Kavita Subramaniam
Encyclopedia
Kavita Subramaniam née
Kavita Krishnamurthy is one of the most famous Indian film
playback singers. She is classically trained and has sung a wide range of classical-based songs. In her career, she has worked with a variety of music composers, including R. D. Burman
and A. R. Rahman
. She is also the recipient of four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards, including 3 consecutive awards in the period 1994-1996 and the prestigious Padmashri which she received in 2006.
Iyer
family in New Delhi
, India to T.S. Krishnamurthy, an employee of Education Ministry
. She began her music training with her aunt, Mrs. Bhattacharya, who taught her Rabindra Sangeet
. She began her formal training in Hindustani classical music
under Balram Puri, a classical singer.
At the young age of eight, Kavita won a gold medal at a music competition. Subsequently, she kept winning many such gold medals as she kept participating in the Inter-Ministry Classical Competition in New Delhi
in the mid 1960s.
under the auspices of the music composer and singer Hemant Kumar
. Although the young Sharada was aspiring to be working with Indian Foreign Services, Kavita moved to Bombay when she was just 14 to try her luck as a playback singer in the Hindi film industry. She is an alumnus of St. Xaviers' College, Bombay from where she did her BA Honors Economics. She was also very active in the St. Xaviers' Music Group during her college days. During the annual college festival (Malhar), she accidentally met Ranu Mukherjee, the daughter of Hemant Kumar
. Ranu took the initiative of reintroducing Kavita to her father. He was impressed by her grounding in music, so he began using her as a singer during his live performances. In one such performance, playback singer Manna Dey
spotted her and employed her to sing advertisement jingle
s. Through her aunt's strong contacts, she met Jaya Chakravarthy, the mother of actress Hema Malini
, who later took the initiative of introducing Kavita to the music director Laxmikant (one half of the composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal) in late 1976.
and Asha Bhosle
. In her struggling phase, she received the patronage of music composers Laxmikant—Pyarelal, who backed her so strongly that she was labelled as a "LP-campwalli" which gave many music directors an excuse to avoid working with her.
In 1980, she first sang the song, "Kaahe Ko Byaahi" in the film Maang Bharo Sajana
, which featured her singing in her own voice. Unfortunately, the song was dropped from the final cut of the film. In 1985, her career took off with her first major hit, "Tumse Milkar Na Jaane Kyon" from the Hindi film Pyaar Jhukta Nahin
. Post the success of the song, it opened up various opportunities beyond the Laxmikant-Pyarelal camp. However, "Hawa Hawaii" and "Karte Hain Hum Pyaar Mr. India Se", two popular songs from the equally popular movie Mr. India (1987), proved to be a turning point in her career. (The songs were composed by music composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal, the latter being a duet with Kishore Kumar
and lip-synced on screen by actress Sridevi). Her collaboration with Laxmikant-Pyarelal produced several hits.
The 1990s thrust Kavita to being known as the undisputed leading female playback singer.. Her performance as a singer in the film 1942: A Love Story
, composed by R.D. Burman won her a lot of popular acclaim. She went on to work with several music directors of Hindi films of the 1990s, such as Anand-Milind
, A. R. Rahman
, Ismail Darbar
, Nadeem-Shravan
, Jatin Lalit
, and Anu Malik
. During her stint as a playback singer, she sang duets with the leading male singers of her times, from Kishore Kumar
and Suresh Wadkar
to Kumar Sanu
, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Udit Narayan
, and Sonu Nigam
. Her female duets mostly have been with Alka Yagnik
and Sadhana Sargam
.
Post her marriage to violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam
in Bangalore on 11 November 1999, Kavita got extremely selective and cut down on her film singing. She started expanding her artistic range to areas which were never explored. She was the main featured soloist in the Global Fusion album released by Warner Bros.
, featuring musicians from five continents. As she actively started exploring fusion music, Kavita travelled around the world including to the US, UK, Europe
, Africa
, Australia
, the Far East, the Middle East
, and South America
. She performed in concert halls including Royal Albert Hall
in London
, The Kennedy Center
in Washington, D.C.
., Madison Square Garden
, The Lincoln Center
in New York
, the Zhongshan Music Hall
in Beijing
, The Esplanade in Singapore
, The Putra Jaya World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur
, and Gewandhaus Leipzigm
.
Although primarily a playback singer, Kavita has sung with orchestras as a soloist; she collaborated with Western artists from jazz
, pop and classical
fields. She has lent her voice for many ghazal
and devotional music albums. Both as a fusion music singer and as a playback singer, Kavita has performed throughout India.
