. Do I have the liberty to experiment with the composition by completely changing its Raaga and essence?

[@karthik-g]

This exact point has been brought up by TMK in the interview vis-a-vis the song 'Mari Mari Ninne' and Ilayaraja.

[@prabhukk5125]

Superb 👍

[@idigistringcreation]

🎉🙏listening.

[@suvrat]

Very profound! :)

[@nikhiljampana9411]

Just WOW

[@sheilarajan7431]

If the song renderer is a movable asset then the sources of lyrics had been immovable asset ,only privilege of a few _ lyricists or it had a niche_Rama ,Krishna __.It is krishna now giving it a new dimension.

[@caroledm5990]

Brilliant

[@malavika5570]

THIS WAS EPIC.

[@osnmurty6317]

MsSubbalaxmi followed traditional values of Carnatic Music, at the same time she has made big helps to people as charity. It is a socio awareness.

[@radhakrishnansmridangam9418]

Iam a carnatic musician with 60 years of experience. Want to interview tmk tiruvidamarudur s.Radhakrishnan

[@yuvashreeharidoss7496]

And the inclusion of different dialects leads to inclusion of people because their language is being included!

[@mishnah368]

A gnaani can question a maha gnaani. (gnaani in Telugu is a wise man). Both are wise,genius authentic, more than worth hearing, not necessarily a person who knows Carnatic music. Broad minded T. M. Krishna, God bless you.

[@Sathya_9]

I believe TMK's seeds of actual transformation happened in Jidda Krishna Murthy School where the learning happens free from societal boundaries and restrictions.

[@dhakshan]

A lot of people who are still fans of TMK(including me) have evolved a mindset where we can completely separate some of his political views(in the general understanding) from his music. A couple of people have told me I should not go to his concerts because he has these stands. I don't think so. It doesn't matter whether you agree with him or not. You can still appreciate the music. The art is bigger than the artist or the audience. All you need is to develop the rasikatvam.

[@madhusudanan]

👏👏👏

[@meenahirani2381]

I am in Engand. And I love Indian music. We hardly get to see this type of music. It's very sad. I've don't ever use politics as an excuse for not listening to music. Music is divine. If you're in India to you are tge luckiest humans inbthe world. So go and listen and learn and then you xan please come go London and perform because I really want head it live

[@chandrashekharhs9738]

Please note that he is playing into the hands of anti Hindu organizations and persons and when you pay for his concerts, you contribute towards such activities.

[@suresh98126]

@@chandrashekharhs9738 Pure nonsense. You belong to the same rotten mindset that he talks about

[@chandrashekharhs9738]

@@suresh98126 I am stating the fact. Please do not use abusive language. It shows your upbringing.

[@yuvashreeharidoss7496]

Omg the divinity and immortalising of art form , also applies to stars, influential people etc. The are raised to a stature where it become impossible to question the foundations and if you do , such person is penalised by society!

[@Anshul.Sharma.983]

From artist, to a inhumane being!

[@sriram9350]

People conveniently forget one aspect of attitude towards Carnatic music...for almost hundred years and even sone decades more ..and till about seventies it was ridiculed.. as a hindu religious practice ...by the pseudo secular ....Dravidian politicians. The practitioners were ridiculed and mocked in public life..anybody who tries to learn were also mocked and shamed.... many people became hesitant to learn it ...to avoid embarassments of ridicule... Hv experienced first hand even when classical teachers were inviting friends and me to join class and learn it... We avoided for fear of being mocked by friends .... It was the trend ...to mock anything classical ...even brahmin guys were along that trend... It was not just kept away.. young people were keeping away too.. kept away by sarcastic politicians ...media mockings... But this was trended mostly in tamilnadu ..only ..other states had a respectful attitude towards classical music... This was one of the reasons we found a dip in local talents with classical knowledge in tamil film industry ...which extensively used classical based songs...artistes from neighbouring states with classical knowledge started flourishing in tamil industry... Only in recent decades with advent of private music channels and exposure to larger media the stigma about being seen as a classical singer has vanished and people are flocking to learn....raja sir music also played a part.. as he patronised and popularised all genres ... But it was definitely not so in decades before ..till about early fifties we could see local classical singers from all profiles ..as was evident in film industry...then for 3-4 decades specifically in TN it saw a dip due to political culture ..teachers hardly found interested students .. Thanks the delusion is removed and interest renewed ...

