Geetha Madhuri Sonti, a name that echoes in every Telugu household , a voice that captures every music lover’s heart speaks at length about her journey, her foray into the industry, her little love story, her marriage and what’s her next holiday destination
HYDERABAD: They say music heals deepest wounds, transports us to a world called trance and evokes a sense of peace within just like what a poem does to us. Have you ever met someone, called him/her a healer? Someone whose voice makes you listen to them boundlessly? She walks on to the stage and makes us wonder what is more irreplaceable, her voice or her smile. She instantaneously became the girl, whose name every parent in both the Telugu states took as an example to inspire their children to take up music.
If the other side of Vindhya Mountains can boast of having Shreya Ghoshal, we can flaunt of having Geetha Madhuri Sonti, who has recorded more than 550 songs in a span of 10 years. She has worked with names like Illayaraja, Keeravani, Koti, Mani Sharma, DSP, RP Patnaik and many more. This Nandi award winner married actor Nandu and has been giving couple goals through her active social media accounts.
Here is her story. Read on…
Childhood
I studied in Loyola Model High School, Vanasthalipuram and later joined Little Flower Junior College for intermediate. I was a talkative kid, so my teachers had put plaster on my mouth on several occasions. I used to fight with boys. When I was in 11th and 12th grade, I was surrounded by classy and posh kids, so I had to behave accordingly. I then became a silent child. I only mingled with Telugu speaking kids. It was mandatory to communicate in English and I did. Yet I only got along well with south Indians. Though my first language was Hindi, I was not really fluent with it. I was a naughty kid and someone who cannot control laughter.
Music, mentor and more
My first mentor is my mother. She always used to tell me that success or failure shouldn’t get into our heads. We should take everything in our stride and march ahead. I have been learning music since third grade. Some of the ragas used to make me happy and I would learn them right away. I was more interested in varnas, for example: Bhairavi ragam. Even today, when I listen to them, they bring joy and happiness. I learnt classical and light music under the training of Kocharlakota Padmavati. I learnt light music from Ramachari too.
On the first day of my music class, my teacher introduced us to ragas. That day, I had decided that I would become a professional singer. I was not really interested in life science or physics. So I took up B Com and studied in Aurora College. My stint as play back singer was for a movie called Prema Lekha Rasale then Keeravani’s Katarnak. I have been going to Little Musicians Academy since third grade. I was pretty regular from class 3 to10. I attended classes till 2004 and I forayed into the industry immediately after that. To be precise, I have been doing chorus and tracks since 2005. My debut as a playback was in 2006.
Turning point
My turning point was when I started singing in reality shows on TV. I received a lot of support on social media. People used to send me a lot of positive messages. I also received a lot of support when I sang in Okkade, Magalu Maayagale and ninne ninne kora from Nachavule. My two songs from Maghadheera and Darlinge from the movie Mirchi went onto become big hits and a turning point. A few other songs that were quite appreciated by the people in the industry and outside are the Pakka Local song from Janatha Garage, Jeva Nadhi song from Baahubali.
My mentors from the industry
I look up to Koti sir and Kirwani sir as my mentors. I have sung around 300 songs out of which 25 are my favourite. I made a lot of memories on Ilayaraja’s stage. The experience was amazing. I used to feel very honoured when I sang before Devisriprasad, Taman, Mani Sarma, Koti, Anoop.
Toughest song
The hardest song I have ever sung was Vecha nee vayase from the movie Gunde Godarila as I was suffering from a severe throat infection.
A day in Geetha Madhuri’s life
I usually attend recordings and shows and work hard to make the best of the opportunity. On my off days, I love to sleep for hours. I love sleeping as much as I love music and good food. I am a laid back person and usually look forward to starting my day with a cup of coffee capped with a sumptuous meal. I am a big foodie and all my followers on social media know about it.
Bucket list and future
I don’t really have a bucket list. I just go with the flow and take each day as it comes. I do not plan my future. I take up opportunities that come my way and keep moving forward.
Problems with punctuality
I like to plan my day ahead. But my most embarrassing moments are when I try really hard to be punctual but mostly I am not. I get embarrassed every time I am delayed.
My tastes
My favourite restaurants are Barbeque Nation and Spice Club for their tangy and spicy food with a dash of sweetness. My favourite brand is Dior. I prefer Forest Essentials for skin care and Tomford for makeup. I have started doing make up videos now. It started off as small tips or hacks and I have tried experimenting with many products. I have been meaning to make full-fledged shoots but somehow I get busy professionally. So, I just prefer simple Instagram videos to shooting them. I got less number of views initially but it gradually started increasing, which gave me the push to keep posting more makeup videos.
Unlike poles attract
My family is not very particular about spirituality. Of course, we do follow some traditions during some occasions and festivals. Whereas Nandu’s family follows a lot of traditions and is spiritual. They say unlike poles attract. I think that is how our families coming from different backgrounds found each other interesting. My family is nuclear and Nandu’s is a joint family. I stay with my family when I want some peace and at Nandus when I want some fun. I enjoy every moment we laugh together.
Meeting Nandu for the first time
I saw Nandu for the first time when I sang for his movie but we did not get to speak. Later, while he was dubbing and I was singing at Prasad’s Lab. Once we got to know each other, we saw that our ideologies matched and we happened to have great chemistry. We got into a relationship officially in 2013. We also made a short film around that time just to make some memories. Our parents like us too and did not have any complaints or rejections. So it has been a peaceful journey.
Vacation with hubby
My favourite vacation was a holiday in the US with Nandu and my parents. I made many great memories on that trip which are still fresh in my mind. There is a plan to go there even with my in laws in the near future and I am really looking forward to exploring the country more and making countless more memories. It is my favourite holiday destination.
Friends for a lifetime
My friends are the ones I made at Little Musicians Academy. Sameera, Pradeep, Manaswani, Sri Krishna anna, Deepu, Krishna, Parnika. We have all gotten busy with our own careers right now.
— Purnima Sriram
purnima@newindianexpress .com @iyer_purnima