CHENNAI: He's worked with everyone from Andrew Lloyd-Webber to Tony Bennett. But according to A R Rahman, the one singer who stands apart, for him personally, is the Telugu playback singer P Susheela.
Speaking at the concovation of his KM College of Music in Chennai, the Oscar-winning composer said, "I've worked with the best musicians all over the world. I've worked with Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett...so many people. But I can tell you, Susheela is better than them all," as the delighted veteran singer watched on. She had been invited to the college to inaugurate a new music hall and also be felicitated for her entry into the Guinness Book of World Records recently.
Elaborating further about his relationship with the 80-year-old singer, Rahman added, to his students who had packed the hall to the brim, "If you want to be successful, as a musician, this is the lady you have to look at and emulate. She never makes a fuss, never complains and is always so happy when she comes to record a song. Honestly, every single time in the studio has been a delight."
Rahman presented the overwhelmed Susheela with a certificate from Guinness for her feat of having sung in excess of 39,000 songs, across languages. She also honoured the team that helped compile her discography before it was finally ratified by the Guinness Board.
In response, Susheela paid Rahman back in kind. Appreciating his having come all the way from the US for the sole purpose of felicitating her, she said with wit and poise, "From the time that I first recorded with him, he has gone beyond borders. His level is entirely different now. He doesn't even live here now. So I'm very honoured that he came all the way from the US just to give me this certificate."
In a rare act, she indulged the audience to three of her biggest hits — the one that got everybody nostalgic was Kannukku Mai Azhagu (Pudhiya Mugam), which is possibly their biggest collaboration yet and is still considered an iconic hit, 26 years after it was first released.