DR. L SUBRAMANIAM, KAVITA SUBRAMANIAM, AMBI & BINDU SUBRAMANIAM

In this issue, we had the privilege of chatting with the musically rich family about their endeavors, what keeps them together, the importance of Classical music, and more. Read on to take a closer look at their journey!

- SRIRAM RAVISHANKAR/ SNEHA RAMESH

Kavita Krishnamurthy

How did you develop a flair for languages and how do you manage to separate the diction of each language?

I would credit a large part of this to my background. I am a Tamilian girl, who was brought up by a Bengali, in Delhi. When I came to Bombay in the 70s, to do jingles, I developed some flexibility with language and pronunciation.

When I was given an Assamese or Oriya jingle, I was able to relate it to Bengali. Singing in South Indian languages was easy because I can speak Tamil. For jingles like “washing powder Nirma,” I took notes on how the words had to be pronounced. But with time, I realized that more than pronouncing the words, it is important to understand the singing intonations and style of every language.

Could you talk about some of the vocal techniques that you have used in your career?

Growing up, I learnt Hindustani music. The radio was a major part of my childhood, and I listened to a lot of film music – especially Lata ji and Manna da.

When I came to Bollywood, it was a bit of a transition. I had to translate what I had learnt to suit the industry. Since every song was script-based, I had to modulate or change the embellishments depending on how the actress was going to emote. That was how I sang Hawa Hawai.

During your times did you face prejudice? According to you, do you think common prejudices still exist in the industry?

I was extremely fortunate to have been warmly welcomed into the industry. Since I was raised by a Bengali, the Bengali music directors accepted me readily. Nobody ever scrutinized my songs to check if I had a South Indian accent. At the time, there were very singers who came into Bollywood and there was some scrutiny overall, but it never affected me.