Posts tagged carnatic music

Vidya shares her love for music

0
3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in
Waking up at dawn for concerts, cornering unsuspecting Bengalis and asking them to sing to her, Vidya Balan will do anything for music By Namrata Bhawnani (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 09, 2010)

// // // When you grow up in a traditional Tamilian household, a love for classical music is almost part of the genetic make-up. Vidya Balan says that she’s not a great singer and the chances of hearing her sing for a film is remote. She says, “It’s not right for everyone to be an actor, and the same goes for singing.”

A pity really, for Vidya’s passion for music is genuine. The actress, who is known to be a late sleeper, wakes up at dawn to attend concerts. She is familiar with the works of the legends of Hindustani classical and Carnatic music.

“My taste is an extension of who I am. I like my music very earthy. I’ve trained in Carnatic for eight years and have an equivalent of a BA from Bangalore University. My mom and sister sing well, but I don’t,” she says, smiling.

Play it by ear

Once, when Carnatic legend Balamurali Krishnan had just performed in Mumbai, Vidya decided that she wanted to train with him. She recalls, “I would wake up at 6 am to do my riyaaz.”

Her favourites include legends who’ve been rock stars in their time. She says, “I’ve attended all the Shakti concerts in Mumbai. I love Zakir Hussain and John Mclaughlin. Vikku Vinayakram is not only a great ghatam player, but is also adorable on stage.” She also loves Niladri Kumar and Mandolin U More >

Meet the voice behind Imran Khan’s Coke commercial

1
3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

The soprano-ish voice behind Coke’s ‘bus’ TVC tells Malay Desai why there would always be listeners for edgy music, which is good news for her band Sridhar/Thayil

By Malay Desai (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 21, 2010)

‘I want to be a mean and lean blow-up doll to grace us and stay for an unfashionably long time… so say all you want ‘coz baby it’s showbiz!’

… sang a voice at Blue Frog last night, leaving the club’s audience amused with the theatrics of the spoken word. The voice has also created a buzz on primetime TV across the nation, in a cola commercial featuring actors Imran Khan and Kalki Koechlin.

The TVC has become a talking point, thanks to singer Suman Sridhar rendering Mohammad Rafi’s Tum jo mil gaye ho. It’s also a debut endorsement for the 27-year-old, who has created a popular niche in the indie music industry through her band Sridhar/Thayil. The ad is just an offshoot of her works, which include much more, she tells us over lunch at a Bandra café.

The female half of Sridhar/Thayil looks like a shy monk who’s just given into funky indulgences. Now sporting super-short hair (after carrying off a tonsured look for long) and wearing punk accessories, Sridhar is often eccentric, much like her music. “The TVC happened purely by chance. Mikey (Mike McCleary, composer, best known for his works with Lucky Ali) called me one evening to his Bandra pad; we Youtube-d the old version (featuring Navin Nishchol) and I recorded a scratch,” she More >

Go to Top