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When three is company

A fun number in `Madhuchandralekha' has rejuvenated Saraswathy Shankar as a singer

A STYLE OF HER OWN Saraswathy Shankar belts out a number

`Kusuma vadana moha sundara

En madana lalitha gana vallabha'

When Saraswathy Shankar sang this song for Urvashi in the film `Madhuchandralekha,' the 50-year-old singer never dreamt that it would bring her such popularity.

Three singers

Three singers have sung the song. While Saraswathy sings in bass, Chitra Iyer sings the high notes and Kavalam Sreekumar's tunes in with the classical notes. It is the lilting lines and the difference in the voices that has made it so popular.

"The director of the film, Rajasenan sir, chose me as he felt that my voice matched that of Urvashi's. He told me the story and gave me an idea of Urvashi's character in the film. I was asked to sing in a high pitch.

"I suggested if I could sing it in low pitch it would sound better. And both the film director and the music director M. Jayachandran agreed. They were impressed and Kuttan (M.Jayachandran) asked me to sing before the microphone. They liked it. Actually, Kuttan had sung the track,'' explains Saraswathy who began her career in films in the late Seventies. It was Aroma Mani who introduced her to the Malayalam film world in the film `Pandu pandu oru rajakumaran.' The song was tuned by Syam and was sung by Kavalam Sreekumar, Venu and Preetha.

"Then I sang an English song `I am a free bird' for the film `Aparna.' `Thandavam' gave me a break. `Paalum koodam eduthu' tuned by M.G.Sreekumar was a hit. It was his debut as a music director.''

She has also lent her voice for a couple of albums such as

`Anandageetham' with P.Jayachandran.

Junior Usha Uthup

Saraswathy Shankar is also known as a singer of Usha Uthup's songs. She says: "I used to sing Asha Bhonsle's songs since childhood. However, during one of the hostel day celebrations of the College of Engineering in the 1970s, I sang one of Usha Uthup's popular numbers and the students liked it. As people appreciated it, I continued to sing Usha Uthup's songs in programmes.

"Usha Uthup knows that there is a person in Thiruvananthapuram who is known as Junior Usha Uthup. She has sent me gifts. That friendship still continues."

Saraswathy Shankar comes from a family of musicians. She is the great granddaughter of L.Muthiah Bhagavathar, the founder and first principal of Swati Tirunal Music College. She considers her father, Nellai Krishnamoorthy, as her guru.

For some time she kept off stage programmes as she had to look after her ailing father. Now, she plans to get back to the stage in a big way.

G. JAYAKUMAR

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