Swarnalatha
Encyclopedia
Swarnalatha was a Indian playback singer
. From 1987 onward, she rendered nearly 7000 songs in many languages including Tamil
, Kannada, Telugu
, Hindi
, Malayalam, Urdu
, Bengali
, Oriya
, Punjabi
and Badaga
.
She won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer
for her rendition of the song "Porale Ponnuthayi" from the film Karuththamma
. The song was composed by A. R. Rahman
, under whose musical direction she recorded many memorable songs. Her distinctive voice, which could effortlessly reach high octaves, quickly made her a name to reckon with in the playback music industry.
, Palakkad
, Kerala
, to K. C. Cherukutty and Kalyani. Her father was a good harmonium player and singer. Her mother also had interest in music. Swarnalatha was trained on the harmonium and keyboard. Swarnalatha's family later moved to Bhadravathi (Paper Town) in Shimoga District, where she had her education. Born in a family of musicians (father K. C. Cherukutty was a singer and harmonium player, while sister Saroja was her music guru initially). Swarnalatha took to music when she was in her teens. She opened her account in films when M. S. Viswanathan
introduced her in a duet with singer Dr. K. J. Yesudas
. The song was Bharathiar's "Chinnanchiru Kili ye", for the film Neethikku Thandanai in 1987.
In 1987, she shifted to Chennai
, where she met M. S. Viswanathan
. M.S.V. introduced her to the film industry through a duet with K. J. Yesudas, "Chinnanchirukiliye Kannamma" from the film Neethikku Dhandanai. Subsequently, many other music directors approached her to perform their songs. She was recruited by legendary musicians like Ilaiyaraaja
and A. R. Rahman
. She also recorded a few Hindi songs, the most notable one being "Hai Rama Yeh Kya Hua" from Rangeela
along with Hariharan
.
She was one of the most versatile singers of her times, as she was able to sing melodies like "Maalayil Yaaro Manathodu Pesa" from Chatriyan or "Porale Ponnuthayi" from Karuthamma as well as Rahman's experimental songs like "Mukkabla
" from Kadhalan
or "Mottu Vittadha" from Pavithra
. Swarnalatha was the first female playback singer to fetch the National Award in A. R. Rahman
's music for the song "Porale Ponnuthayi". Once in an interview, she said that she was moved to tears when she finished the recording of this song and received praise from A. R. Rahman
. She recorded many other memorable songs with music directors Deva
, Vidyasagar
, Harris Jayaraj
, Anu Malik
, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
, Raj-Koti
, Yuvan Shankar Raja
, Mani Sharma
, Hamsalekha
and many others.She had sung all the songs of Lata Mangeshkar
and Shamshad Begum
in the movie Anarkali(Tamil dubbed version of the Hindi movie mughal-e-Azam
) and she was praised by the acclaimed Bollywood music director late Naushad Ali.
Swarnalatha was a great being, who only concentrated on her work and nothing else. Swarnalatha is a demure and silent person. In a recent interview, singer Sujatha Mohan
has stated " Swarnalatha will listen to the song just once and she will be able to deliver it in such a beautiful way. Her style of singing too is very unique and distinct, and through that she was able to bring a different but special feel to her songs. Her pitching was perfect and she can get her job done in just two or three recordings for a song in studio. When recording for "Mellisaiye" in Mr Romeo, she was very much reserved and she hardly talked much. Either she will give a short reply or she will just laugh in response to anything we say to her. Even though I never had a chance to be close friends with her, me and the other singers who worked with her all have a soft spot for her, probably because of her character or her diligence in her work."
Singer Anuradha Sriram
has said "Whenever I listen to the Porale Ponnuthayi song, I really feel a lot of respect for Swarnalatha ma'am. A lot of credit must go to her for this. She gave her best in this song and even though she is no more with us, I feel her legacy remains within this song and also her other memorable numbers. One of the best singers we've ever had."
Everyone thought that Swarnalatha must be a Tamilian from her accurate pronunciation of Tamil that was evident in her very first song. In exactly the same way whether she sang in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu or Malayalam, people of these respective languages thought that their language was her mother tongue. She sang with accurate pronunciation in Bengali as well! There is not an iota of doubt that, among singers, after P.Suseela, Vani Jayaram & S Janaki, Swarnalatha alone sang without pronunciation mistakes grasping the nuances of the language, whichever the language she sang in.
It is difficult to imagine ‘Porale Ponnuthayi’ number in the voice of any other singer. No other singer could have brought to the song either in quality or degree anything like the penetrating pain and sadness that Swarnalatha was able to bestow on it. Swarnalatha had said that she wept uncontrollably in many places while recording the song. Swarnalatha swept both the National Award and the State Award as the Best Singer for this song.
Swarnalatha had even sung for the famous Hindi composer Naushad! The legendary Hindi film Mughal-e-Azam which was released in 1960 with Naushad’s score was reconstructed in colour and released in 2004. It was also released in Tamil as Anaarkali. Swarnalatha was the female voice for the songs in the film. Swarnalatha created a stir by singing in two different voices the song ‘Kana Neram Unadharuge’ which was the Tamil version of the Hindi song ‘Mehfil Mein Kismat’. In the original song Lata Mangeshkar and Shamshad Begum had sung the song to which Madhubhala and Nigar Sultana had danced. But in Tamil, Swarnalatha sang for both the dancers in two voices that brilliantly matched them. Naushad who came to Chennai for the Audio release for this film blessed Swarnalatha praising her amazing feat.
Legendary music composer M S Viswanathan, who gave the then 14-year old Swarnalatha a break in films, described her as a very talented singer. She is believed to have approached him first, when she wanted to launch her career in film music. He gave her a chance in the film Needhikku Thandanai. "I was shocked on hearing the news. Swarnalatha was introduced to films by me, and was highly talented in music" he said.
National Award (Silver Lotus Award)-(Rajat Kamal)
Tamil Nadu State Awards
Government awards
Filmfare Awards
Cinema Express Awards
Other awards
With her song ‘Aattama Therottama’ in the film Captain Prabhakaran she proved that she was incomparable in singing peppy dance numbers as well. Many songs, one different from the other, from Ilayaraja-Swarnalatha combine like ‘Maasi Maasam Aalana Ponnu’ from Dharmadurai, ‘Malliye Chinna Mullaye’ and ‘Kaana Karunkuyile’ from Paandidurai, ‘Kuyil Paattu Vandhadenna’ from En Rasaavin Manasile, ‘Malligai Mottu Manasa Thottu’ from Shakthivel, ‘Ennulle Ennulle’ from film Valli, ‘Vedalappulla Nesathukku’ from film Periya Marudhu and ‘Rajaadhi Raja Un Thandhirangal’ from film Mannan went on to become big hits. Their song ‘Raakkamma Kayyathattu’ from the film Thalapathi figured in BBC’s Hits List of world songs. Swarnalatha’s song from the film Veera, ‘Malaikkoyil Vaasalil Kaarthigai Deepam Minnuthe’, is a rare and nostalgic song.
