Thulasi Yethindran still cannot completely comprehend her sudden journey into playback singing. It was as unexpected as it was exciting, especially for someone like her who was not too much into music, she says.
After composer Ratheesh Vega spotted her at a live performance in Thrissur, he offered her a chance to sing in his band ‘Café Love’. She didn’t have to wait long before Vega gave her the soft duet in Cocktail (2010).
The song with Vijay Yesudas, ‘Neeyam Thanalinu…,’ topped the charts and before she could understand what was happening, ‘Mazhaneer thullikal…’ happened. The melody in Beautiful , which became hugely popular, won her a lot of praise even though the film had only Unni Menon’s version.
The B.Com final year student at Rajagiri in Kochi, now feels she is cut out for singing. “The credit, however, goes to my father, who encourages me. I would never have taken music seriously if it were not for him,” she says. Juggling classes and music gets a bit tough, but she manages it nevertheless. “I am from Thrissur and I live in the college hostel in Kochi. But every weekend I go home and somehow find the time to practice,” she says.
Her first solo
In less than two years, Thulasi has sung over 20 songs in 14 films. However, it was in Matinee that she got her first solo, ‘Malabarin thaalamai…’ Most of the films she has sung for were commercial successes such as Karyasthan ( ‘Onavillin…’ ),Run Baby Run (‘ Aarohanam Avarohanam… ’) , and Mr. Marumakan (‘ Swarnamukiloru…’ ). Working with each music director is a learning experience, says Thulasi. “I’m new to play back singing and it is such a great opportunity to be able to learn from the masters themselves,” she says. She has worked with Vega the most, but has also sung for Mohan Sithara and Vidyasagar. Thulasi says the high point in her career is having got a chance to sing with K. J. Yesudas for Mullasseri Madhavan Kutty Nemom P.O . “We did not record the song together, of course. Das sir recorded it in Dubai. It was only after I heard it as a song that it struck me that I have actually sung a song with ‘the K.J. Yesudas’. I was so excited,” she says.
Thulasi can never relax listening to her own songs in the theatre. “I tend to look around for people’s reactions and can’t concentrate,” she says. She loves Hindustani music and hopes to learn it along with a musical instrument sometime.
A career in music looks promising for Thulasi now — her upcoming films are Breaking News , Yathra Thudarunnu and Lucky Star . But she wants to continue her studies and do an MBA.