[@adithrajan4368]

Just loved the interview from start till the very end. Never thought an interview could impart so much knowledge & also turn out to be so inspirational at the same time. Would have just loved to known his point of view on various genres that evolved from Carnatic muisc like for example Progressive Carnatic rock. Film companion south... This is indeed my favourite interview thus far... BR sir , been a huge admirer of your work.

[@altafkalam2716]

A great man. Didn't choose to remain silent like a lot of other artists in this country but instead is using his influence and fame to speak out against fascist injustices.

[@TheKrish1972]

I would assume that fascist injustice also includes the likes of Aurengazeb, tipu, babar et al. We have a lot to point you ....

[@aryavishwanathan4662]

Lol, only a matter of time when you or one of your descendants will try to kill him or his descendants in the name of ghazwa e hind. You talk about fascism🤣🤣

[@neelimatravel]

I totally agree - sometimes these classic songs are so loud it is just horrible to listen to. Same applies to certain rock or pop music. End of the day you need to enjoy whichever music be it!!!

[@diwakarmsg2061]

Absolute truth

[@ashraykotian1]

Every person's enjoyment of music is different. Let's not assume yours is the only correct way.

[@umas1909]

👌🏽

[@vishnusharmaa_]

paavam BR!

[@radhikasridharan4059]

Appappaa 👍👍

[@sreeharimeledam1152]

45:00.. exactly I love that

[@lakshmisivasankar6830]

He sounds very confused and convoluted. The main Essence of Carnatic or Hindustani music is elevating the mind to reach the divine. It is not at all about technicalities. I am disappointed with his pseudo intellectual babble.

[@rahul_chandran]

Divine? Ohh come on you Brahmin born

[@raghavrangaswamy5406]

It is a great interview, but the interviewer is too submissive and has already invested in and accepted TMK's chain of thought. So, instead of a dialogue between two, this gets reduced to tailor made questions to amplify TMK's answers!

[@suresh98126]

So why is that a problem? We are watching the interview to hear what great TMK has to say, not to hear him praising modi

[@raghavrangaswamy5406]

@@suresh98126 Lol! Why should this be an interview then? Why not a monologue by TMK instead?

[@DreamLiving-jx4pb]

Or you can say TMK is so dominating

[@svvedge6169]

It was a better time when people didn't exploit carnatic music to reach the masses and commercialise it..if u say that is conservatism i m ok with it.

[@eshwarswaminathan3031]

K J yesudas is Christian. leart carnatic music Best wishes for interview.

[@raji6803]

Goat

[@vswami78]

Interesting discussion but TMK’s criticism of Padariyaen padippariyaen is funny and as a non-Carnatic person wasn’t relatable - felt like he was being super defensive.

[@muse4297]

TM Krishna like Gandhi taking this established society to give up its cast restrictions. Since we left gurukul way of learning and took up western education, we can do same thing with Western ways in classical music. Most classical music in symphonies is kept the original way but this idea that only Brahmins hold all the strings is not progressive. If we want to make all citizens enjoy their chosen professions, we need to open up all fields including music. India can progress further when they overcome these divisions. We need Contraversial character like T.M.Krishna to question the norms of this anicient society.

[@saratsaratchandran3085]

Yesudasji is not a Brahmin but he is an excellent Carnatic musician of caliber! Bring cast into it is done by people who have no talent or tenacity to reach such heights and want a fall guy for them to play victim! Brahmins are those fall guys!

[@thinlinewalker4394]

Gaur gopal bas has same personality like him.

[@MegaJinso]

I'm a VS fans too

[@anandrkashyab]

Although I don't agree with his idealogy, I think this is only going to do good to our culture and music. After all Hinduism has constantly evolved and stayed relevant through centuries because of such attempts to break the barriers.