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Song
! Movie
|-
| "Sollividu Velli Nilave"
| Amaidhi Padai
|-
| "Mana Madurai"
| Anthapuram
|-
| "Kuruvi Kudaintha"
| Azhagi
|-
| "Aattama Therottama"
| Captain Prabhakaran
|-
| "Malaiyil Yaaro"
| Chathriyan
|-
| "Chithra Kili"
| Chinna Devan
|-
| "Adi Vannathi Poo"
| Chinna Jamin
|-
| "Onnapoothttu"
| Chinna Jamin
|-
| "Anthiyila Vanam"
| Chinnavar
|-
| "Povomma Oorkolam"
| Chinna Thambi
|-
| "Nee Enge"
| Chinna Thambi
|-
| "Naan Aerikkarai"
| Chinnaththaayi
|-
| "Kattu Kuyil Pattu"
| Chinna Mapillai
|-
| "Vennilavu Kothipathu"
| Chinna Mapillai
|-
| "Semparathi Poovukku"
| Dharma
|-
| "Maasi Masam"
| Dharma Dorai
|-
| "Mana Magalea"
| Devar Magan
|-
| "Vayasu Vantha"
| En Mana Vaanil
|-
| "Kuyil Paatu"
| En Rasavin Mansilae
|-
| "Uthama Puthiri"
| Guru Sishyan
|-
| "Aradi Suvaruthan"
| Ithu Namma Bhomi
|-
| "Oru Pokiri Rathiri"
| Ithu Namma Bhomi
|-
| "Kooyil Mani Kettene"
| Kanna Unnai Thedukiren
|-
| "Enga Then Paandi"
| Kattabomman
|-
| "Adi Asa Machan"
| Kummipattu
|-
| "Oorukku Thekkuttu"
| Kummipattu
|-
| "Ammiyila Araichi"
| Kummipattu
|-
| "Uchi Veyilukku"
| Kummipattu
|-
| "Nee Thane Nal Thorum"
| Paatu Vathiyar
|-
| "Kana Karunk Kuyilae"
| Paandithurai
|-
| "Malliye Chinna Mullaye"
| Paandithurai
|-
| "Vidalapulla"
| Periya Maruthu
|-
| "Vidai Kodu"
| Piriyadha Varam Vendum
|-
| "Ooradangum Samathilea"
| Puthupatti Ponnuthaye
|-
| "Malligai Mottu"
| Sakthi Vel
|-
| "Kalaiyil Kettathu"
| Senthamizh Pattu
|-
| "Punnaivana Poonkuyile"
| Sevvanthi
|-
| "Margalithan Odipochu"
| Thalapathi
|-
| "Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu"
| Thalapathi
|-
| "Ennai Thottu"
| Unnai Nenachaen Paattu Padichaen
|-
| "Ennulle Ennulle"
| Valli
|-
| "Unnai Ethir Parthen"
| Vanaja Kirija
|-
| "Sirakadikuthu Kuruvi"
| Vanaja Kirija
|-
| "Aajare"
| Vishnu
|-
| "Naan Thanga Roja"
| Time
|-
| "Malai Kovil Vasalil"
| Veera
|-
| "Madathile Kanni"
| Veera
|}
|-
! Song
! Movie
|-
|"Kadamizhiyil Kamaldalam"
|Thenkasipattanam
|-
|"Manikkakkallal Menju Menanju"
|Varnapakittu
|-
|"Nandalaala Hey Nandalaala"
|Independence
|-
|"Pottukuthedi Pudavachoodedi"
|Ravanaprabhu
|-
|"Balla Balla Ballare"
|Punjabi House
|-
|"Varthingal Thellalle"
|Dreamz
|-
|"Akkuthikkuthaanakkompel"
|Mangalya Soothram
|-
|"Kannoram Kanamuthe Vaa"
|Ishtamanu Nooruvattam
|-
|"Manjil Pootha Sandhye"
|Minnaminunginum Minnukettu
|-
|"Neeyonnu Paad"
|Thacholi Varghese Chekavar
|-
|"Oru Thari Kasthoori"
|Highway
|}
|-
! Song
! Movie
! Music director
|-
|"Yamuna Thatilo"
|Thalapathi
|Ilaiyaraaja
|-
|"Raama Chilakamma"
|Choodalani Vundi
|Mani Sharma
|-
|"Paataku Praanam"
|Vasu
|Harris Jayaraj
|-
|"O muthyalakomma (almost all songs)"
|Osei ramulamma
|Vandemataram Sreenivas
|-
|"Prarthana"
|Devi
|Devi sri prasad
|-
|"Nizam Babulu"
|Premante Idera
|Ramana Gogula
|-
|}
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
. From 1987 onward, she rendered nearly 7000 songs in many languages including Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Kannada, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Malayalam, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
and Badaga
Badaga language
The Badaga language is a southern Dravidian language spoken by approximately 400,000 people in the Nilgiri Hills in Southern India. It is known for its retroflex vowels. The word Badaga refers to the Badaga language as well as the Badaga community/tribe...
.
She won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer
National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer
The National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer winners are given below. Lata Mangeshkar is the oldest winner in this category, whereas Anjali Marathe is the youngest winner; while K. S. Chithra been awarded for the maximum number of times .-Superlatives:...
for her rendition of the song "Porale Ponnuthayi" from the film Karuththamma
Karuththamma
Karuthamma is a Tamil feature film directed by Bharathiraja. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. The film was noticed as a milestone in the Tamil Film Industry. Bharathiraja even told that this film is the finest one that he ever done...
. The song was composed by 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...
, under whose musical direction she recorded many memorable songs. Her distinctive voice, which could effortlessly reach high octaves, quickly made her a name to reckon with in the playback music industry.
Personal life and career
She was born in Athikkodu near ChitturChittur (village)
Chittur is a village in Palakkad district in the state of Kerala, India.-Demographics: India census, Chittur had a population of 5334 with 2569 males and 2765 females.-References:...
