When you talk about Kavita Krishnamurti, many hit songs spring to mind. Five of them are ‘ Hawa Hawaii ’ from Mr India , ‘ Na Jaane Kahan Se ’ from Chaalbaaz , ‘ Pyar Hua Chupke Se ’ from 1942: A Love Story , ‘ Tu Hi Re ’ from Bombay and ‘ Aaj Main Oopar ’ from Khamoshi: The Musical . For a decade from the late 1980s, she and Alka Yagnik ruled the female playback singing world.
The ace singer who was awarded a Padma Shri in 2005, is now ready for her mega-show at the Shanmukhananda Hall, Sion, on Sunday. Though she has been performing in Mumbai regularly, this concert will showcase a wide range of her repertoire. “I don’t normally plan things, and while I will sing the popular hits, I will be singing as per the audience’s mood. But I just don’t want to sing songs at a stretch,” she says.
Straddling genres
Krishnamurti elaborates that the show will pay tribute to some of the great musicians she has worked with, and she will also narrate anecdotes about certain songs and incidents. Chetan Rana will join her on vocals. When she started her career, Krishamurthi focused more on stage shows, before eventually getting into jingles. Her grounding was Hindustani classical and Rabindra Sangeet. After moving from New Delhi to Mumbai for college, she got a break through Hemant Kumar and did concerts with him, Manna Dey and Talat Mahmood.
Krishnamurti got a chance to sing in various languages and was recognised for her song in Girish Karnad’s Kannada 1978 film Ondanandu Kaladalli . In Hindi film music, she began by dubbing songs for Laxmikant-Pyarelal, many of which were recorded by Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Though she did most of her early work with Laxmikant-Pyarelal, she also worked with other music directors like R.D. Burman, Bappi Lahiri, Jatin-Lalit, Anu Malik, A.R. Rahman and Ismail Darbar. She says, “My songs with Ismailji in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas would rate among my best.”
Personal milestones
After getting married to violinist L. Subramaniam in 1999, Krishamurthi began doing a lot of fusion work and devotional music, besides concerts with orchestras. “This was very challenging as it required a very different approach. I don’t read music, so I have to memorise my parts and watch the conductor for the right cues. But it exposed me to many new styles and cultures in different countries,” she says.
Based in Bengaluru, Krishnamurti also spends time with the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa). She says, “One of its objectives is to teach music in schools in a fun manner. My children Bindu and Ambi are totally involved with that, while my husband takes care of the advanced level.”
Why has she cut down on playback singing? She responds, “I wouldn't say I have consciously cut down. Everything has changed in film music. If I get songs that suit my style, I am ready to accept them.”
