A prolific singer from down south, Chithra was hailed as a worthy successor to the legendary S Janaki, a singer whom she claimed to have always idolized. The singer who has been conferred with Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan and recently turned 60, has had a thorough grounding in Carnatic music as well that has stood her in good stead while singing songs in various raagas, says C V Aravind.
One hot summer day in 1986 in Madras (now Chennai) a 23-year-old girl accompanied by her father walked up the steps that led to the recording theatre of maestro Ilaiyaraja, the uncrowned king in Indian film music. Raja had managed to convince the young singer who was pleading her inability to attend the recording (as she had to sit for her music exams back home in her native Kerala) that her future hinged on her lending her voice to his tunes and that she could sit for her exams later.
The girl, K S Chithra recorded two songs that day for the film, a musical, ‘Sindhu Bhairavi’ directed by the acclaimed auteur K Balachander. The two numbers ‘Paadariyen Padipariyen’ and ‘Naan Oru Sindhu’ turned out to be instant chartbusters and Chithra was on cloud nine when she received the news that she had bagged the National Award for Best Playback Singer for her mellifluous rendering embellished by Ilaiyaraja’s lilting tunes.
Since then, Chithra has never had to look back and in a career spanning over four decades, the Nightingale of South India has lent her voice to as many as 25000 songs. And unbelievable as it may sound, she has sung in all Indian languages and in foreign tongues like Malay, Latin, Arabic, Sinhalese, English and French. Recently she added another feather to her cap by recording a single in the Banjara language.
A Malayalee by birth, Chithra has been prolific in Malayalam and was hailed as a worthy successor to the legendary S Janaki, a singer whom Chithra has admitted in her interviews has always been an inspiration. Chithra’s second national award came to her for the song ‘Manjal Prasadavum’ from the film ‘Nakakshathangal’ with Bombay Ravi wielding the baton. The late Bombay Ravi again used Chithra’s voice for the soothing number ‘Indu Pushpam Choodi’ in the mythological film ‘Vaishali’ and this number fetched her a third National Award. In all Chithra has won six National Awards and ‘Manamadurai’ (A R Rahman), ‘Payalee Chum Mun (Annu Malik) and ‘Ovvoru Pookalume’ (Bharathwaj) were her other winning numbers.
Chithra was introduced to films in 1979 by the late composer M G Radhakrishnan, brother of popular Malayalam singer M G Sreekumar. Radhakrishnan spotted her talent and recorded her voice for a few films and private albums as well. Chithra who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music passed her exams with flying colours securing a first class first position in her music college. She has a good grounding in Carnatic music as well and this has stood her in good stead while crooning intricate songs in the various raagas.
While it would be impossible task to recount all her hits, a few songs that revealed her versatility and range included inter alia ‘Aayiram Kannumai’ ‘Chinna Kuyil Paadum Paattu’ ‘Ninnu Kori Varnam’ ‘Kannalene’ ‘Uyire’ ‘Anjali Anjali’ ‘Malargal Ketten’ ‘Vaan Megam’ and ‘Kehna Hai Kya’ (in Hindi). Chithra has rendered around 200 songs in Bollywood films and most of them were well received. The silken timbre of her voice and her capacity to effortlessly grasp and render even complex songs with intricate alaaps have turned her into a peerless singer who has honed her talent over the years with hours of regular practice.
Affectionately hailed as ‘Chinna Kuyil’ by her legion of admirers in Tamil Cinema, Chithra has the distinction of having worked with almost all the top music directors in the industry: Ilayiraaja, A R Rahman, Jerry Amaldev, Bharadwaj, S A Rajkumar, Keeravani, Hamsalekha, Anu Malik, M G Sreekumar, Johnson, Ouseppachan and Jayachandran. She has regaled audiences across the world and has been a part of tours where legends like K J Yesudas and S P Balasubramaniam have participated. She has also been an integral part of duets with both Yesudas and SPB and most of these numbers have scaled the popularity charts.
The singer has also been an integral part of several albums some of them devotional and one of them was a tribute to Bharat Ratna, the late M S Subbulakshmi, who had a great influence on her.
Chithra who turned sixty recently is a regular participant in reality shows organised by various TV channels and has been a very popular judge in music contests at both the senior and junior levels. Her bonding with young kids who look up to her with awe have won her a host of admirers.
A bubbly soul with a charming, winsome smile and humble to a fault, Chithra was shattered when her only daughter, Nandana, an eight-year-old with special needs drowned in a swimming pool on the 11 April 2011 in Dubai while she was participating in a concert with A R Rahman. The singer who was devastated, retreated into a shell and took her time before resuming her career. Chithra has created endowments in her daughter’s memory. An NGO started by Chithra in association with a TV channel, ‘Sneha Nandana’ caters to indigent, old singers who have been pushed to penury due to lack of opportunities or failing health.
The versatile singer has not only won six National Awards but has also won over 36 awards instituted by various states and nine Filmfare Awards as well. The Government of India honoured her with a Padma Shri in 2006 and a Padma Bhushan in 2021.Greatly admired for her talents and for her graceful demeanour, Chithra continues to be a force to reckon with in the Indian music industry.
C.V. Aravind is a Bangalore-based freelance journalist.