, Palakkad
Palakkad
Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, to K. C. Cherukutty and Kalyani. Her father was a good harmonium player and singer. Her mother also had interest in music. Swarnalatha was trained on the harmonium and keyboard. Swarnalatha's family later moved to Bhadravathi (Paper Town) in Shimoga District, where she had her education. Born in a family of musicians (father K. C. Cherukutty was a singer and harmonium player, while sister Saroja was her music guru initially). Swarnalatha took to music when she was in her teens. She opened her account in films when M. S. Viswanathan
M. S. Viswanathan
Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan , is a Tamil music director. He is popularly known as "Mellisai Mannar" . His major works over the past five decades have been in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films...
introduced her in a duet with singer Dr. K. J. Yesudas
K. J. Yesudas
Kattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,...
. The song was Bharathiar's "Chinnanchiru Kili ye", for the film Neethikku Thandanai in 1987.
In 1987, she shifted to Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, where she met M. S. Viswanathan
M. S. Viswanathan
Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan , is a Tamil music director. He is popularly known as "Mellisai Mannar" . His major works over the past five decades have been in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films...
. M.S.V. introduced her to the film industry through a duet with K. J. Yesudas, "Chinnanchirukiliye Kannamma" from the film Neethikku Dhandanai. Subsequently, many other music directors approached her to perform their songs. She was recruited by legendary musicians like Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter...
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 also recorded a few Hindi songs, the most notable one being "Hai Rama Yeh Kya Hua" from Rangeela
Rangeela (film)
Rangeela is a 1995 Hindi film directed by Ram Gopal Varma, and starring Aamir Khan, Jackie Shroff and Urmila Matondkar.Rangeela was music director A. R. Rahman's debut Hindi film with an original score, as the previous ones were dubbed from his Tamil scores...
along with Hariharan
Hariharan (singer)
Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity...
.
She was one of the most versatile singers of her times, as she was able to sing melodies like "Maalayil Yaaro Manathodu Pesa" from Chatriyan or "Porale Ponnuthayi" from Karuthamma as well as Rahman's experimental songs like "Mukkabla
Mukkabla
"Mukkabla" is a Tamil song composed by A. R. Rahman and lyrics by Vaali for the 1994 film Kadhalan. The song also features vocals by Mano, Swarnalatha and A. R. Rahman who is the main vocalist...
" from Kadhalan
Kadhalan
Kadhalan is a Tamil film released in 1994, written and directed by S. Shankar. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman. The film stars Prabhu Deva and Nagma in the lead roles. Actor Vikram has dubbed his voice for Prabhu Deva...
or "Mottu Vittadha" from Pavithra
Pavithra
Pavithra is a Tamil film directed by K. Subhash under his home banner, Dhanooja Films. The film features Raadhika in the lead role with Nassar and Ajith Kumar in supporting roles. The film's music was by A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Vairamuthu, who won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics for the...
. Swarnalatha was the first female playback singer to fetch the National Award in 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...
's music for the song "Porale Ponnuthayi". Once in an interview, she said that she was moved to tears when she finished the recording of this song and received praise from 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 recorded many other memorable songs with music directors Deva
Deva (music director)
Deva is an Indian film composer and singer. He has composed songs and provided background music for Tamil films in a career spanning about 20 years. Many know his gaana songs, written mostly using Madras Tamil. He is known as the "Father of Gaana Genre" in the Tamil film industry.Deva has composed...
, Vidyasagar
Vidyasagar (music director)
Vidyasagar is an Award-Winning Indian film music director and music composer in the Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi film industry. He is very popular in South Indian music industry and best known for his soulful melodies. His fast numbers to many films have earned him much fame too. He has...
, Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj is an Indian film composer. He has written scores and soundtracks for Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films.- Early life :Harris Jayaraj hails from a pious Christian Nadar family and was born and brought up in Chennai. Harris studied at Krishnaswamy Matric School, Nungambakam. His father,...
, 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...
, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages...
, Raj-Koti
Raj-Koti
Raj-Koti is a music composer duo of Telugu movies, active during 1980s and 1990s. It consisted of Saluri Koteswara Rao son of veteran music director Saluri Rajeswara Rao and Thotakura Somaraju son of veteran music director T. V. Raju. Later, the two split up and started composing independently...
, Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
, Mani Sharma
Mani Sharma
Mani Sharma Yanamandra is a music director known for his works in Tollywood. He has composed music for over 140 films. He is popularly known as "Swara Brahma" for his contributions to music in Tollywood. Mani Sharma started his career as a music director in 1998. Before that Sharma used to work...
, Hamsalekha
Hamsalekha
Hamsalekha is a music director and lyricist in the Kannada film industry. He also writes screenplays and dialogues for movies. He has composed music for over 300 feature films and has written lyrics for 300-odd feature films. He has also composed for Tamil and Telugu films...
and many others.She had sung all the songs of Lata Mangeshkar
Lata 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 Shamshad Begum
Shamshad Begum
Shamshad Begum is an Indian singer who was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry.Begum was born in Amritsar, Punjab. She was a big fan of K.L. Saigal and watched Devdas 14 times...
in the movie Anarkali(Tamil dubbed version of the Hindi movie mughal-e-Azam
Mughal-e-Azam
Mughal-E-Azam is a 1960 Indian historical epic film produced under the banner of Sterling Investment Corporation Pvt Ltd, and directed by K. Asif. With its unmatched production, K. Asif's magnum opus took nine years and $3 million to complete this movie. This was when a typical Bollywood film...
) and she was praised by the acclaimed Bollywood music director late Naushad Ali.
Character and Singing Skills
Swarnalatha was a very quiet and shy woman. She was very camera shy too. Her musical concerts were quite straight, with only her music doing the talking. Once in an interview, her brother said that she knew nothing in this world except the music. She dedicated her entire life to music.Her calmness and character were liked by so many people in the music industry and her fans.Swarnalatha was a great being, who only concentrated on her work and nothing else. Swarnalatha is a demure and silent person. In a recent interview, singer Sujatha Mohan
Sujatha Mohan
Sujatha Mohan , usually credited as Sujatha, is an award-winning Indian playback singer who is popular for singing in Malayalam and Tamil movies. She has also sung for Telugu, Kannada and Hindi movies. She is widely popular for her evergreen melodies and her sweet voice is considered to be her...
has stated " Swarnalatha will listen to the song just once and she will be able to deliver it in such a beautiful way. Her style of singing too is very unique and distinct, and through that she was able to bring a different but special feel to her songs. Her pitching was perfect and she can get her job done in just two or three recordings for a song in studio. When recording for "Mellisaiye" in Mr Romeo, she was very much reserved and she hardly talked much. Either she will give a short reply or she will just laugh in response to anything we say to her. Even though I never had a chance to be close friends with her, me and the other singers who worked with her all have a soft spot for her, probably because of her character or her diligence in her work."
