All I want to do is put smiles on people’s faces: RJ Vidya
HYDERABAD: Tune into Red FM at 2pm and you’ll hear a chirpy voice scream, Naku Cinemalante Picchi! And that sums up Vidya Sivalenka aka RJ Vidya. An emcee, a voice artist, a publicity executive and a band manager - Vidya wears many hats but the world knows her as RJ Vidya who hosts Red Adda, the matinee show at Red FM which focuses on the filmi beat. She’s cheerful, witty, unbelievably level-headed and of course talkative; we’re not complaining! Her career took off as an RJ when she was but a teenager, but today years later, she believes she’s come a long way and that she has a longer way to go. As we catch up with her before her show, she speaks uninhibitedly.
Looks like you’re all set and ready for the show! Is this how you are everyday? Is there a ritual you follow?
Just 10 or so minutes before the show, I don’t talk to anyone. I play a nice song and sit by myself in the studio before the show starts. That’s my way of gathering my thoughts. Earlier, I used to be more nervous so it used to be longer than 10 minutes but the process is the same.
Your catchphrase goes Naku Cinemalante Picchi, which translates to I am mad about cinema. How close is this to your own personality?
Oh a lot! I must say my life does revolve a lot around movies. Not just by my job but back home too. I take my job very seriously. Because there are people listening. Tomorrow if I were to say Golmaal 6 has Amitabh Bachchan in it, they are going to believe it. I have to check my facts even if it doesn’t matter too much because later if I were to do a city show, I shouldn’t let this ruin my credibility or let this slack become a habit. I do eventually want to do a prime time show which will be dealing with city stories and I want to make sure my basics are intact.
Sounds like quite some work. What’s it that motivates you?
I get messages all the way from Germany and USA appreciating my work. And I do a local show! I might not be making a big difference in the world. However, I know that I’m putting a smile on someone’s face. Whether it is through my satire, my jokes or just my stupidity, if someone is smiling because of me then I am successful. Moreover, just recently I realised the power of the medium. As much as there is digital, radio holds a certain power over the masses.
Let me tell you an incident. One of my friends was in an emergency and needed blood. We tweeted it poseted it everywhere but we had no leads online. But when I mentioned it on radio, we got so many calls! Stuff like that may be overlooked in the clutter that is the internet but when it is on mainstream media, it is legit. Even digital media picks up content from us which makes me have to be responsible. That’s what I want to tell aspiring RJs too. You have a mass medium at your disposal you have to be a responsible person.
Did you have all this figured out when you started out?
Actually wanting to become an RJ happened quite accidentally. When I studied BCom in St Francis College I used to travel by bus, and I saw an ad for an RJ hunt with a number on it. I called just to pass time in the bus and heard an automated message telling me to record a small bit. I spoke something random about the traffic about the weather and completely forgot about it. A few days later I got a call from the station saying I was shortlisted!
Then right after college I got calls from other stations to join them too but they insisted I wait for a few months. But my folks at home disapproved as they would. So I decided to pursue masters. I was supposed to do MBA but then I felt if I want to be an RJ I should be learning about that field which is why I studied Masters in media in Chennai... I must admit that is coming handy now. I had to do an internship for my course in the last semester which I did in Hyderabad at Mirchi. And finally I ended up in Red FM with my own matinee show.
That was quite a journey. But you are doing increasingly well as an RJ, what makes you venture into the other avenues that you are a part of For five years all I thought and obsessed about was to become an RJ. And when I did, I suddenly didn’t know what to do next. So, I began to expand my horizons and explore my skills. Also as much as media is a glamourous industry, I have to admit it doesn’t pay much. Most media people you see do more than just their day job. It’s not only because they want to explore their other artistic instincts but also because that’s an extra income.
Same goes for me. I give voice overs for corporate videos, advertisements and also for a children’s channel called Kushi TV! That’s the most fun I have. I feel like a different person with a different voice - a squeaky overexcited, dramatic voice wishing kids a happy birthday! (laughs). I also love emceeing for live events. I feel that not a lot of things make me nervous. And just before I have to go on stage I’m so nervous that I can barely eat! And I do feed off that adrenaline rush. And of course being on stage – I feel I’m made for that. I also manage a band, Capricio, who are known for their live renditions of Telugu songs! Besides that my Youtube channel, Vidyafy, which is also a movie-based show. It’s not very active right now, but if I had a brilliant idea tonight I can do a video tomorrow. I enjoy that flexibility and also, it keeps me present in that medium too.
You are surrounded by movies. Your father, Krishna Prasad Sivalenka, too, is a movie producer. Doesn’t it interfere with your work or turn into a conflict of interest when you’re in a place of the influencer?
Firstly, I don’t review movies. Because I don’t know anything and I am nobody to do so. But I am supposed to give an opinion on my show because that’s the nature of it. When , our production’s movie released. I had to take off from my work as I was actively a part of the film’s publicity. And Red FM was understanding enough to let me go. I was on the job for the production company and got paid a salary for the work I did too! When I had to put forth my opinion about Gentleman on my show, I didn’t overdo it but I didn’t underplay it either. You know, I’m known for my modesty! (laughs)
That sounds tricky. Does the fact that your father is a producer get in the way of you building a name for yourself, considering you belong to the same industry but a different medium?
It used to bother me before, because no matter what I did on my own there was always someone who would say that I got it easy because I’m a “producer’s daughter”.
But after a point I gave up bothering. People who know me at work or otherwise know how I work. And if someone did recognise me because of my father, I’m not bitter about it. Afterall, they are his achievements and I am more than proud to be associated with them. In fact, our relationship too is thriving over this. He talks to me about movies, we discuss production and publicity. And guess what, I got the privilege to interview him on my show on the eve of the 25th anniversary of our biggest hit’s release, Aditya 369! What more can I ask for!