Her phones kept buzzing. But singer Shashaa Tirupati was still napping. “I get cranky and blabber when I am sleepy. Finally, I heard ‘Congratulations’ and, the next second, I was wide awake,” says an elated Shashaa, who bagged the award for best female playback singer for ‘Vaan Varuvaan’ from Kaatru Veliyidai , for which AR Rahman also won the Best Composer Award.
“I cried for about 30 minutes after I heard the news. Then, I called my mom, spoke to Rahman Sir.. it was all a blur. It took sometime to sink in,” she adds. Recalling the recording, she says, “‘Vaan Varuvaan’ was special from day one. I was at the studio when Rahman Sir was still figuring out its template. He asked me to sing along while he played the music. As I listened to the tune, I had a lump in my throat and was moved to tears. It hurt, especially at the point where I sing g arvam kondal kallai uraivan ... I was breaking. Rahman Sir gives you this sweet pain with his music. After recording the song, I came back to the hotel room, pulled out a pillow and started wailing like a baby. The song affected me so much. I am planning to adopt a girl child in 2020 and I will name her Vaan,” says Shashaa, beaming with excitement.
She is aware that the award comes with a huge responsibility. “Not just as an artist, but also as a person there is tremendous pressure to rise and live up to the the standards and the aura such recognition brings.”
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She also thanked her fans in Tamil Nadu for accepting her as their own. “ It’s insane, the way they love me though I don’t speak their language. Though now I know
Her voice will next be heard in several upcoming movies in Hindi, Tamil,Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Konkani, Marathi... “12 languages...,” she gives the count. Then there are her independent albums. She will soon explore acting too, in a theatre production. “ Yes. I am in Mayur Puri's wife Ulka Puri's play where I will be acting along with Mayur. Mayur Puri is the script writer of Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanthi Om . ”
Finally, what did her mentor A. R. Rahman have to say about the award? “I sounded like an excited kid on the phone.
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Later, I emailed him. He appreciated me for my hard work and perseverance. But, to me, it’s his award. The fact that he believed in me and had faith in me, my voice and my abilities is a great recognition. My career took off after ‘Vaan Varuvaan’...”