Carnatic vocalist and playback singer Saindhavi talks about her composer husband GV Prakash Kumar, her immersion in music, and more.
Talking to Saindhavi is like catching up with a long-lost friend. Without much effort, she keeps the conversation going. Having started singing from the age of 15, she made her playback debut with Andankkaaka Kondakaari from the Vikram-starrer Anniyan. Since then, there has been no looking back. “Music has always been both my medium of experience and expression. My engagement with classical music started way before playback happened. Somehow, I have tried balancing both till date, but classical music has a special place in my heart. I make sure that the number of concerts I perform don’t come down owing to my film commitments. Honestly, I never thought I could sing for a heroine,” she smiles.
Saindhavi says performing kutcheris comes first to her any given day. “In playback singing, I have to sing what I am given. But here, the choice is mine. I can sing whatever I want to. Moreover, this is spiritually and emotionally satisfying,” she muses.
She’s somebody whom you’d call a multi-tasker. To her the December kutcheris are always special. “Usually, I do thematic concerts during Margazhi. I draw energy from the crowd’s response. This season, I’ve planned to do a series on Siva-Shakti. For the narration part, I have my friends explain the theme. We script what we are going to perform along with the meanings of the compositions. I have also performed on Krishna, Ambal and katha-kutcheris in the past,” she says and adds that she still continues to learn Carnatic music. It surprises us that her husband doesn’t attend any of her kutcheris. “It’s not because he doesn’t want to come. Those sabha people who book me assume that if I present a concert, he would also come. But Prakash has never attended any of my concerts. I have never invited him as well. Seeing him in the front row would make me tense. I am scared to sing in front of him. It’s better that he stays in the studio,” she chuckles.
Speaking about her husband Prakash, she says, he’s a thorough professional at work and a perfectionist. So, does it mean that he’s her biggest critic? “No, Amma is my sternest critic. How can Prakash be my critic when he has never been to my concerts? Be it his film projects, acting commitments or anything for that matter, we never discuss anything regarding work at home. She accompanies me to all my recordings and kutcheris. Though she hasn’t learnt music professionally, she knows when I miss something. Sometimes, I have even taken my 85-something grand-mom along,” she laughs.
When enquired about the competition in this field, Saindhavi candidly admits she has to keep herself in form. “I love healthy competition. They have always been challenging and made me perform better every time,” she tells us.
On future projects, Saindhavi says, she has a few film songs on the anvil, apart from a lullaby album with Anil Srinivasan. “We have hand-picked six songs, which are already out. But, we will be presenting them in a different way,” she adds. When asked how life has changed post marriage, Saindhavi says that nothing much has changed. “I realised I have become more responsible. Thanks to Prakash! He has made me a better cook because he doesn’t even know how to boil water,” she says with a sigh.
Any plans for the husband-wife duo to do a non-film album together? “Nothing as of now. Actually, we never wanted to work together. It was because of director AL Vijay, we both got to work in Deiva Thirumagal,” she concludes.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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