“Hmmm... yummy”. It may sound awkward, but, believe us, this compliment has recently been lapped up by a song and not a dish. No prizes for guessing the song - ‘Chembaavu punnellin choro...’, the title track of the superhit movie ‘Salt N’ Pepper’.
The appetising lyrics (courtesy Rafeeq Ahamed) and soul-stirring composition (by Bijibal) have indeed made the day for its singer Pushpavathy.
“When I first read the lyrics, I thought, ‘Wow... great... And once I finished recording the song, it was as if I was treated to a sumptuous feast,” saying which Pushpavathy breaks into a hearty smile. She doesn’t have enough words to thank Bijibal and to praise Rafeeq. “But I never thought it would be received so well...”
And don’t think that she is a new name on the block.
Pushpavathy has been there ever since she had her debut in Kamal’s ‘Nammal’ with the song ‘Kaathu kathoru mazhayathu..’. And she was a part of projects like ‘Koottu’ (‘Maarchu maasamaayi...’), ‘Choonda’ (‘Thairkkudam...’), ‘Nakshathrakannulla Rajakumaran Avanudoru Rajakumari (‘Punchirimottinu’...), ‘Udayon’ (‘Poondankila...’), ‘Anyar’ and ‘Chandranilekkoru Vazhi’ (Shree paalkkadalil pallikollum...’).
Due to very many reasons, she hasn’t had a steady career in the industry about which she has little complaints. This level-headed, warm individual hardly comes across as somebody crazy for name and fame. She even surprises us with her penchant for composing and singing ghazals. And don’t be surprised if, in future, you find her as a full-fledged composer. She is absolutely crazy about composing.
A reason why she listens more to instrumental music these days, when she is not hooked to ghazals and Hindustani music.
Born into a middle class family in Thrissur, Pushpavathy has had a liking for music since childhood, her inspiration being her father Poypadathu Raghavan, who used to sing melodies from old Malayalam films and KPAC drama songs for her. “Even as a small girl, I was sure that I would study music.”
And in this context she remembers Draupadi Nangiar, a music teacher. “When I was in Class IV, I had won first prize in singing at the sub-district level youth festival and she had heard me sing. She then told me, ‘When you become big enough to travel alone, do come to me. I will teach you’.”
Pushpavathy did exactly the same, when she reached Class VII. Till she completed Pre-Degree from Kerala Varma College, Thrissur, she learnt classical music under Draupadi.
There is another episode of her life which needs to be mentioned here. Her days as a firebrand student politician. “But once I joined Chembai Music College at Palakkad, everything changed. I become more of a spiritual type!” Also, while studying, she became a B-Grade artist with the All India Radio, which is a very rare instance. And she came out with flying colours at the end of the course, securing the first rank in the state, which also won her the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award.
And the turning point came when she got to work in Chetana Studio, Thrissur. “It is Chetana Studio which has helped me grow. I started off with singing in the chorus in films and then got to sing tracks for many playback singers. The people there have given me a lot of backup. A great institution with a lot of good and gentle friends, that’s Chetana for me,” she says.
While working in Chetana, she was instrumental in composing and singing in an album featuring the couplets (‘dohas’) of Kabir Das (‘Kabir Music of Harmony’) which came out in 2005.
Being a trained classical singer, she regrets the fact that she has not got enough opportunities to hold concerts. “Concerts help a singer grow. I have understood that a singer needs to work towards getting enough concerts by way of having the right acquaintances or by belonging to a particular strata of the society. I was quite handicapped on that front and got only a few stages. In fact, I had to keep singing tracks to stand on my feet.”
At a point, she had to go to the Gulf to work as a music teacher. But solitude was killing her and she yearned to come back. And when Priyaranjan Lal came into her life as a friend and then her life partner, Pushpa came back. Priyan, a graphic designer, and Pushpa, now have a two-and-half-year old daughter, Sreegouri.
Coming back to ‘Salt N Pepper’, Pushpavathy never expected a call from Bijibal, with whom she had worked in ‘Mulla’. Though Vidyasagar had composed the songs of ‘Mulla’, it was Bijibal who oversaw the recording of filler songs which were sung by Pushpa. “In fact, I ought to have sung ‘Aarumughan...’ in the movie, but couldn’t sing it, since my marriage happened around the same time. It was composer Afsal who had introduced me to Bijibal. I was surprised when Bijibal remembered me and offered the song ‘Chembaavu...’”
Pushpa, 36, is quite apprehensive these days thinking whether her voice would be typecast. “I don’t want to be known as a singer who can sing only a particular kind of song. I am not compulsory about sticking to just traditional music. I just wish the industry used all shades of my voice.”