Singer Anuradha Sriram
Anuradha Sriram
Anuradha Sriram is an Indian carnatic and playback singer who hails from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She has sung in many Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films.- Personal life :...
has said "Whenever I listen to the Porale Ponnuthayi song, I really feel a lot of respect for Swarnalatha ma'am. A lot of credit must go to her for this. She gave her best in this song and even though she is no more with us, I feel her legacy remains within this song and also her other memorable numbers. One of the best singers we've ever had."
Everyone thought that Swarnalatha must be a Tamilian from her accurate pronunciation of Tamil that was evident in her very first song. In exactly the same way whether she sang in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu or Malayalam, people of these respective languages thought that their language was her mother tongue. She sang with accurate pronunciation in Bengali as well! There is not an iota of doubt that, among singers, after P.Suseela, Vani Jayaram & S Janaki, Swarnalatha alone sang without pronunciation mistakes grasping the nuances of the language, whichever the language she sang in.
It is difficult to imagine ‘Porale Ponnuthayi’ number in the voice of any other singer. No other singer could have brought to the song either in quality or degree anything like the penetrating pain and sadness that Swarnalatha was able to bestow on it. Swarnalatha had said that she wept uncontrollably in many places while recording the song. Swarnalatha swept both the National Award and the State Award as the Best Singer for this song.
Swarnalatha had even sung for the famous Hindi composer Naushad! The legendary Hindi film Mughal-e-Azam which was released in 1960 with Naushad’s score was reconstructed in colour and released in 2004. It was also released in Tamil as Anaarkali. Swarnalatha was the female voice for the songs in the film. Swarnalatha created a stir by singing in two different voices the song ‘Kana Neram Unadharuge’ which was the Tamil version of the Hindi song ‘Mehfil Mein Kismat’. In the original song Lata Mangeshkar and Shamshad Begum had sung the song to which Madhubhala and Nigar Sultana had danced. But in Tamil, Swarnalatha sang for both the dancers in two voices that brilliantly matched them. Naushad who came to Chennai for the Audio release for this film blessed Swarnalatha praising her amazing feat.
Death
Swarnalatha died at a private hospital in Chennai at the age of 37 due to cardiac arrest followed by interstitial lung disease (lung infection) after being admitted because she had difficulty in breathing. The singer had been undergoing treatment for lung infection for over a year and had not recorded for films during the period.Legendary music composer M S Viswanathan, who gave the then 14-year old Swarnalatha a break in films, described her as a very talented singer. She is believed to have approached him first, when she wanted to launch her career in film music. He gave her a chance in the film Needhikku Thandanai. "I was shocked on hearing the news. Swarnalatha was introduced to films by me, and was highly talented in music" he said.
Awards and recognitions
She got Kalai Maamani by Government of Tamil Nadu before she was 20 years old. She won the Filmfare Awards in Hindi for the years 1996 and 2000 for her songs ‘Hai Rama’ and ‘Suntha Hai Mera Khuda’ respectively. She won a Filmfare Award in Tamil as well for ‘Mukkala Muqabala’. She won Cinema Express Awards four times.National Award (Silver Lotus Award)-(Rajat Kamal)
- 1994 - National Film Award for Best Female Playback SingerNational Film Award for Best Female Playback SingerThe National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer winners are given below. Lata Mangeshkar is the oldest winner in this category, whereas Anjali Marathe is the youngest winner; while K. S. Chithra been awarded for the maximum number of times .-Superlatives:...
for "Porale Ponnuthayi" from KaruththammaKaruththammaKaruthamma is a Tamil feature film directed by Bharathiraja. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. The film was noticed as a milestone in the Tamil Film Industry. Bharathiraja even told that this film is the finest one that he ever done...
Tamil Nadu State Awards
- 1991 - Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female PlaybackTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female PlaybackThe Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won....
for "Povomma Oorkolam" from Chinna ThambiChinna ThambiChinna Thambi is a 1991 Indian Tamil language film starring Prabhu Ganesan and Kushboo Sundar. Chinna Thambi starring Prabhu in the role of Chinna Thambi an uneducated village simpleton and Kushboo as Nandini who is a home tutored wealthy girl, is a story of love, family bonds and typical south... - 1994 - Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female PlaybackTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female PlaybackThe Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won....
for "Porale Ponnuthayi" from KaruththammaKaruththammaKaruthamma is a Tamil feature film directed by Bharathiraja. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. The film was noticed as a milestone in the Tamil Film Industry. Bharathiraja even told that this film is the finest one that he ever done...
Government awards
- 1994- kalaimamaniKalaimamaniThe Kalaimamani is an award in Tamil Nadu state, India. These awards are given by the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram for excellence in the field of art and literature....
award by the government of Tamil Nadu for her contributions towards Tamil music - 1995 -Nandhi award by the government of andhra pradesh to her contributions towards Telugu music
Filmfare Awards
- 1990 - Best Female Playback Singer for "Aattama Therottama" from Captain PrabhakaranCaptain PrabhakaranCaptain Prabhakaran is a 1991 Tamil action film directed by R. K. Selvamani. It features Vijayakanth in the lead role. It also features Mansoor Ali Khan, Roopini, and Ramya Krishnan. Sarath Kumar appears in a small role. It was Vijayakanth's 100th film; he earned the nickname "Captain" after this...
- 1995 - Best Female Playback Singer for "Muquala Muqapala" from KadhalanKadhalanKadhalan is a Tamil film released in 1994, written and directed by S. Shankar. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman. The film stars Prabhu Deva and Nagma in the lead roles. Actor Vikram has dubbed his voice for Prabhu Deva...
- 1996 - Best Female Playback Singer for "Akkadanu nanga" from Indian
- 2000 - Best Female Playback Singer for "Evano oruvan" from AlaipayutheyAlaipayutheyAlaipayuthey is a 2000 Tamil romantic drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Madhavan and Shalini, the film explores the tensions of married life and the maturing of love. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A. R...