She became the screen voice of some of the famous bollywood actresses like Shabana Azmi
, Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit
, Manisha Koirala
and Aishwarya Rai
.
s as a guest judge owing to her popularity as a playback singer. She is currently judging the show Idea: Bharat Ki Shaan
. This show airs on Doordarshan
at prime time.
in Bangalore
on 11 November 1999. They have no children. Subramaniam has three children from his previous marriage. Their daughter Seetha is a law graduate and is currently working on an English album. Narayanan, the middle one, is working to be a qualified doctor. The youngest, Ambi Subramaniam, is a featured soloist in the Bangalore-based band "Astral Symphony" and has recorded and given several concerts with his parents.
Kavita and her husband are now planning a music institute in Bangalore. The Institute would be named after her late father-in-law Lakshminarayana, who was also her husband's guru. The idea is to make it a global institute. The institute would teach both Indian and Western music. She wants dedicated students to learn from the works of Mozart so that they could collaborate with Western musicians who come to India for tours. The seeds have been sown with violin classes. She says that she is not going to be involved in too many classes. Her role in the institute would be to supervise the teaching process and conduct workshops on how to interpret a song. Her secret desire is to create the best music library that India has ever had, which includes, a vast variety of world music. Subramaniam has already collected a lot of material to which they want teachers, dedicated students and enthusiasts to have access.
Civilian Awards:
Filmfare Awards
Star Screen Awards
Zee Cine Awards
IIFA Awards
Other Awards
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Kavita Krishnamurthy is one of the most famous Indian film
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
playback singers. She is classically trained and has sung a wide range of classical-based songs. In her career, she has worked with a variety of music composers, including R. D. Burman
Rahul Dev Burman
Rahul Dev Burman commonly known as R. D. Burman and nicknamed Pancham da or simply Pancham, was an influential Bollywood music composer. He was the only son of singer and Bollywood music composer Sachin Dev Burman and his wife Meera...
and A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
. She is also the recipient of four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards, including 3 consecutive awards in the period 1994-1996 and the prestigious Padmashri which she received in 2006.
Early life
Born Sharada Krishnamurthy in a TamilTamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
Iyer
Iyer
Iyer is the title given to the caste of Hindu Brahmin communities of Tamil origin. Most Iyers are followers of the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara...
family in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India to T.S. Krishnamurthy, an employee of Education Ministry
Ministry of Human Resource Development (India)
The Ministry of Human Resource Development is an Indian government ministry, responsible for the development of human resources...
. She began her music training with her aunt, Mrs. Bhattacharya, who taught her Rabindra Sangeet
Rabindra Sangeet
Rabindra Sangeet , also known as Tagore Songs in English, is a form of music composed by Rabindranath Tagore who added a new dimension to the musical concept of India in general and Bengal in specific....
. She began her formal training in Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
under Balram Puri, a classical singer.
At the young age of eight, Kavita won a gold medal at a music competition. Subsequently, she kept winning many such gold medals as she kept participating in the Inter-Ministry Classical Competition in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
in the mid 1960s.
Performing career
At the age of nine, she got an opportunity to record a Tagore song in Bengali with the legendary Lata MangeshkarLata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
under the auspices of the music composer and singer Hemant Kumar
Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay
Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay also known as Hemanta Mukherjee was an Bengali singer, composer and producer. He sang in Hindi films under the name Hemant Kumar.-Early life:...
. Although the young Sharada was aspiring to be working with Indian Foreign Services, Kavita moved to Bombay when she was just 14 to try her luck as a playback singer in the Hindi film industry. She is an alumnus of St. Xaviers' College, Bombay from where she did her BA Honors Economics. She was also very active in the St. Xaviers' Music Group during her college days. During the annual college festival (Malhar), she accidentally met Ranu Mukherjee, the daughter of Hemant Kumar
Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay
Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay also known as Hemanta Mukherjee was an Bengali singer, composer and producer. He sang in Hindi films under the name Hemant Kumar.-Early life:...
. Ranu took the initiative of reintroducing Kavita to her father. He was impressed by her grounding in music, so he began using her as a singer during his live performances. In one such performance, playback singer Manna Dey
Manna Dey
Prabodh Chandra Dey , better known by his nickname Manna Dey , is a playback singer in Bengali Assamese and Hindi films. Along with Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, he was a part of Indian film playback music from the 1950s to the 1970s. He has recorded more than 3500 songs over the course of...
spotted her and employed her to sing advertisement jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
s. Through her aunt's strong contacts, she met Jaya Chakravarthy, the mother of actress Hema Malini
Hema Malini
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...
