Watch: Madras Day | Why Chennai is special for singers Unnikrishnan, Uthara
Unnikrishnan hums the tune of ‘Narumugaiye’ (Iruvar) as he gets ready for a photoshoot. Uthara walks in and completes it.
At their sea-facing ninth floor residence on ECR, music is a common topic of discussion.
Unnikrishnan and Uthara
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B
And why not? In 1994, Unnikrishnan won the National Award for his debut film song, ‘Ennavale’ in Kaadhalan. Twenty years later, in 2014, his daughter, Uthara Unnikrishnan debuted in films with the ‘Azhage’ track in Saivam, which also won a National Award.
While music dominates conversation, the father-duo share other common interests as well, like cricket and Chennai. “The city (Madras) made me a musician and the person I am today,” says Unnikrishnan, who fondly remembers bus rides on 21C and 12B to get to his school in Santhome.
Uthara, on the other hand, enjoys her drive from Muttukadu to her college in Nungambakkam almost every other day. “I love the ECR and it’s really peaceful. I get my best sleep here,” smiles Uthara, adding that she enjoys hanging out with friends at Khader Nawaz Khan Road.
Unnikrishnan and Uthara
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B
On a different pitch
Even as he pursued education and music, a young Unnikrishnan’s eyes were set on one thing: becoming a cricketer. “Cricket was always my first love,” he says, “I got into Santhome Higher Secondary School because of my cricketing skills and not due to my marks. Those two years really shaped my game; I subsequently played for Tamil Nadu Colts and Madras Cricket Club first division league. I remember playing along famous cricketers like Robin Singh, who was so fit that he would complete two runs even before I could finish one. All my first division matches were at Chepauk, which was a great opportunity. Even today, I look forward to unwinding with sports.”
Uthara is no stranger to sport, playing quite a bit of cricket herself too. But she prefers to delve into matters of the mind now; she currently studies Psychology at the MOP College for Women. “I hope to blend it with music someday, and explore music therapy,” she says.
The jump to films
In the Madras of the Nineties, when Unnikrishnan was rising in popularity among the Carnatic music circles, he got his first film break when AR Rahman offered him a song in Kaadhalan. “Rajiv (Menon) had given him a classical album of mine and when this song idea came up, Rahman called me up. It was tricky to make that decision – whether or not to sing that song – because I was totally into Carnatic concerts and was apprehensive whether singing a film song would affect that. I then decided to give it a shot.”
That shot earned Unnikrishnan fame and helped him bag the National Award, which motivated him to do better. “I wanted to prove myself in both Carnatic and film music. It was not easy, because Carnatic music critics came down hard on my decision to sing a film song. Someone even wrote: ‘Kedaram sedaram aayduthu’, referring to the raga used in ‘Ennavale’. Those were all phases in my journey, but I was sure of what I wanted to do.”
Uthara Unnikrishnan in a file photo
Uthara hardly remembers her experience of recording ‘Azhage’ in 2014. “I remember GV Prakash uncle giving my lyrics and song. I fought a lot with my mother about singing it back then!” She shot to the limelight after bagging the National Award. “But it never hit me, because my parents let me be and never forced me to do anything.”
Charting new waters
The Unnikrishnan family now resides close to the sea, but when Unnikrishnan was a child studying in Asan Memorial and later Santhome Higher Secondary School, Mamallapuram and the road leading there, now the ECR, would be part of his school excursions. “Today, we have everything here in the neighbourhood. The views are amazing. After a tiring day, all you need to do is to just look out at the sea….”
Uthra Unnikrishnan and Unnikrishnan in a file photo
They come to the city often to visit their house in Royapettah, where they have lived for many decades. In fact, their apartment there was once the family home, Kesari Kuteeram, where Unnikrishnan’s great grandfather, Dr KN Kesari, lived. “He (Dr KN Kesari) was an ayurvedic physician and a great philanthropist, having founded the Kesari High School in Mylapore and T Nagar. He was also a patron of the arts; in fact, the Music Academy was functioning briefly in our residence when the current building where it stands was being built,” recalls Unnikrishnan.
Unnikrishnan has a wish for Chennai: that it comes up with a state-of-the-art convention centre for the arts. “Chennai is the mecca for classical and film music. The city has fabulous musicians and it would be great to have a facility on the lines of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre here.” Uthara, however, likes Chennai as is. “It has always been my home. I miss the wide roads though; I just wish the Metro Rail construction gets done quickly so that I can drive in peace.”
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