- 2001 - Best Female Playback Singer for "thirumana malargal" from Poovellam Un VasamPoovellam Un VasamPoovellam Un Vasam is a 2001 Tamil film directed by Ezhil and produced by Venu Ravichandran, starring Ajith Kumar and Jyothika in leading roles. Nagesh, Sivakumar, Sayaji Shinde, Vivek also appear in supporting roles while Yukta Mookhey appeared in a solo item number...
Cinema Express Awards
- 1991 - Best Female Playback Singer for "Povoma oorkolam" from Chinna ThambiChinna ThambiChinna Thambi is a 1991 Indian Tamil language film starring Prabhu Ganesan and Kushboo Sundar. Chinna Thambi starring Prabhu in the role of Chinna Thambi an uneducated village simpleton and Kushboo as Nandini who is a home tutored wealthy girl, is a story of love, family bonds and typical south...
- 1995 - Best Female Playback Singer for "Muquala Muqapala" from KadhalanKadhalanKadhalan is a Tamil film released in 1994, written and directed by S. Shankar. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman. The film stars Prabhu Deva and Nagma in the lead roles. Actor Vikram has dubbed his voice for Prabhu Deva...
- 1996 - Best Female Playback Singer for "Akkadannu nanga" from IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n - 1999 - Best Female Playback Singer for "Ulunthu vidaikayile" from MudhalvanMudhalvanMudhalvan is a 1999 Tamil political thriller film co-written and directed by S. Shankar. The film features Arjun, Manisha Koirala and Raghuvaran in the lead roles with Manivannan, Vijayakumar and Hanifa portraying other significant roles. The film featured an award-winning soundtrack composed by...
- 2000 - Best Female Playback Singer for "Evano oruvan" from AlaipayutheyAlaipayutheyAlaipayuthey is a 2000 Tamil romantic drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Madhavan and Shalini, the film explores the tensions of married life and the maturing of love. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A. R...
Other awards
- 2002 - The song "Rakkama Kaiya Thattu" from the movie ThalapathiThalapathiThalapathi is a 1991 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and produced by G. Venkateswaran under the banner of G. V. Films. The film stars Rajnikanth, Mammootty and Shobana in the lead roles with Arvind Swamy, Srividya, Amrish Puri, Bhanupriya, Nagesh, and Charuhasan essaying...
(1991) was among the songs listed in a BBC World Top Ten music poll. It was performed by S. P. BalasubrahmanyamS. P. BalasubrahmanyamSripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam is a multilingual Indian playback singer, actor, music director, voice actor and a film producer. He is referred to as S. P. B. or Balu by the media. He has won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer six times closely following K. J. Yesudas...
and Swarnalatha
Videos
- in Jayatv sruthium layamum
- in Lakshman sruthi Ladies special-1997 (Akkadanu nanga)
- in Lakshman sruthi Ladies special-1997 (Porale ponnuthayee)
- in Illayaraja One Man Show (Kathal oviyam song)
In A.R.Rahman's music
There is no doubt that no other song released during that period found the kind of popularity which the dance number ‘Mukkala Muqabala’ from the film Kaadhalan achieved. Similarly the song ‘Porale Ponnuthayi’ from the film Karuthamma reigned in everyone’s heart leaving an indelible sadness with its manner of rendition. These two songs at the two emotional extremes suffice as testimony to the uncommon singing felicity of Swarnalatha. The way she had rendered ‘Mukkala Muqabala’, a number meant to please the mass, was amazing.| Song | Movie | Year |
|---|---|---|
| "Gumadichee" | Sillunu Oru Kaadhal Sillunu Oru Kaadhal -Awards:Tamil Nadu State Film Awards* Best Female Playback - Shreya GhoshalSillunu Oru Kaadhal won two awards at the 54th Filmfare Awards for Tamil films, both for its music.2007 Filmfare Awards South*Best Music Director – A. R... |
2006 |
| "Evano Oruvan" | Alaipayuthey Alaipayuthey Alaipayuthey is a 2000 Tamil romantic drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Madhavan and Shalini, the film explores the tensions of married life and the maturing of love. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A. R... |
2000 |
| "Sollaiyo Solai Kili" | Alli Arjuna Alli Arjuna Alli Arjuna is 2001 released Tamil film directed by Saran. The film featured Manoj Bharathiraja, Richa Pallod, Dhamu, Charle, Karan and Preetha Vijayakumar in major roles. Music was by A. R. Rahman.-Plot:... |
2001 |
| "Orunal Oru Pozhuthu" | Anthimanthaarai Anthimanthaarai Anthimanthaarai is a period arthouse Tamil language film released in 1996. The film has Vijayakumar, Jayasudha in lead roles. Its produced by Chandraleela Bharathiraja and Thilaka Ganesh The director of this film is Bharathiraja. The film won the National Award for the Best Feature Film in Tamil... |
1995 |
| "Kucchi Kucchi" | Bombay Bombay (film) Bombay is a critically acclaimed and national award-winning 1995 Tamil film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala, with music composed by A. R. Rahman... |
1995 |
| "Uyire Uyire" (Chorus) | Bombay Bombay (film) Bombay is a critically acclaimed and national award-winning 1995 Tamil film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala, with music composed by A. R. Rahman... |
1995 |
| "Usilampatti Penkutti" | Gentleman Gentleman (film) Gentleman is a 1993 Tamil film directed by S. Shankar, produced K. T. Kunjumon. The film marked S. Shankar's debut in film, and with the highest budget for an Indian film in that year, became a blockbuster upon release. It stars Arjun and Madhoo in the lead roles... |
1993 |
| "Akkadanu Nanga" | Indian | 1996 |
| "Maya Machindra" | Indian | 1996 |
| "Munneru Dhaan" | Indira Indira (film) Indira is a 1995 Tamil film co-written and directed by Suhasini Manirathnam. It stars Anu Hasan in the title role. Its score and well acclaimed soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. Although not a runaway success in Tamil Nadu, the film did well in Tokyo, Japan upon release... |
1995 |
| "Nee Etty Etty Thottuvachukka" | Manitha Manitha | 1994 |
| "Anjathea Jeeva" | Jodi Jodi (film) Jodi is a film directed by Praveen Gandhi,starring Prashanth and Simran. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A.R. Rahman.-Plot:Kannan , repairs musical instruments for a living... |
1999 |
| "Anna Un Tholil" | Jodi Jodi (film) Jodi is a film directed by Praveen Gandhi,starring Prashanth and Simran. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A.R. Rahman.-Plot:Kannan , repairs musical instruments for a living... |
1999 |
| "Sollu Anbe" | Jodi Jodi (film) Jodi is a film directed by Praveen Gandhi,starring Prashanth and Simran. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A.R. Rahman.-Plot:Kannan , repairs musical instruments for a living... |
