It’s interesting how 90s and early 2000s Bollywood music holds such strong anecdotal value. Even when played through random taxi stereos or on those 90s-obsessed radio channels, a flood of memories rushes through our minds. I remember noticing a shop owner near one of my previous workplaces who echoed this sentiment in his way. He would often play the title track of Tum Bin, sung by K. S. Chithra, and the frequency was oddly consistent. On average, I’d hear the song at least three days a week, softly playing from his desktop speakers, not loud enough to distract, but always present. I was quite certain he played it on other days too, but perhaps my erratic timings made me miss it.
One fine day, when the song was nearing its end, I decided to walk in, pretending to be a casual passerby. As I stepped out, I casually asked him what drew him so much to that particular song. Predictably, he turned out to be a bit of a talker. He shared how the song reminded him of someone special who is no longer around. He added, quite simply, that Chithra’s voice doesn’t feel like it’s coming from a machine — it feels as if it’s straight from the heart. That simple, heartfelt rationale explains why the song remains evergreen to this day.
As I observe the Bollywood music industry today, it shows little to no trace of its illustrious legacy of non-film music. Songs with strong melodic foundations are few and far between. That is where I cannot help but say that listeners today do not deserve a talent like K. S. Chithra, who continues to reign supreme in South India. The same goes for the magnificent lineup of playback singers and performers such as Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shaan, KK, Sanjeevani, Jaspinder Narula, and many others who now face profound neglect.
No, I am not stuck in the 1990s. These are voices behind songs that still receive love and patronage. The 1990s throwback phenomenon is no joke, to begin with. Songs from previous eras never enjoyed the kind of nostalgia value these tracks command today.
What is even more disheartening is how today’s vocalists, with their limited talent and fleeting success, seem more concerned about a blogger ignoring them on a red carpet or lamenting the absence of a female equivalent of Arijit Singh. To each her own, I suppose.
Anyway, I will save my sarcasm for another day and would rather revisit a collection of K. S. Chithra’s Hindi and Urdu melodies, some popular and some overlooked, that have enchanted us over the years.
The baby steps…
A sensation in South India, Chithra made her grand entry into Bollywood with South Indian producer Suresh Krishna’s Salman Khan and Revathy starrer Love. Saathiya Tune Kya Kiya, anyone? The song, featuring the hit vocal pair of that era, Chithra and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, became an instant hit and gave a significant boost to composers Anand Milind. Years later, the song was reintroduced in Mahalaxmi Iyer’s voice as a tribute to Revathy, who was making a comeback with 2 States.
Chithra’s rise in Bollywood was swift as A. R. Rahman burst onto the Indian music scene with Roja. The honeyed Yeh Haseen Waadiyan from the soundtrack remains a regular on television and radio. Even after twenty-five glorious years, the album feels as fresh as a bunch of English daisies. Rahman, I tell you.
Interestingly, one of Chithra’s early songs, Tere Liye Jaanam, from the 1994 hit Suhaag, carried a rather obvious resemblance to the title track of Roja. Anand Milind, turning out to be ardent Rahman admirers, hired the same singers, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and Chithra, to render this beautiful number. Well.
On a different note, here is a rare R. D. Burman song sung by Chithra and Vinod Rathod.
Fruitful associations…
One thing I take pride in is the fact that my (personal) favourite musicians from Bollywood were the ones to utilize Chithra’s voice to the optimum in the industry – A R Rahman, Anu Malik, and Sandesh Shandilya.
Having worked with her during his days as an instrumentalist in Chennai, A R Rahman hiring her for his compositions never came as a surprise. From the angelic Kehna Hi Kya (Bombay), the National Award-winning Ooh La La La (Sapnay – the award was for its Tamil counterpart) to the peppy Yaaro Sunlo Zara (Rangeela) and the operatic Jaage Hain Der Tak (Guru), their association in Bollywood is one for keeps.
For Anu Malik, the process seemed more organic. A favourite with Telugu producers, Chithra was recommended by South Indian producers in their frequent Bollywood outings. In one such association, Chithra made two songs with Anu Malik in Haathkhadi – including the coquettish Jawaani Mein Aag. Soon they collaborated in the remake of Tamil/Telugu hit Sooryavansham, wherein Malik recreated one of Chithra’s hit numbers as Dil Mere Tu Deewana Hai. The duo eventually developed remarkable working chemistry and went on to give gems like Raat Ka Nasha (Asoka), Hum Bhool Gaye (Aks), and the National Award-winning Payalay Chunmun Chunmun (Virasat). Malik eventually gave her an entire album in Rajshri’s much-hyped Kareena Kapoor-Hrithik Roshan-Abhishek Bachchan vehicle Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon!
In songs that possess incredible shelf life, we only wish the actors had saved their priceless expressions for a different film.
