Salt n’ Pepper released in 2011 whetted the appetite of moviegoers with a fresh storyline, some outstanding performances and foot-tapping tunes. ‘Chembaavu punnellin choro…’, the title track of Salt n’ Pepper written by Rafeeq Ahamed, was lapped by the audience for its evocative lyrics and new voice.
The song gave a big break for its singer, Pushpavathy, who was, till then, one among the many voices in the industry. Though there hasn’t been a flood of offers, she is happy. She is on song again, as her song, ‘Manathe chandanakkeeru’, from Lal Jose’s Vikramadithyan, which releases today, has been climbing the music charts.
The song, composed by Bijibal and written by Engandiyoor Chandrasekharan, has a folk flavour, a genre Pushpavathy has always been comfortable singing in. “If ‘Chembavu…’ was all about food, this song has many factors intrinsic to Kerala such as proverbs and folk lore. The composition is catchy with its rhythm. The first four lines are sung by Bijibal himself,” says Pushpavathy.
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So, how has been things been post
She believes that folk songs connect easily with listeners, because “they are based on rhythm and there is a rhythm in all of us.”
Somebody who speaks her mind, Pushpavathy doesn’t hide her disappointment over not getting enough stages to give Carnatic concerts in spite of being a graded artiste of All India Radio. “I’ve been a dedicated student of music, but very soon found that it is not easy to get concerts. You have to take a lot of effort to move around in the concert circuit. I was not game for it. Also, I wanted to learn more which didn’t materialise. Now all those ambitions have been placed on the backburner. I am trying to be happy with the few songs I am getting, stage programmes, my music classes and, of course, my composing sessions. In fact, I am trying to look at things in a positive way.”
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Fact file
* Pushpavathy made her debut in Kamal’s Nammal with the song ‘Kaathu kathoru mazhayathu..’. She ha sung in films such as Koottu, Nakshathrakannulla Rajakumaran Avanudoru Rajakumari, Udayon, Anyar and Chandranilekkoru Vazhi. . Recently she was heard in God for Sale and Ulsaha Committee.
* A native of Thrissur, she joined Chembai Music College, Palakkad. While studying there, she became a B-Grade artiste of All India Radio. A first rank holder, she later won the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi award. Then she worked at Chetana Studio, Thrissur, where she got opportunities to sing tracks for many films.
* She has composed and sung in an album with the couplets (‘dohas’) of Kabir Das (‘Kabir Music of Harmony’). Recently she brought out an album with kritis by Sree Narayana Guru composed and sung by her. She is now working on an album featuring songs based on the short stories by Madhavikutty.
* She lives in Peringamala with husband Priyaranjan Lal and daughter Sreegowri.