Haricharan looks every bit like the studious friend you had in school. The kind that do well in maths and science, study extra hard to get into IIT and fly to the US.
Certainly not the type who’d jump and dance on stage to get a crowd, peeved with the rains and traffic, up and going. But that’s exactly what the genteel singer — of hits like ‘Thuli Thuli’, ‘Arabu Naade’ and the numbers in Kochadaiyaan and Kaaviya Thalaivan — did at the Music Academy on Friday evening.
Performing a special concert for Rotary Club of Madras Golden City in aid of providing basic infrastructure for a government school in Puzhal, Haricharan — with apt musical accompaniment from Bennet and the Band — not only managed to get the crowd grooving to his musical hits but also touched an emotional chord with his soulful renditions.
He kick-started the proceedings, quite aptly, with ‘Vaanga Makka Vaanga’, one of his many numbers in Kaaviya Thalaivan and followed it up with a fast-paced ‘Thuli Thuli’ ( Paiyya ) and a soulful ‘Aariro’( Deiva Thirumagal ).
“I’m thankful to Joshua (Sridhar) for giving me an opportunity to get into films,” announced the singer, before proceeding to deliver the memorable ‘Unakenna Iruppen’ from Kaadhal that announced the singer to the world.
Haricharan’s classical background is something he cannot ignore, but can use to his advantage. “Classical training is a must for any singer,” he said, before producing a highly-improvised piece of the popular kriti Alaipayuthe and a medley of late composer M.S.Viswanathan’s numbers.
Pooja, who shot to fame thanks to the reality TV show ‘Super Singer’, provided apt accompaniment especially for the segments showcasing Ilaiyaraaja and A.R.Rahman hits. In keeping with requests from the audience, he also delivered some popular Hindi songs (‘Mitwa Mitwa’ from Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna ) to keep the energy intact.
Published - November 14, 2015 02:43 pm IST
