KOCHI: Whether it’s in Thalavattam, Chithram, or Vandanam, whenever Mohanlal’s character is in pain, hauntingly poignant vocals fill the background. Malayalam film buffs can certainly not forget the ‘La la la la...’ in Vandanam. And if you are one such cinephile, it is likely that the vocals are echoing in your mind right now.
Have you ever wondered who was behind those melancholic vocals? Meet Prof N Lathika, affectionately known as Lathika ‘Teacher’. Born to B K Nalini and Sadasivan Bhagavathar in Kollam, Lathika began her musical journey at the age of five, learning songs from her father and performing with her brothers and sister.
Her talent soon led her to perform at temple concerts, marking the beginning of a career now nearing 60 years.
Stages to silver screen
“I started singing at the age offive and began performing in many ganamelas by the time I was seven. I received further training from Mangad Nadesan and later from V S Rajan Lal, music director Sharreth’s uncle,” Lathika recalls.
Her journey into the world of theatre began with music director Kannur Rajan. When Lathika was in Class 10, her brother S Rajendra Babu used to work as Rajan’s assistant. “Somebody from the troupe mentioned to Rajan sir that I could sing. He then asked my brother to bring me along,” she says.
That introduction got her a break with Sanghamitra drama group in Ernakulam, where she sang for a play written by Bichu Thirumala. The songs later found a place in the film Abhinandanam, directed by I V Sasi in 1976, with the same composition but lyrics by Sreekumaran Thampi. The song Pushpathalpathil Nee Veenurangi became a hit.
“It was a duet with K J Yesudas, and he liked it a lot. It’s been almost 50 years since then,” Lathika smiles.
Lathika spent a decade in Chennai, starting in 1979. There, Kannur Rajan and Sambath Selva, who were involved in Tamil drama, provided her with opportunities to sing.
“I initially went to Chennai for three months, just to explore opportunities. However, within a couple of days, I had numerous programmes lined up,” she recalls.
Lathika soon became a leading singer in the Tamil music concert scene. “I worked with Trichy Loganathan, a pioneering singer in Tamil cinema. Later, I had the opportunity to sing with renowned artists such as P B Sreenivas, T M Soundararajan and Malaysia Vasudevan at concerts. I was fortunate to get cinema songs in between these concerts.”
“Around that time, Dasettan (Yesudas) told my brother that I should join the Tamil Nadu Government Music College. That was a turning point in my life, and I consider him a guardian angel. I managed to balance my studies with singing in films and stage performances,” she says.
Lathika topped the batch, and the then Tamil Nadu chief minister M G Ramachandran aka MGR awarded her the gold medal. “My photo was published on the front page of the popular Tamil daily ‘Dina Thanthi’. I still remember the caption — ‘Maanavi Lathika’. Everyone saw it, and Soundararajan sir announced on stage that I was a medallist during our duet performance. It was a proud moment for me,” she smiles.
Lathika continued studies at Madras Music Academy for two years. In 1989, she landed a job at Swathi Thirunal College of Music. She also worked at the Chembai Memorial Government Music College, Palakkad, for 18 years.
The voice of newcomers
Lathika is glad that she got the opportunity to work in the debut projects of several famous composers. She sang Padam Njan Aa Ganam Veendum composed by the then newcomer S P Venkatesh in the film Rajavinte Makan.
In the film Choola by J Sasikumar, the song Uppinu Pokana Vazhiyethu was written by director Sathyan Anthikkad. This was the first composition of the legendary Raveendran Mash, and Lathika along with singer Jency Anthony performed a female duet.
Then, one can’t forget the timeless song Kathodu Kathoram. It was composer Ouseppachan’s debut. The film Kathodu Kathoram featured two other famous songs by her, including the duet Nee En Sarga Soundaryame with Yesudas and Devadoothar Paadi.
Lathika says she had high hopes of gaining due recognition. But that was not the case.
Lathika is against re-recording old hits. “I don’t feel that it’s right to do that. We should respect classics and the original voices,” she says.
She also had the chance to sing for music composers such as P S Divakar, Rajamani, his father B A Chidamb-
aranath, M M Keeravani and lyricists such as P Bhaskaran and O N V Kurup. Notably, Lathika worked in about 20 films of Bharathan, starting from Chamaram.
Fate, however, had Lathika drift away from playback singing. And she prioritised teaching, as it was a “permanent job”.
The return
Lathika’s voice still resonates in our ears, thanks to those iconic hummings — often without many of us knowing she was the singer. Most of those background scores were composed by Thattil Antony Johnson, popularly known as Johnson Master. “Now, there’s hardly any place for such hummings or background vocals,” rues Lathika.
“Currently, I train youngsters occasionally. Many of my students are now teachers. I still sing on stage. I listen to new-generation songs, but nothing stays long in my mind. They just come and go. There are so many talents out there, but opportunities are limited.”
After nearly two decades, Lathika returned to playback singing in 2016. Director John Paul George and music composer Vishnu Vijay — who were her students — ensured that she was part of their debut. The song Athiraliyum in Guppy brought back her voice.
“We dared to present the song to her because she was our teacher. She is a motherly figure for us. We were confident that she would be able to capture and convey the character’s emotion,” recollects Vishnu, who has now emerged as a hitmaker in the industry.
Lathika has no qualms aboutpeople forgetting her or misattributing some of her hits.
“I lived and performed in a golden era of music. I worked with so many legends and sang wonderful songs. I am content with that. My husband passed away, and my son is in the UAE. Many of my students come to meet me, and that makes me happy. I travel a lot, and that’s my new passion. What more could I ask for?” smiles Lathika.
Songs by Lathika
Pushpathalpathil Nee Veenurangi - Abhinandanam
Tharum Thalirum Mizhipootti - Chilambu
Poo Venam Pooppada Venam, Poovili Venam - Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam
Padam Njan Aa Ganam Veendum Itha Itha - Rajavinte Makan
Pulare Poonkodiyil - Amaram
Devathoothar Paadi - Kaathodu Kaathoram
Kaathodu Kaathoram - Kaathodu Kaathoram
Athiralayum - Guppy