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Life’s a happy song

Photo: R. Ravindran

ORU MAALAI ELA VEYIL NERAM... Karthik

The energy by the sea is electric as the waves crash against the rocks causing the occasional spray.

He spreads his arms like Shah Rukh Khan, gives up and laughs. He then tries the A.R.Rahman ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’ pose, singing aloud, his hands spread wide. Soon, a Michael Jackson spread and an “Alai Payuthey” Madhavan version on demand as well.

“You think this will work?” he asks, amused with all that we’re making him do for a photograph.

We’ve dragged him to this desolate stretch of rocks by the beach in Royapuram for a shoot that would hopefully capture his spirit and style.

A fan spots him and hangs around for an autograph.

Karthik savours every bit of the moment. He loves the adventure. He loves every take, every variation and wants to keep trying till we get a perfect shot. He’s relieved when we tell him he doesn’t really look silly spreading his arms.

He likes discovering things he can do.

Something that’s recently led him to do jingles. If you been to a movie recently (Prince Jewellery’s Bridesmaid Collection) or switched on the TV (Vijay’s Coke ad), you may have already caught his tunes. Karthik is just back from Mumbai after recording a song for Onir’s film “Omar” after a mild culture shock for he just recorded for a gay love song.

“When you are launched, you go through a crazy phase of singing anything and everything. You are exploring, people around you are exploring and soon, you are singing a lot of songs. Most people get confined to one particular style of singing. Luckily, I am still being experimented with different kinds of songs. Composers know what I can do and I know what they can do. So, there’s a beautiful synergy. Touchwood, I have been called for some really good numbers.”

Like he did the gaana ‘Anjalai’ in “Vaarnam Aayiram.” The singer sometimes needs to go beyond the brief of the job and also act behind the mike. “It is singing and acting… not always but sometimes, you need to exaggerate your emotions.”

But no, he’s certainly not planning to act. “I tried to dub for a couple of movies and it was a disaster,” he laughs. “It’s God’s way of telling me to stick to what I’m good at.”

How the industry has changed.

“Gone are the days when one singer was associated with a hero’s voice. Today, four or five singers do one song. In a song like ‘Pappu Can’t Dance,’ there are so many people singing. The music is a lot more colourful now. There are so many styles that are being incorporated. There’s so much hip-hop happening in Tamil film music. So nobody’s insecure. People want to collaborate. And there’s no bitter rivalry between singers. You find composers singing, singers composing, lyricists acting… and it’s been well received and that’s beautiful.”

“Shankar (Mahadevan) is the best example: he composes, he sings, he performs, he does rock, classical, everything. I play some of the stuff I do to my composer friends and take their inputs. It’s completely cool now,” he adds.

“The band with Bennet is way of refreshing myself,” says Karthik. “A way of quenching my creative thirst. As a composer, you need to deal with situations, pressure, people, expectations and yet deliver a good product. It’s a crazy job and I don’t want to do it. My singing is on a cruise mode and I want to make the best of it. At the end of the day, I am a singer, a very natural singer. That’s my core.”

Getting personal.

“It’s always good to get married at the right time. Marriage has calmed me down. I am at peace. I have a baby; Kadambari is ten month sold,” he says about the transition from being a heartthrob to a married man and now, a father. Karthik met his wife Ambika during a concert. She was a dancer with RAACK, they were friends for a year and a half before they “arranged” their marriage the traditional way, with the consent of their parents, matching horoscopes and all.

“My father was an aspiring singer but he couldn’t because of family circumstances. So my mom and dad are more than happy and proud of me. My brother’s been a critic. Ambika is very balanced. She knows her music.”

Is she his biggest fan? “No way,” he laughs. “In fact, I don’t think she’s asked me to sing a song for her even once. But I love her that way.”

Karthik is content, absolutely satisfied now that he has his own studio at home where he writes his songs and makes the music he wants to make. He gets to spend time with his family, does his share of concerts, bonds with his band and goes out to make a living giving composers what they want.

“So many things are happening for me. It’s about figuring out all that I can do and still be able to find time to catch up with friends. Over masala-chai,” he says, taking a sip.

Cheers, dude!

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