Deepan Chakkaravarthi returns to the screen with both his musical and acting talent, writes G. PRASAD
Photo: M. Moorthy
Mellifluous Melody is his forte
It’s nearly a decade since Deepan Chakkaravarthi sung playback in a movie and close to 25 years since he acted in films. But now he is all set to stage a comeback with ‘Moolakarai Pannaiyar.’
Directed by Sanjay Ram of ‘Thoothukudi’ fame, Deepan plays a cop in the movie under-production and has rendered his voice to two numbers composed by Yugendran.
Known for his mellifluous voice, the number ‘poongathave thazhthiravai…’ in the film ‘Nizhalgal’ stands testimony. His career as a playback singer got off to a bright start, after his initial songs became super hits.
Debut as a hero
The State Award for ‘Best singer’ did not come as a big surprise. ‘Rani Theni,’ in which he made a debut, announced the arrival of a talented actor. Kamal Hasan donned a guest role in that movie. Then followed ‘Marupatta Konangal’ for Jeppiar Films.
“Singing has always been my passion. Before I could finish the two films, I lost a number of singing chances, as I couldn’t manage both simultaneously. I feel that I could have achieved a lot as a playback singer had I kept away from acting. Past is past and one needs to get on with life,” he says.
But in no way did it cut short his singing career. Deepan became a globetrotter what with his stage shows abroad winning him lot of fans.
“Only after I started performing overseas did I realise that Tamil songs are much sought after. The overwhelming success in Europe and Far East was a big confidence booster and kept me going,” he recalls.
Immortal songs
Son of legendary singer Tiruchi Loganathan, Deepan says that his father’s songs still evoke good response from fans not just here but even abroad. “People never get bored of ‘vaarai nee vaarai…’ or ‘ulavum thendral katrinile…’ and some other numbers sung by my father, even if I render them frequently on stage. They give due credit to those immortal songs,” he adds.
Sharing his experience of performances abroad, Deepan lists his Lebanon trip as the “most memorable one”. “It was total fun out there. I started off with a Lebanese song much to the delight of the local fans. Also I have never seen fans dancing to melodies except there. They love music and enjoy it to the core,” he adds.
A strong background in Carnatic music has helped Deepan in his career.
He insists that up and coming singers should possess a sound knowledge of classical music. “We still enjoy yesteryear songs because they are based on classical music. And the singers too were well trained. Without doubt the songs are everlasting,” he asserts.
While Deepan’s forte is melody, his brother T.L. Maharajan has been dabbling in peppy numbers. Deepan says performing with his brother on stage is a great experience. “Most of his recent songs have turned out to be hits. Though preferred mostly for fast numbers, he is a versatile singer.”
Small screen venture
Deepan is also into small screen and is currently working in ‘Arumaname Aaru’ and in a serial scheduled to begin soon. “Acting in soaps is a totally new experience. It has as much reach as cinema and takes you closer to the people,” he says.
Deepan feels that young singers are not getting the due recognition they deserve with most of the music channels and FM radios not mentioning the name of the singers while playing the song.
“Those days in radios they used to announce the name of the singer before broadcasting the song. That’s how I gained popularity. People need to know who has sung, after all we are the ones who give life to a song,” he says.
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