How easy is life when you are a playback singer, dubbing artist, translator, TV anchor, radio jockey and prolific blogger all at the same time? Singer sensation Chinmayi should know the answer best. In her blog she writes, I am offered opportunities again and again on varied levels to try out things. Never waste an opportunity to learn. If everyone out there grabs every opportunity that presents itself and works on it for whatever it is worth, I am sure it would be the complete use of this time that we call life.
Chinmayi, who took the music world by storm with Oru daivam thantha poovee ( Kannathil Muthamittal ) has had a slew of hits in Tamil - Enakku 20 Unakku 18, Boys, Guru, Veyil, Sivaji, Bheema, Rameshwaram, Sandakkozhi to name a few - Mangal Pandey, Guru, Jodhaa Akbar in Hindi and devotional and film songs composed by M Jayachandran in Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.
But when she was in Thiruvananthapuram as a celebrity guest on Amrita TV’s music reality show ‘Superstar Junior 2’, we started off with her dubbing assignments as hers is the voice of Sameera Reddy in Gautham Menon’s new film Varanam Aayiram.
She has written in her blog, I have never felt that I had the typical girl’s voice. When I walked in for Sillunu Oru Kadhal , I was told that they wanted a ‘sophisticated, educated’ voice. I told them that I’ll try just for the heck of it, ‘cos I don’t have the laughter of babbling brooks or a voice that sounds, well, feminine. I am more of the tomboy.
However, she went on to dub for Tanisha (Unnale Unnale), Padmapriya (Satham Podathey), Lekha Washington (Jeyamkondaann), Kangana Ranaut (Dhaam Dhoom) and Vedika (Sakkarakkatti).
“People say dubbing may affect my voice texture. But I think otherwise.
There are some who are dying to get such an opportunity. For me SPB sir (S P Balasubramaniam) is the example.
He sings, acts, dubs, composes. And he is a legend,” she says.
Interestingly, it was A R Rahman who gave her the big break in films with Oru daivam thantha poove and suggested her voice to the makers of Sillinu Oru Kadhal . “I was very nervous.
There was this scene where I had to cry and had to use glycerine! And I was very happy when I heard that Suhasini in her programme on Jaya TV complimented my work in Satham Podathey ,” she says. In Sakkarakkatti , she has dubbed and sung for the heroine, Vedika. And she is really excited about Gautham Menon’s Varanam Aayiram.
“It has been a different experience. For over a month I didn’t say yes to the project. I even said, ‘Pattu kudungo sir, enne pesa vedathe’ (Please give me a song, don’t let me talk).” On hearing this, her mother Padmasini said, “But after the first day at the dubbing studio, she came back all excited. She was bubbling with joy.” Dubbing can be physically tiring at times, says Chinmayi.
“But those are the times I realised the amount of labour that goes into making a movie.” So, has she never thought about acting? “Honestly, acting offers have come my way. But I can’t somehow relate to acting. I can do everything behind the screen.” Which translates to RJ-ing in Aahaa 91.9 FM and working for Blue Elephant translation services.
Chinmayi is fluent in English, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, German and French and has working knowledge in Spanish, Malayalam and Punjabi. “It was my mom who made me learn different languages while in school. By the time I finished school, I knew five Indian languages,” she says. “She has a flair for languages and has been an exceptional child,” says Chinmayi’s mother, Padmasini, who single-handedly brought her up. In fact, Padmasini strongly believes that there should be separate schools for exceptionally talented children. She has even launched a venture with the aim.
“I did my Plus II from home and it actually gave me a lot of time to learn other things,” says Chinmayi who now plans to undertake research in psychology.
A trained Hindustani and Carnatic singer and Odissi dancer who is highly critical of herself, Chinmayi has no issues about saying no to those songs which are not in her range of voice. “I never thought that Oru daivam thantha poove would come out.
Actually, I didn’t tell anybody that I had sung for Rahman sir. Even now I’m quite secretive about my songs,” she says.
And she is equally secretive about her future plans. “Let’s keep it under wraps for the time being,” she says. But there is always her blog, the true window to her life.
m_athira@epmltd.com