Sandesh Shandilya, a disciple of Ustad Sultan Khan, tapped into Chithra’s immense versatility in his 2000 album Piya Basanti, created in collaboration with Khan. A runaway success, the album remains the biggest Indipop hit for everyone involved. In later years, Shandilya continued to feature her voice in projects like Uuf Kya Jadoo Mohabbat Hai and Agnivarsha, among others.
It is also interesting how composers Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen forged an interesting union with her in Guddu Dhanoa directorials (Ziddi, Salaakhen, and Aflatoon), all of which had Chithra hogging the audio inlay cards.
The goddess of hummings…
Hum Tumse Na Kuch Keh Paaye reminds me of how Chithra brought her expertise in aalaps to Bollywood with effortless grace.
It is notable how, after the solo reign of veterans like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, Bollywood began to reimagine its female vocals. The industry saw a surge in item numbers, exaggerated expressions, and in-your-face lyrics. Subtleties, intricate detailing, and improvisations rooted in classical music gradually gave way to massy, saleable propositions. Except for a few exceptions in films like Raja Hindustani, Mohra, and a handful of others, hummings were slowly fading into extinction.
Chithra, whose aalap’s were a rage down South, made full use of her classical expertise in her Bollywood music career. If you notice her debut number Saathiya Tune Kya Kiya (Love), Tu Maange Dil (Aflatoon), or Tu Mile (Criminal), there were segments reserved for her luscious hummings.
A top favourite? Those heavenly aalaps that cut across Kumar Sanu’s vocals in antara and charan portions of Payalay Chunmun Chunmun…
Far, far away from stereotypes….
Being versatile came easily to Chithra, as a reason of which she never really got slotted into a certain category. While she added the right shades of melancholy to compositions as Tum Bin (Tum Bin) and Raat Hamari Toh (Parineeta), Chithra didn’t stop being super-sultry in Asoka’s Raat Ka Nasha or spunky-sensuous in Armaan’s Mere Dil Ka Tumse Hai Kehna.
Koi Mil Gaya’s regular heroine tone was a mere cakewalk for her, as was Zakhm and Filhaal’s lilting lullabies.
Stage performances to die for…
Chithra belongs to a generation of singers who revere the stage and the microphone. Every time I have attended one of her concerts, I have seen her pause to pay respect to the stage before stepping on it. This is a generation that could never fathom the idea of autotune or create hype by lip-syncing to their own songs. Equally admirable are her frequent concerts for the underprivileged, with proceeds going directly to welfare initiatives.
No Chithra concert is ever complete without an impromptu encore session, where she takes song requests from anyone and everyone in the audience.
Here are some of my favourite stage performances of hers in Hindi. It is heartwarming to see how her admirers respond in the comments section with such affection and nostalgia.
Riding high on Indipop
If you were a ’90s kid, you would know how Indipop numbers became part and parcel of your lives. Chithra was quick to join the bandwagon with a relatively low-key debut in Ragga Raaga with Voodoo Rapper. Composed by Salim-Sulaiman, this album features Chithra as a fortune teller in the music video.
Chithra eventually joined the elite club by cutting the album Sunset Point with Bhupinder, featuring poetry and lyrics by Gulzar, set to tune by Vishal Bhardwaj.
A gold-certified album, Piya Basanti also featured an array of songs that showcased Chithra’s versatility further. The folksy Surmayee Aankhen with a Nepali prelude is not only a gem of a number, but also gives closure to the abrupt way the title song ended.
The trio returned a few years later in T-Series’ album Ustad and The Divas that featured a dreamy ditty Haaye Re, Raat Bhar…
Later in the decade, Chithra cut a ghazal album, Kehna Hai Maine Yaad Kiy, composed by Afsar and Sajid. A bouquet of five solo numbers, the album showcased the singer’s vocal perfection yet again. She further proved her fondness for ghazals as she collaborated with Pandit Ramesh Narayan for another exclusive album, Andaaz, which offered serene melodies like the one below.
If at all you are looking for an icing on the cake, here’s Chithra’s lilting duet with A R Rahman in the latter’s album from 2013 – Raunaq!
A surprising crossover
Most of Chithra’s fans are well aware of her international ventures that are far and few between. What came recently as a pleasant surprise was her song for the famous Pakistani TV show Bholi Bano. A simple romantic number with great emphasis on expressions had the listeners from Pakistan in awe.
If I were to make a wish on Chithra’s birthday, I would make one for a magnificent return to the Bollywood music scene. Even it happens to be for a single melody, it will satiate her Bollywood fans for years to come.
ALSO READ: When a fanboy profiles his favourite celebrity – K S Chithra
Well written. Bollywood has never showed any interest in promoting singers from South while we have welcomed them with open arms. KJ Yesudas, Vani Jayaram and KS Chitra are victims of filthy politics.
I cant thank you enough for writing this article. The disappointment I have had for not utilizing Chitra and SPB in bollywood is immense. I was was able to relate to this article on a personal level. Even If the majority don’t realise it, It gives me a sense of relaxation when I get to know there are others who share my emotion. Thanks a million times 🙂