1999 |
| "Yenthen Vaanil" | Kadhal Virus Kadhal Virus Kadhal Virus is South Indian Tamil film released in 2002. directed and produced by kathir under the banner sound&light studios The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman... |
2002 |
| "Mukkala Mukkabla Mukkabla "Mukkabla" is a Tamil song composed by A. R. Rahman and lyrics by Vaali for the 1994 film Kadhalan. The song also features vocals by Mano, Swarnalatha and A. R. Rahman who is the main vocalist... " |
Kadhalan Kadhalan Kadhalan is a Tamil film released in 1994, written and directed by S. Shankar. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman. The film stars Prabhu Deva and Nagma in the lead roles. Actor Vikram has dubbed his voice for Prabhu Deva... |
1994 |
| "Kadhalenum" | Kadhalar Dhinam Kadhalar Dhinam Kadhalar Dhinam is a 1999 Tamil romantic film directed by Kathir. This film is based on a relationship which begins through an internet chatroom and takes a turn after the protagonist has second thoughts about the relationship... |
1999 |
| "Singore Singore" | Kannathil Muthamittal Kannathil Muthamittal Kannathil Muthamittal is a 2002 Tamil drama film directed by Mani Ratnam. It stars P. S. Keerthana, R. Madhavan, Simran, Nandita Das, Pasupathy, J. D. Chakravarthy and Prakash Raj. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman. The film's title is a famous phrase from a poem... |
2002 |
| "Poralae Ponnuthayi (sad)" | Karuththamma Karuththamma Karuthamma is a Tamil feature film directed by Bharathiraja. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. The film was noticed as a milestone in the Tamil Film Industry. Bharathiraja even told that this film is the finest one that he ever done... |
1993 |
| "Madrasa Sutthi" | May Madham May Madham May Madham is a 1994 Tamil romance film loosely based on the Hollywood romantic film Roman Holiday, directed by Venus Balu and music by A. R. Rahman. The film features Vineeth and Sonali Kulkarni in the lead roles and has art direction by Thotta Tharani... |
1994 |
| "Mel Isaiye" | Mr. Romeo Mr. Romeo Mr. Romeo is a Tamil language film directed by noted director, Ravi who directed En Swasa Kaatre. The film had music by A. R. Rahman. The film starred Prabhu Deva in a double role and his love interests are portrayed by top bollywood actresses Shilpa Shetty and Madhoo with Vadivelu in key role.-... |
1996 |
| "Ulunthu Vithaikayilae" | Mudhalvan Mudhalvan Mudhalvan is a 1999 Tamil political thriller film co-written and directed by S. Shankar. The film features Arjun, Manisha Koirala and Raghuvaran in the lead roles with Manivannan, Vijayakumar and Hanifa portraying other significant roles. The film featured an award-winning soundtrack composed by... |
1999 |
| "Chittukuruvi" | Parasuram Parasuram (film) Parasuram is a 2003 Tamil language film starring Arjun Sarja, Abbas, Goundamani, Kiran Rathod, and others. The film entails the efforts of Officer Parasuram against Akash, a terrorist who converts the youth of India into suicide bombers.-Plot:... |
2003 |
| "Mottu Vittatha" | Pavithra Pavithra Pavithra is a Tamil film directed by K. Subhash under his home banner, Dhanooja Films. The film features Raadhika in the lead role with Nassar and Ajith Kumar in supporting roles. The film's music was by A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Vairamuthu, who won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics for the... |
1994 |
| "Hai Rama" | Rangeela Rangeela (film) Rangeela is a 1995 Hindi film directed by Ram Gopal Varma, and starring Aamir Khan, Jackie Shroff and Urmila Matondkar.Rangeela was music director A. R. Rahman's debut Hindi film with an original score, as the previous ones were dubbed from his Tamil scores... |
1995 |
| "Lucky Lucky" | Ratchagan Ratchagan Ratchagan is a 1997 Tamil action film, directed by Praveen Gandhi, starring Nagarjuna and Sushmita Sen in the lead role. It also starred Raghuvaran, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vadivelu and Girish Karnad. The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman... |
1997 |
| "Mercury Pookal" | Ratchagan Ratchagan Ratchagan is a 1997 Tamil action film, directed by Praveen Gandhi, starring Nagarjuna and Sushmita Sen in the lead role. It also starred Raghuvaran, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vadivelu and Girish Karnad. The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman... |
1997 |
| "Kummi Adi" | Sillunu Oru Kadhal | 2006 |
| "Kadhal Yogi" | Taalam Taal (film) Taal is a 1999 Hindi film directed by Subhash Ghai. Taal was an official selection by Roger Ebert for his 2005 Overlooked Film Festival. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Aishwarya Rai, Amrish Puri and Alok Nath. It was also dubbed in Tamil as Thaalam... |
1999 |
| "Kuliruthu Kuliruthu" | Taj Mahal | 1999 |
| "Poongatrile" | Uyire Dil Se Dil Se is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Mani Ratnam. The film stars Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Preity Zinta. Mani Ratnam also co-wrote the screenplay for the film... |
1998 |
| "Rakozhi Rendu" | Uzhavan | 1993 |
| "Yae Muthu Paapa" | Vandicholai Chinraasu Vandicholai Chinraasu Vandicholai Chinraasu is a 1994 Tamil film directed by Manoj Kumar. This remains the only Sathyaraj movie where A R Rahman composed the music. This movie was directed by Manojkumar.-Soundtrack:... |
1994 |
In Ilaiyaraja's music
{| claThe numbers based on the same tune ‘Povoema Oorkolam’ and ‘Nee Yengae Enn Anbae’ from the film Chinnathambi was huge hits. Songs like these made Swarnalatha the singing voice of Khushbu who was ruling the roost as a Super Star for whom fans had built a temple. One might even say that a good percentage the temple built for Khushbu should belong to Swarnalatha. Government of Tamil Nadu honoured her with the award of Best Singer for the song ‘Povoema Oorkolam’.With her song ‘Aattama Therottama’ in the film Captain Prabhakaran she proved that she was incomparable in singing peppy dance numbers as well. Many songs, one different from the other, from Ilayaraja-Swarnalatha combine like ‘Maasi Maasam Aalana Ponnu’ from Dharmadurai, ‘Malliye Chinna Mullaye’ and ‘Kaana Karunkuyile’ from Paandidurai, ‘Kuyil Paattu Vandhadenna’ from En Rasaavin Manasile, ‘Malligai Mottu Manasa Thottu’ from Shakthivel, ‘Ennulle Ennulle’ from film Valli, ‘Vedalappulla Nesathukku’ from film Periya Marudhu and ‘Rajaadhi Raja Un Thandhirangal’ from film Mannan went on to become big hits. Their song ‘Raakkamma Kayyathattu’ from the film Thalapathi figured in BBC’s Hits List of world songs. Swarnalatha’s song from the film Veera, ‘Malaikkoyil Vaasalil Kaarthigai Deepam Minnuthe’, is a rare and nostalgic song.
