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Journalism of Courage
Chitra loves challenges. For her, no project is difficult enough to shirk from. So naturally, when Sony Music asked her to team up with Ustad Sultan Khan for an album, she didnacirc;euro;trade;t refuse, although she knew that cutting an album with the Ustad would be like attempting to get cosy on an unfamiliar terrain. Her apprehensions were valid. Ustad Sultan Khan, with his heavy Pathan accent, is essentially a qawwal, while Chitra is a singer trained in a variety of genres. The unfamiliarity notwithstanding, Chitra went ahead and recorded Piya Basanti with Khan. To her utter surprise, the album is a chartbuster. acirc;euro;oelig;I didnacirc;euro;trade;t expect Piya Basanti to be so successful. It was an experiment which worked,acirc;euro; she says.
Similarly, Sunset Point with Gulzar was yet another opportunity for experimentation, in which Chitra renders the soulful notes of a loveracirc;euro;trade;s heart with great beauty, while Gulzar narrates the story. acirc;euro;oelig;I didnacirc;euro;trade;t get much time to rehearse before this album was recorded. Gulzar sahab picked me up from the airport and took me straight to the studio. It was a wonderful experience working with such a brilliant poet. He appreciated my efforts,acirc;euro; a visibly proud Chitra admits.
Born at Tiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Chitra learnt the basics of music from her father, Krishnan Nair, himself an accomplished singer. She won a National Talent Search Scholarship for post-graduation in music at Kerala University, where she trained under the tutelage of Professor K Omanakutty.
Coming from a non-Hindi speaking state, equipped with just a functional knowledge of Hindi, Chitra deserves full credit for rendering in Hindi flawlessly. How does she manage that? acirc;euro;oelig;True, I have a functional knowledge of Hindi. But music has no barriers of language. The fact that I have sung in so many languages only reiterates that one need not be a languist to sing in a particular language. I learnt Hindi, can read and write it, but cannot speak in it. But when it comes to singing, I donacirc;euro;trade;t face any difficulty,acirc;euro; she says. Ask her about the difference between working in South Indian cinema and Bollywood, and pat comes the reply: acirc;euro;oelig;In the South, people are punctual. People are more laidback in Mumbai. Nobody utters a word if a singer or an actor reaches the location even two-three hours late, which is why perhaps films get completed pretty fast in the South compared to Bollywood. One hardly hears about South Indian directors dragging on the shooting of a film for years.acirc;euro;
But Chitra does not see any difference between music used in South Indian cinema and Hindi movies. acirc;euro;oelig;A R Rehman is as popular in the South as in Mumbai. Singers like Hari Haran and Udit Narayan have sung for Telugu films. There is a large fan following of Asha Bhonsle down South,acirc;euro; Chitra points out, adding, acirc;euro;oelig;I come from the South, but my songs in Hindi films are more popular. Whenever I go to perform in shows abroad, people want me to sing Yeh Haseen Wadiyan or Kehna Hi Kya.acirc;euro;
Some of the puritans of the Indian music world have expressed fear that traditional music faces a threat from the MTV generation of musicians. Chitra refuses to subscribe to this view. Disapproving of the argument of hardliners, she says: acirc;euro;oelig;It is a case of misplaced paranoia. I watch Antakshari and Sa Re Ga Ma regularly. Most of the participants are young and they sing old Hindi film songs. Which means that traditional music is still popular with the younger generation. Just because youngsters watch MTV, does not mean that they have forgotten their roots.acirc;euro;
Having made a mark in both South Indian Cinema and Hindi cinema and having cut successful albums, Chitra now wants to do acirc;euro;oelig;something differentacirc;euro;. She now wants to cut a ghazal album. acirc;euro;oelig;I have always been fascinated by this genre of Urdu poetry. My love for ghazal grew after I recorded with Ustad Sultan Khan and Gulzar. No other form of music can capture emotions as potently as ghazals can do. Every time I hear Asha Bhonsle sing a ghazal, I crave to do it myself. I canacirc;euro;trade;t claim to be capable of singing like Ashaji, but I will give it a try. I am looking for an Urdu teacher. I donacirc;euro;trade;t want to sing ghazals before Iacirc;euro;trade;m adept at the language,acirc;euro;she says with conviction.
Going by Chitraacirc;euro;trade;s achievements so far, one wouldnacirc;euro;trade;t want to question her capability to overcome hurdles. Right now, though, she is working on yet another album with Sony Music. acirc;euro;oelig;It will be a solo album,acirc;euro; is all that Chitra wants to give out about it for the moment.