[@wanderingmystic6968]

That’s a wonderful thought. As progressive as it should be. I came here expecting to her him criticise Tyagaraja, Purandara and Subbalakshmi. He did none of that. Just that he is questioning to the orthodoxy from his perspective. The art too has evolved across time in beautiful ways. Why shouldn’t an artist carve out a separate niche and help evolve another dimension of the art.

[@uauu9099]

The chances are very minimal where it was said Carnatic music is only for Brahmins. But it is totally a different argument to say Carnatic music should be accessible to more people of all backgrounds. I believe more than any other avenues schools can help get more students of diverse backgrounds to participate and see how everyone adapts to it; rather than being self critical or even saying it is being politicized. I also feel this highly specialized music form has been preserved for very many generations which needs to be respected

[@uauu9099]

Also I like to add that is why Carnatic music is classical music

[@rsthanu]

Well meaning but half baked. He needs to understand the motivations of people like Thyagaraja. I hope he dwells deeper into Indian aesthetics and the idea of ishwara arpana buddhi. For people like Thyagaraja , the best they could do, their best compositions were an offering to God. See bhagavad gita 9:27. Its meaningless to say keep out Rama from Thyagaraja. Its doing a worse violence to Thyagaraja than changing the raga of mari mari ninne from kambhoji to saramati. Its a pity that T.M.K can understand the violence that chanhing the raga does but cannot understand the violence that taking Rama away ftom Thyagaraja does

[@pavankulkarni6783]

This is the beauty of our culture, the more u dig in, the more truth u seek. His critisism shows the dif way of seeking the truth bt its stl leads to same thing.

[@DreamLiving-jx4pb]

TM Krishna goes overboard to prove himself sometimes and that’s where it gets complicated. You can be proud of your evolution but not at the cost of vilifying people who may also be trying to evolve but not at the pace you did. So have compassion for everyone! Also I sense a narcissism in his outlook which is obnoxious. You are still privileged not that you were. Likes of you Kamalahassan are worse because you go out of your way to hide your hypocrisy! They just want to stay relevant and seek attention by being antagonistic! It isn’t actually helping change anything!

[@pramodkvr]

He does not understand that Carnatic music is about devotion and not about just sounds.

[@jayajashrinatarajan]

No, he is the one who understood that devotion is in the sound itself, even before the words. Devotion is an inner experience hidden in the bhava of the raga, that is beyond story and names of Gods

[@qwertyman9560]

While this is an interesting conversation, there is no missing the political undercurrents here. As much as I love and respect his musical talent, knowledge and singing skills, I cannot agree with his views. Inclusion is something that is definitely good and required for any art form, but that does not have to happen by criticizing or belittling any particular religion or culture or community.

[@user-wx9te3gz6n]

Genius 🔥

[@bala0781]

TM krishna 's grasp of carnatic music not inclusive is very one sided. While it is true there are attempts to make elitist and that can shoo away others , it is also true from other side especially in TN to look down upon carnatic music as boring and upper caste. In kerala it is not like this. Carnatic music more equitable. Also another point he says that I don't agree with is art form there should not be aura of sophistication around it. In cricket test cricket is considered to more classical and pure form of cricket. When someone interviewed michael holding about why he does not do commentary on t20 cricket he said he will only comments on cricket. Meaning T20 is not real cricket. The same thing exists in world of writing. Charu nivedita is a serious writing but rajesh kumar is not.

[@yuvashreeharidoss7496]

If text can be anything, then why can't be Ilayaraja use a Thiayagaraja composition. just curious and genuinely try to understand the complex food for thought in this interview

[@balasai7975]

I believe TMK has explained your question in the interview. He says that Mari Mari Nine (the text) was tuned to the Raag Khamboji by Thiyagaraja himself. Now Raaja Sir took the text of the song and retuned it in the Raag Saramathi. TMK doesn't sanctify the composition & Composer (I think) but his issue is with Raaja Sir making his version of the text eventually the original context (melody + text) is disturbed. Think it as like remixing an Ilaiyaraaja song, will Raaja Sir be happy about it? TMK also says probably Raaja Sir was not aware that the text was tuned that way.

[@savan40]

@@balasai7975 p