P Unnikrishnan
“Normally, I don‘t accept film song offers after December 10, unless it’s really urgent. This time, I am performing 10 concerts. I‘ve actually cut it down this year and has been upto 13 to 14 concerts earlier,” says Unni, as he was recording a song for Deva in a film 'Mamalla'. Unni Krishnan has sung in more than 1,000 films including Telugu and Malayalam. “I have fans for both- Cinema and Carnatic.”
“Playback singing is something that came midway and I just gave it a shot. My main focus is on carnatic music,” says the singer, who prefers melodies in films. “The beauty of film music is fusion of ragas, changing scales and harmony and that’s what makes the music enjoyable to everyone,” he adds. Talking about the younger generation, Unni says, “Since there are a lot of sabhas, youngsters are getting a good opportunity and that’s a very nice trend.” According to Unni, the competition should be healthy and it’s always motivating to do much better. “It’s nice to go to my colleagues‘ concerts, and you also get a lot of ideas from their concerts,” adds Unni, who will be performing today at Nungambakkam Cultural Academy at 7 pm.
Mahathi
She seems to be busy with both carnatic and playback singing, but December is completely dedicated to carnatic music. With a lot of movies lined up like 'Ayan', 'Naan Aval Athu', 'Antonyaar' and 'Pokkisham', Mahathi says, “Voice managing is pretty tough and I give my voice a good rest. I have my practice hours. I avoid eating cold food,” says the singer. Mahathi will be performing 11 concerts this year, including ones for Narada Gana Sabha, Parthasarathy Sabha, Brahma Gana Sabha, Mylapore Fine Arts and Karthik Fine Arts.
The singer became popular in cinema immediately after her first song 'Aiyoyo pidichiruku' in 'Saamy'. Her hits include 'Nee Vendum' in 'Varnajalam', 'Kaadhalikum Aasayillai' in 'Chellamae'. “My ambition right from my childhood has been a career in music,” says the enthusiastic singer, who was brought up in Kochi. Talking about her concerts, she says, “I make sure not to repeat songs in my concerts. I take a lot of care to ensure that my renditios are very lively.” Mahathi’s most memorable concert remains to be the one at Music Academy in 2006.
“I was performing there for the first time and I got best performer for that concert,” she fondly recalls. In her opinion, a concert can stretch upto even three-and-ahalf hours, as long as the audience showi nterest in it.
Nithyasree Mahadevan
This time, Nithyasree is performing more than 20 concerts in all major sabhas. “I prepare new songs for every kutcheri. I like music be it any form- Carnatic or cinema,” Nithyasree says and adds, “After finishing a Kutcheri in Tirupur in the morning, I had to flying back to Chennai for a concert in the evening.”
From 1987, Nithyasree has been a regular performer in the December season. “When I stepped into the music field, it was like a renaissance and youngsters were given a lot of encouragement. Now, it’s really excellent,” says the singer, who became famous after her first song 'Kannodu Kanbathellam' in Jeans.
Talking about the competition in the field, Nithyasree says, “Of course, the competition is high. There are so many singers. I come across talented youngsters waiting for an opportunity in sabhas.”
The singer performed in Bhairavi raga for the whole three hours in 1993. “It’s actually a 24-hour process going on within me- What to do and how to do it,” elaborates Nithyasree, who has sung around 200 cinema songs, including recent ones in 'Aananda Thandavam' and 'Vallamai Tharayo', besides a couple of Telegu movies. “I generally don‘t accept recording for playback this season as I am more into carnatic music,” says the singer, who has got a tight schedule till January 17.
Sudha Ragunathan
Her concert at Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan this Sunday evening drew in a huge, unmanageable crowd. “ Today, the audience knows what you’re doing and 80 percent of them are knowledgeable. They even knew what raga you’re singing and if it’s a new kriti,” Sudha observes. Her schedule this year too will be a tightly packed one and she will even be doing two concerts a day like on December 25. “From the 12 Noon slot to the 1.30 pm slot to the one at 3.30 pm and now, the evening slot, I have climbed the ladder slowly,” says the singer, whose song in 'Vaaranam Aayiram', Anal Mele had become an instant hit. “Youngsters are so much into carnatic and the crowd for concerts also contains number of young people,” adds the singer. Talking about playback singing, Sudha says, “The recording comes suddenly and it’s very tough to miss the opportunity when music directors like Ilayaraja call you,” adds the singer. Her experience in the field of carnatic for many years is sure to attract the huge crowd and it was obvious when a crowd was standing till Kapaleeswar Temple, when she performed at the Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan recently.
umakannan@epmltd.com