, who later took the initiative of introducing Kavita to the music director Laxmikant (one half of the composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal) in late 1976.
Playback singing
Laxmikant gave her an option to work as a dubbing artiste or a career in playback singing later. Kavita chose the former and impressed Laxmikant with her extremely strong grasp of Hindustani classical music. Initially, she used to record songs and cut demos of songs intended for singers like Lata MangeshkarLata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
and Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
. In her struggling phase, she received the patronage of music composers Laxmikant—Pyarelal, who backed her so strongly that she was labelled as a "LP-campwalli" which gave many music directors an excuse to avoid working with her.
In 1980, she first sang the song, "Kaahe Ko Byaahi" in the film Maang Bharo Sajana
Maang Bharo Sajana
Maang Bharo Sajana is 1980 Hindi language Movie directed by Rama Rao Tatineni and starring Jeetendra, Rekha, Moushumi Chatterjee, Kajal Kiran, Om Shivpuri, Asrani, Yunus Parvez. It is remake of 1979 Telugu film Karthika Deepam.- Cast :...
, which featured her singing in her own voice. Unfortunately, the song was dropped from the final cut of the film. In 1985, her career took off with her first major hit, "Tumse Milkar Na Jaane Kyon" from the Hindi film Pyaar Jhukta Nahin
Pyaar Jhukta Nahin
Pyaar Jhukta Nahin is a 1985 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by Vijay Sadanah, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Padmini Kolhapure, Danny Denzongpa, Asrani and Bindu.- Synopsis :...
. Post the success of the song, it opened up various opportunities beyond the Laxmikant-Pyarelal camp. However, "Hawa Hawaii" and "Karte Hain Hum Pyaar Mr. India Se", two popular songs from the equally popular movie Mr. India (1987), proved to be a turning point in her career. (The songs were composed by music composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal, the latter being a duet with Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
and lip-synced on screen by actress Sridevi). Her collaboration with Laxmikant-Pyarelal produced several hits.
The 1990s thrust Kavita to being known as the undisputed leading female playback singer.. Her performance as a singer in the film 1942: A Love Story
1942: A Love Story
1942: A Love Story is a 1994 Bollywood film starring Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa, and Pran. The film was the first ever to be given a U/A rating while featuring a scene, previously considered inappropriate for young children, showing the actors kissing...
, composed by R.D. Burman won her a lot of popular acclaim. She went on to work with several music directors of Hindi films of the 1990s, such as Anand-Milind
Anand-Milind
Anand and Milind are an Indian music directors duo consisting of Anand Shrivastav and his younger brother Milind. They have composed music for over 200 Bollywood films and are the sons of 60s music director, Chitragupta.-Career:...
, A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
, Ismail Darbar
Ismail Darbar
Ismail Darbar is an Indian composer and violinist, a popular name in Bollywood.-Career:Ismail Darbar is from Surat, Gujarat. He worked for several years as a session violinist for leading music directors Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan, Anand-Milind,...
, Nadeem-Shravan
Nadeem-Shravan
Nadeem-Shravan was a music director duo in the Bollywood film industry of India. The duo derives its name from the first names of its two principals, Nadeem Saifi and Shravan Rathod....
, Jatin Lalit
Jatin Lalit
Jatin-Lalit are a Bollywood film composer duo consisting of Jatin Pandit and his younger brother Lalit. They have written the scores for films such as Khiladi, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Khamoshi: The Musical, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Yes Boss, Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,...
, and Anu Malik
Anu Malik
Anu Malik , born Anwar Sardaar Malik, is a famous music director in the Hindi film industry. Son of veteran music director Sardar Malek, Anu Malik made his debut as a music composer in the year 1977. After a considerable period of struggle, the 90's welcomed Anu with hits like 'Phir Teri Kahani...
. During her stint as a playback singer, she sang duets with the leading male singers of her times, from Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
and Suresh Wadkar
Suresh Wadkar
Suresh Ishwar Wadkar is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films.He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films and in Konkani.- Early life :...
to Kumar Sanu
Kumar Sanu
Kumar Sanu Kumar Sanu Kumar Sanu (alias Kedarnath Bhattacharya , born in Kolkata, is a leading Indian Bollywood playback singer. He was awarded the Filmfare Best Male Playback Award over five consecutive years. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2009....
, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Udit Narayan
Udit Narayan
-Career:King of melody, Udit Narayan Jha was born on 1 December, 1955 in a village called Bhardaha in the Saptari district , Nepal. His father was Hare Krishna Jha and his mother was Bhuwaneshwari Devi.Narayan studied at P.B...
, and Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...
. Her female duets mostly have been with Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards...
and Sadhana Sargam
Sadhana Sargam
Sadhana Sargam is an acclaimed Indian playback singer. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Film Award and Filmfare Awards.Sargam has sung in many Indian languages for films, television serials and music albums. She is well known for her 90s Hindi songs and recent South Indian songs. She...
.
Post her marriage to violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam
L. Subramaniam
Dr. Lakshminarayana Subramaniam is an acclaimed Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music, and renowned for his virtuoso playing techniques and compositions in orchestral fusion.-Early years:Subramaniam was born to V...
in Bangalore on 11 November 1999, Kavita got extremely selective and cut down on her film singing. She started expanding her artistic range to areas which were never explored. She was the main featured soloist in the Global Fusion album released by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, featuring musicians from five continents. As she actively started exploring fusion music, Kavita travelled around the world including to the US, UK, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the Far East, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. She performed in concert halls including Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, The Kennedy Center
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
., Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, The Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the Zhongshan Music Hall
Forbidden City Concert Hall
Forbidden City Concert Hall is a multi-purpose venue in Beijing. The name of the venue came from the fact that it is located within in the grounds of the Beijing Zhongshan Park, a vast former imperial garden and now a public park located to the west of the Forbidden City.Aside from its acoustics,...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, The Esplanade in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, The Putra Jaya World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, and Gewandhaus Leipzigm
Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, Germany. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. The first Gewandhaus was built in 1781 by architect Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe. The second opened on 11 December 1884, and was destroyed in the...
.
Although primarily a playback singer, Kavita has sung with orchestras as a soloist; she collaborated with Western artists from jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, pop and classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
fields. She has lent her voice for many ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
and devotional music albums. Both as a fusion music singer and as a playback singer, Kavita has performed throughout India.
She became the screen voice of some of the famous bollywood actresses like Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
, Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Hindi films. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, she established herself as one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses and most accomplished dancers. She appeared in numerous commercially successful films and was recognised for several of...
, Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala
Manisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...
and Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
.
Pop and devotional singing
Due to her participation in fusion and pop music, Kavita has lent her voice for several pop and devotional albums. The most prominent ones being:- Koi Akela Kahan
- Meera Ka Ram
- Mahalakshmi Stotram
- Pop Time
- Sai Ka Vardaan
- Shagufthagi
- Dil Ki Awaaz (2006)
- Athens
- Asmita
- Mahiya
TV
Kavita Subramaniam has been making appearances in various music reality showReality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
s as a guest judge owing to her popularity as a playback singer. She is currently judging the show Idea: Bharat Ki Shaan
Idea Bharat ki Shaan Singing Star
Idea Bharat ki Shaan Singing Star is a singing competition serial in Doordarshan presented by Saibaba Telefilms.winner isSumit khatri'-Contestants:Top 2:Sumit Khatri - WinnerSanjeev Kumar - Runner UpTop 3:...
. This show airs on Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
at prime time.
Personal life
Kavita Krishnamurthy married violinist Dr. L. SubramaniamL. Subramaniam
Dr. Lakshminarayana Subramaniam is an acclaimed Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music, and renowned for his virtuoso playing techniques and compositions in orchestral fusion.-Early years:Subramaniam was born to V...
in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
on 11 November 1999. They have no children. Subramaniam has three children from his previous marriage. Their daughter Seetha is a law graduate and is currently working on an English album. Narayanan, the middle one, is working to be a qualified doctor. The youngest, Ambi Subramaniam, is a featured soloist in the Bangalore-based band "Astral Symphony" and has recorded and given several concerts with his parents.
Kavita and her husband are now planning a music institute in Bangalore. The Institute would be named after her late father-in-law Lakshminarayana, who was also her husband's guru. The idea is to make it a global institute. The institute would teach both Indian and Western music. She wants dedicated students to learn from the works of Mozart so that they could collaborate with Western musicians who come to India for tours. The seeds have been sown with violin classes. She says that she is not going to be involved in too many classes. Her role in the institute would be to supervise the teaching process and conduct workshops on how to interpret a song. Her secret desire is to create the best music library that India has ever had, which includes, a vast variety of world music. Subramaniam has already collected a lot of material to which they want teachers, dedicated students and enthusiasts to have access.
