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YUHI SETHU KEEPS SOWMYA IN SPLITS
`I play a taxi driver, but can't drive'
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No. That's my contribution to society — Yuhi Sethu
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She has made a name for herself as a Carnatic singer, while he brought new meaning to talk shows in Tamil with "Nayyandi Durbar." She was, in fact, once a guest on his show. So when Sowmya and Yuhi Sethu meet, the rapport is instant. As they get ready to pose for photographs at Hotel Savera on Sunday morning, Yuhi suddenly pulls out a stole from his bag, drapes it across his shoulder. Adjusting his hair and the stole, he remarks, "Do I look like Amjad Ali Khan?" Then he looks at the photographer and remarks, "Where's the `Lights on, shot on, camera, action? Only then can I pose. Actually, Mani Ratnam says it differently. Shot on, lights OFF, camera, action!" Sowmya laughs. The mood is set for a Take Two with the actor-anchor and the Carnatic singer.
Savitha Gautam captures the fun.
Sowmya: Did you always speak this fast?
Yuhi: Yes. I am called the Sethu Express. I think it is genetic. My mother speaks faster. You can understand what I am saying, but you can never figure out what she's saying. (Sowmya bursts out laughing). Actually, it's partly genetic, partly strategic. It was more to impress the editors of the show. I think I converted a weakness into an art!
Sowmya: Were you interested in the talk shows? How did you get into television?
Yuhi: By default. I discovered myself. You know, I was an introvert. Ask my classmates Nasser or Archana (actors). The entire year I studied, I never uttered a single word to any of the girls! (she laughs) In my life, whatever I planned never happened; whatever happened was never planned. Yes, what interested me most was cinema. As a student in 1984, I made an eight-minute film titled "The Rhetoric of The Continuity."
Sowmya: What was it about?
Surreal film
Yuhi: Well... that's a tough one. All I can say about it now is that it was a surreal, art film. And ambitious that I was, I wrote to Satyajit Ray to compose the music! And believe me, he wrote back to say he was not keeping too well, but that I could use the soundtrack from any of his films. I chose the music from my favourite "Hirok Rajar Deshe." (She looks impressed) Then I began to trot the globe. And once again by default, became an importer of non-English films.
Sowmya: The television stint...
Yuhi: I used to watch a lot of talk shows during my stay in the U.S. They reminded me of our own Balakrishna Sastrigal or Kothamangalam Subbu. Talk shows were similar to our villu pattu. The same orchestra, the same stand-up comedy, singing and talking. All you needed was a guest. That's how I got the idea of hosting a talk show for TV. "Nayyandi Durbar" worked because subconsciously and culturally, it was akin to what they had watched for years.
(He then pulls out a small notebook. He refers to the notes he has prepared)
Sowmya, you have experienced both the traditional and modern methods of education, vis-a-vis the gurukulam and the IIT. And today you are an `MPEG guru'.
Sowmya: (in splits): I have been called a cyber guru. But an MPEG guru...
Yuhi: Pure Carnatic music can be taught only through the gurukulam system. Otherwise the soul of music is lost. I believe K.B. Sundarambal used to practise standing waist-deep in the Cauvery early in the morning. Comment.
Boon or bane
Sowmya: Actually, I too tried... singing in the Cauvery. Only there was no water! (both chuckle). Many factors come into play when we talk of the gurukulam. Today, the lifestyle has changed, and everybody wants instant gratification. And most important, nobody has the time. For most people, music is just one of many activities such as tennis, swimming and computers. That's when we at Carnatica.com felt the Internet may help. The students can get to listen to stalwarts, learn more about quality music. Yes, in a gurukulam, you learn the nuances and much more. But...
Yuhi: Do you feel technology is a boon or bane? Take mikes, for instance. Those days, they said when you sang, you must be heard across seven villages. Today, mikes do the trick. And somehow, the essence seems lost on the listener.
Sowmya: True. But those days, cutcheris were performed mostly in the temples where the acoustics were simply superb. If I sang from one end of the Kapaleeswarar Koil, people at the other end could hear me. But that's not the case with architecture today. In fact, we can't hear each other even in one room, sometimes! So, we just have to move with the times.
Yuhi: Does the knowledge of music need to be preserved or popularised?
Sowmya: Actually, both. We need to preserve the tradition, the heritage, and popularise the art form. By the way, your wife too sings well.
Yuhi: Well... she thinks she does. (In a whisper) She'll kill me when she hears this. Yes, she's interested in music.
Sowmya: So, what are you doing these days?
Yuhi: I am co-producing a trilingual film titled "Colder Than Fire," with Iranian film-maker Mohsen Makhmalbaf. I play a taxi driver and I don't know how to drive!
Sowmya: (shocked) What? You don't drive?
Yuhi (sniggering): I tried it just four times. Then I gave up. That's my contribution to society... not to kill pedestrians and cattle. Anyway, Mohsen has given me three months time to learn driving.
Sowmya: The future?
Yuhi: I want to go back to painting. Then I want to do a three-hour only percussion concert. And most important, I want to become a full-time Indologist. And I want to spend more time with my four-year-old son.
Sowmya: One last question. What does Yuhi mean?
Yuhi: I knew this was coming. My given name is Sethuraman. There were three great jesters, Birbal, Tenali Rama and Yuhi, who appear in "Vasavadatta." I took the name as I wanted to be a sensible jester and keep everybody in good humour.
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