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Happy song out of a melancholic Raaga ?

The notes for Raagam Shubhapanthuvarali and Aahirbhairavi evoke a sad/melancholic feel . As we all know that there are quite a few songs in these two raagas – like “Om Jagat Janani Sai maatha(in Shubhapanthuvarali)” and “Jagadashraya Shri Raghurama(in Aahirbhairavi)”. I thought that the combination of notes in these two raagas above were supposed to generate only one type of feeling(heart squeezing type). Maybe thats not the case, I guess. Some music composers(especially Illayaraja) have used such a sad/melancholy based raga for songs like “Nee Paathi Naan Paathi(in Aahirbhairavi)” and “Kandupudichen(in Bhavapriya – almost same as Shubhapanthuvarali except N2 Vs N3) and created a totally happy feeling out of these. I am pleasantly surprised but at the same time curious to know how is it possible to do this? Do the swaras themselves convey the bhava? When music composers use their cleverness to churn out songs which have a non-conventional feel, what governs the bhavam? How is it possible to generate a totally happy feeling(a contrast) out of a raaga which is meant to evoke a melancholic touch?