Awards
Kavita Krishnamurty has received several awards and honours. She was the recipient of three consecutive Filmfare awards from 1995–1997.Civilian Awards:
- 2005 - Padma Shri - India's fourth highest civilian honours
Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
- 2003 - Best Female Playback Singer(shared with Shreya Ghoshal) - Dola Re Dola (DevdasDevdas (2002 film)Devdas is a 2002 Bollywood film based on the 1917 Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella Devdas. This is the third Hindi version and the first colour film version of the story in Hindi...
) - 1997 - Best Female Playback Singer - Aaj Main Upar (Khamoshi: The MusicalKhamoshi: The MusicalKhamoshi: The Musical is a critically acclaimed Indian Hindi film which was released on 9 August 1996. The film starred Nana Patekar, Manisha Koirala, Salman Khan, Seema Biswas and Helen, and marked Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial debut...
) - 1996 - Best Female Playback Singer - Mera Piya Ghar Aaya (YaraanaYaraana (1995 film)Yaraana is a 1995 Bollywood film which stars Rishi Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Raj Babbar, Kader Khan and Shakti Kapoor. The film is a remake of the American film Sleeping with the Enemy starring Julia Roberts...
) - 1995 - Best Female Playback Singer - Pyaar Hua Chupke Se (1942: A Love Story1942: A Love Story1942: A Love Story is a 1994 Bollywood film starring Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa, and Pran. The film was the first ever to be given a U/A rating while featuring a scene, previously considered inappropriate for young children, showing the actors kissing...
)
Star Screen Awards
Star Screen Awards
The Star Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony in India honoring professional excellence in film. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professional from the industry itself.- History :...
- 1997 - Best Female Playback Singer - Aaj Main Upar (Khamoshi: The MusicalKhamoshi: The MusicalKhamoshi: The Musical is a critically acclaimed Indian Hindi film which was released on 9 August 1996. The film starred Nana Patekar, Manisha Koirala, Salman Khan, Seema Biswas and Helen, and marked Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial debut...
) - 2000 - Best Female Playback Singer - Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (Hum Dil De Chuke SanamHum Dil De Chuke SanamThe music was composed by Ismail Darbar with lyrics by Mehboob. It received nine Filmfare Awards nominations in the music and singing categories and produced some winners as well.-Track listing:-2000 National Awards:* Best Music Direction - Ismail Darbar...
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Zee Cine Awards
Zee Cine Awards
The Zee Cine Awards or "ZCA" for short is an awards ceremony for the Hindi film industry. It was first held in 1998 in Mumbai. Since then, it has gained substantial popularity as a notable awards ceremony to the Indian population as well as to the viewers of Zee Network.In 2004, the ZCA went...
- 2003 - Best Female Playback Singer (shared with Shreya Ghoshal) - Dola Re (DevdasDevdas (2002 film)Devdas is a 2002 Bollywood film based on the 1917 Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella Devdas. This is the third Hindi version and the first colour film version of the story in Hindi...
) - 2000 - Best Female Playback Singer - Nimbooda (Hum Dil De Chuke SanamHum Dil De Chuke SanamThe music was composed by Ismail Darbar with lyrics by Mehboob. It received nine Filmfare Awards nominations in the music and singing categories and produced some winners as well.-Track listing:-2000 National Awards:* Best Music Direction - Ismail Darbar...
)
IIFA Awards
International Indian Film Academy Awards
The International Indian Film Academy Awards, also known as the IIFA Awards are presented annually by the International Indian Film Academy to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood, the Hindi language film industry. Instituted in 2000, the ceremony is held in...
- 2003 - Best Female Playback Singer (shared with Shreya Ghoshal) - Dola Re (DevdasDevdas (2002 film)Devdas is a 2002 Bollywood film based on the 1917 Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella Devdas. This is the third Hindi version and the first colour film version of the story in Hindi...
)
Other Awards
- Yesudas AwardSwaralaya Yesudas AwardSwaralaya Yesudas award is a prestigious award for music artists in recognition to their outstanding performance. The award is instituted jointly by Swaralaya, an organization that promotes music and Kairali Channel, based at Trivandrum, India. Awards have been given annually since 2000. Dr. K. J...
(2008) by Swaralaya, for exceptional contribution to Indian music. - Kishore Kumar Journalists'/Critics' Award in Calcutta (2002)
- Bollywood Award, held in New York (2000)