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Song
! Movie
|-
| "Sollividu Velli Nilave"
| Amaidhi Padai
|-
| "Mana Madurai"
| Anthapuram
|-
| "Kuruvi Kudaintha"
| Azhagi
Azhagi
Azhagi is a Tamil film directed by Thankar Bachchan. The film is critically acclaimed and stars Parthiban, Nandita Das and Devayani. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Ilaiyaraaja.-Plot:...
|-
| "Aattama Therottama"
| Captain Prabhakaran
Captain Prabhakaran
Captain Prabhakaran is a 1991 Tamil action film directed by R. K. Selvamani. It features Vijayakanth in the lead role. It also features Mansoor Ali Khan, Roopini, and Ramya Krishnan. Sarath Kumar appears in a small role. It was Vijayakanth's 100th film; he earned the nickname "Captain" after this...
|-
| "Malaiyil Yaaro"
| Chathriyan
|-
| "Chithra Kili"
| Chinna Devan
|-
| "Adi Vannathi Poo"
| Chinna Jamin
|-
| "Onnapoothttu"
| Chinna Jamin
|-
| "Anthiyila Vanam"
| Chinnavar
|-
| "Povomma Oorkolam"
| Chinna Thambi
Chinna Thambi
Chinna Thambi is a 1991 Indian Tamil language film starring Prabhu Ganesan and Kushboo Sundar. Chinna Thambi starring Prabhu in the role of Chinna Thambi an uneducated village simpleton and Kushboo as Nandini who is a home tutored wealthy girl, is a story of love, family bonds and typical south...
|-
| "Nee Enge"
| Chinna Thambi
Chinna Thambi
Chinna Thambi is a 1991 Indian Tamil language film starring Prabhu Ganesan and Kushboo Sundar. Chinna Thambi starring Prabhu in the role of Chinna Thambi an uneducated village simpleton and Kushboo as Nandini who is a home tutored wealthy girl, is a story of love, family bonds and typical south...
|-
| "Naan Aerikkarai"
| Chinnaththaayi
|-
| "Kattu Kuyil Pattu"
| Chinna Mapillai
Chinna Mapillai (film)
Chinna Mapillai is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language film starring Prabhu Ganesan, Sukanya, Visu.The film was remade in hindi as Coolie No.1.-Plot:Prabhu is a kind-hearted poor man who works as a coolie in bus stand...
|-
| "Vennilavu Kothipathu"
| Chinna Mapillai
Chinna Mapillai (film)
Chinna Mapillai is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language film starring Prabhu Ganesan, Sukanya, Visu.The film was remade in hindi as Coolie No.1.-Plot:Prabhu is a kind-hearted poor man who works as a coolie in bus stand...
|-
| "Semparathi Poovukku"
| Dharma
|-
| "Maasi Masam"
| Dharma Dorai
Dharma Dorai
-External links:**...
|-
| "Mana Magalea"
| Devar Magan
|-
| "Vayasu Vantha"
| En Mana Vaanil
En Mana Vaanil
En Mana Vaanil is a 2002 Tamil film directed by Vinayan. The film stars Jayasurya, Kavya Madhavan and Vadivelu. This film is the remake of the Malayalam film Oomappenninu Uriyadappayyan....
|-
| "Kuyil Paatu"
| En Rasavin Mansilae
|-
| "Uthama Puthiri"
| Guru Sishyan
|-
| "Aradi Suvaruthan"
| Ithu Namma Bhomi
|-
| "Oru Pokiri Rathiri"
| Ithu Namma Bhomi
|-
| "Kooyil Mani Kettene"
| Kanna Unnai Thedukiren
|-
| "Enga Then Paandi"
| Kattabomman
|-
| "Adi Asa Machan"
| Kummipattu
|-
| "Oorukku Thekkuttu"
| Kummipattu
|-
| "Ammiyila Araichi"
| Kummipattu
|-
| "Uchi Veyilukku"
| Kummipattu
|-
| "Nee Thane Nal Thorum"
| Paatu Vathiyar
|-
| "Kana Karunk Kuyilae"
| Paandithurai
|-
| "Malliye Chinna Mullaye"
| Paandithurai
|-
| "Vidalapulla"
| Periya Maruthu
|-
| "Vidai Kodu"
| Piriyadha Varam Vendum
Piriyadha Varam Vendum
Piriyadha Varam Vendum is a Tamil film released in 2001. The movie stars Prashanth, Shalini, and Manivannan and was directed by Kamal. The music is by S. A. Rajkumar. The film was the remake of Malayalam blockbuster Niram.-Plot:...
|-
| "Ooradangum Samathilea"
| Puthupatti Ponnuthaye
|-
| "Malligai Mottu"
| Sakthi Vel
|-
| "Kalaiyil Kettathu"
| Senthamizh Pattu
|-
| "Punnaivana Poonkuyile"
| Sevvanthi
|-
| "Margalithan Odipochu"
| Thalapathi
Thalapathi
Thalapathi is a 1991 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and produced by G. Venkateswaran under the banner of G. V. Films. The film stars Rajnikanth, Mammootty and Shobana in the lead roles with Arvind Swamy, Srividya, Amrish Puri, Bhanupriya, Nagesh, and Charuhasan essaying...
|-
| "Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu"
| Thalapathi
Thalapathi
Thalapathi is a 1991 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and produced by G. Venkateswaran under the banner of G. V. Films. The film stars Rajnikanth, Mammootty and Shobana in the lead roles with Arvind Swamy, Srividya, Amrish Puri, Bhanupriya, Nagesh, and Charuhasan essaying...
