Mrs Harini 

Harini, a young carnatic singer also dabbles in to-day’s cine field. A mother of two children, she is absolutely a down to earth person. Here is a telephonic interview with Harini. Her husband Mr.Tippu is an equally popular singer and the duo heads for a brighter future in their singing career...

 1.     How much is it different to sing a Karnatic song to a film song?

 

Both fields are different. In Karnatic song, the in-depth pronunciation of the song is important. Where as, in a film song, you are expected to sing in a lighter way. Technology too has its influence in today’s cine field.

 

2.     Could you explain as how?

 

Now, through technology, singer’s voice could be processed to suit a situation in a movie. Even if you don’t have a Karnatic base, you can sing film songs. In the cine field, expression is considered the most important.

 

3.     Is it possible to excel in both Karnatic field and Cine field?

 

I don’t think there is any female singer, now excelling in both fields. There are a few male singers as Mr.Yesudoss, Mr.Unnikrishnan who excels in both fields. They say, women voice could get strained, if they try to overdo. Female singers has to essentialy balance between karnatic songs and film songs.

 

4.     What should one do to withstand in the cinefield? 

 

First, One should be dedicated to their singing career. They should also be lucky. They should maintain a good relationship with all people. They should also work hard.

 

5.     Do you think play back singing is becoming  highly a competitive field now?

 

Definitely, yes. There are a lot of music directors being introduced. Earlier, orthodox families were bit shy of letting their daughters sing in the play back singing. Now, the trend has changed. It is more becoming an open field. Hence there are a number of singers getting introduced. So, now it is definitely a competitive field.

 

6.     How long does it take to record a song?

 

If it is for a movie, then it takes two to three hours for a song to record. For a title song of TV serials, then it takes about one hour. You should have the aptitude to pick up and sing that quickly.

 

7.     Have you performed in many countries?

 

Yes, I have performed in USA, Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Srilanka, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Kuwait and in Singapore.

 

8.     What is your experience with Singapore?

 

I consider Singapore to be my special place. When I had come to Singapore during late 90’s for a show, I was a beginner then. The compeer asked the crowd as, which singer would they like to perform? There were a number of established singers, and the crowd started to shout my name as ‘Harini’. They wanted me to sing the song from the movie, ‘Nerukku Ner’. I was very much thrilled then.

 

9.     Where and how did you meet your husband?

 

I met my husband Mr.Tippu in 2001 in Australia in one of the Deva Sir’s program. We thought we could get along well and so we decided to marry.

 

10.Whom do you attribute your success to?

 

To my family and to my Gurus Mrs. Radha Viswanathan (Tmt. M.S. Subbalakshmi’s daughter), Mrs. Girisha and Mrs. Suguna Purushothaman.