|-
| "Ennai Thottu"
| Unnai Nenachaen Paattu Padichaen
|-
| "Ennulle Ennulle"
| Valli
Valli (film)
Valli is a Tamil language movie directed by the Tamil Director K. Nataraj. It stars Rajinikanth in a guest role with Suresh and Priyaraman in the lead roles.The film's music was composed by maestro Ilayaraja...
|-
| "Unnai Ethir Parthen"
| Vanaja Kirija
|-
| "Sirakadikuthu Kuruvi"
| Vanaja Kirija
|-
| "Aajare"
| Vishnu
Vishnu (film)
Vishnu is a 1995 Tamil movie starring Joseph Vijay, Jaishankar and Sanghavi. The music is composed by Deva. The film is directed by Vijay's father, S. A. Chandrasekar.-Plot:...
|-
| "Naan Thanga Roja"
| Time
|-
| "Malai Kovil Vasalil"
| Veera
|-
| "Madathile Kanni"
| Veera
|}
Notable Malayalam film songs
{| class="wikitable" border="1"|-
! Song
! Movie
|-
|"Kadamizhiyil Kamaldalam"
|Thenkasipattanam
Thenkasipattanam
Thenkasipattanam is a 2000 Malayalam comedy musical film written and directed by Rafi Mecartin, produced by Lal, and starring Suresh Gopi and Lal. Others in the cast include Dileep, Samyuktha Varma, Geethu Mohandas, Kavya Madhavan, Salim Kumar, and Spadikam George.-Synopsis:Kannan and Dasappan...
|-
|"Manikkakkallal Menju Menanju"
|Varnapakittu
Varnapakittu
Varnapakittu is a 1997 Malayalam film directed by I. V. Sasi. Mohanlal and Meena play the lead roles.-Plot:Sunny Palamatom is an established businessman in Singapore. He enjoys a flamboyant life with his girlfriend Sandra Valookaran . His business rival, Mohammad Ali, was a partner who left after...
|-
|"Nandalaala Hey Nandalaala"
|Independence
Independence (film)
Independence is a 1999 Malayalam movie directed by Vinayan starring Kalabhavan Mani, Vani Viswanath and Indraja in the lead roles.- Cast :* Rajan P. Dev* Sphadikam George* Cochin Haneefa* Indraja* Kushboo Sundar* Krishna * Manka Mahesh...
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|"Pottukuthedi Pudavachoodedi"
|Ravanaprabhu
Ravanaprabhu
Raavanaprabhu is a 2001 Malayalam musical action-drama film written and directed by Ranjith. It is a sequel to the 1993 film Devaasuram which was scripted by Ranjith. The film is the directorial debut of Ranjith, who had previously worked as a screenwriter...
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|"Balla Balla Ballare"
|Punjabi House
Punjabi House
Punjabi House is a 1998 Malayalam comedy musical film written and directed by Rafi Mecartin, starring Dileep, Mohini, Lal, Cochin Hanifa, Harisree Asokan, Neena Kurup, and Janardanan. The music was composed by Suresh Peters and it was his debut film...
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|"Varthingal Thellalle"
|Dreamz
Dreamz
Dreamz is a Malayalam film released in the year 2000. The film stars Suresh Gopi, Meena, Abbas, Rahman and others. The movie is directed by Shajoon Kariyal and produced by Kerala Pictures...
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|"Akkuthikkuthaanakkompel"
|Mangalya Soothram
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|"Kannoram Kanamuthe Vaa"
|Ishtamanu Nooruvattam
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|"Manjil Pootha Sandhye"
|Minnaminunginum Minnukettu
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|"Neeyonnu Paad"
|Thacholi Varghese Chekavar
Thacholi Varghese Chekavar
Thacholi Varghese Chekavar is 1995 Malayalam action film starring Mohanlal and Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar.- Plot :Varghese is a Kalari master. Shyam is his favorite disciple. Once he comes to his master saying that he is in love with a girl called Maya...
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|"Oru Thari Kasthoori"
|Highway
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Notable Telugu film songs
{| class="wikitable" border="1"|-
! Song
! Movie
! Music director
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|"Yamuna Thatilo"
|Thalapathi
Thalapathi
Thalapathi is a 1991 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and produced by G. Venkateswaran under the banner of G. V. Films. The film stars Rajnikanth, Mammootty and Shobana in the lead roles with Arvind Swamy, Srividya, Amrish Puri, Bhanupriya, Nagesh, and Charuhasan essaying...
|Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter...
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|"Raama Chilakamma"
|Choodalani Vundi
Choodalani Vundi
Choodalani Vundi is a 1998 Tollywood film directed Gunasekhar and produced by Ashwini Dutt. This film stars Chiranjeevi, Soundarya, Prakash Raj, and Anjala Zaveri. This is the last movie in which veteran actor Dhulipala starred in. The film collected around 16 crores, the highest at that time. It...
|Mani Sharma
Mani Sharma
Mani Sharma Yanamandra is a music director known for his works in Tollywood. He has composed music for over 140 films. He is popularly known as "Swara Brahma" for his contributions to music in Tollywood. Mani Sharma started his career as a music director in 1998. Before that Sharma used to work...
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|"Paataku Praanam"
|Vasu
Vasu
In Hinduism, the Vasus are attendant deities of Indra, and later Vishnu. They are eight elemental gods representing aspects of nature, representing cosmic natural phenomenon. The name Vasu means 'Dweller' or 'Dwelling'...
|Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj is an Indian film composer. He has written scores and soundtracks for Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films.- Early life :Harris Jayaraj hails from a pious Christian Nadar family and was born and brought up in Chennai. Harris studied at Krishnaswamy Matric School, Nungambakam. His father,...
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|"O muthyalakomma (almost all songs)"
|Osei ramulamma
|Vandemataram Sreenivas
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|"Prarthana"
|Devi
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...
|Devi sri prasad
Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad is a music composer and playback singer in Telugu and Tamil films. His soundtracks have been dubbed or remade in several other languages as well.- Awards :...
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|"Nizam Babulu"
|Premante Idera
Premante Idera
Premante Idera is a Telugu movie, released in 1998 starring Preity Zinta and Venkatesh. It was dubbed into Hindi as Dulhan Dilwale Ki in 2001.- Synopsis :...
|Ramana Gogula
Ramana Gogula
Ramana Kumar Gogula is a music director in Telugu films. He formed his own rock-and-roll band in Vizag at the age of 17. Since then, he has traveled around the world as a software professional and music director. His most famous albums are the musical scores to the movies Thammudu,adavilo anna,...
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