Srinivas
Looking for the big break

Srinivas’ name might not ring an instant bell as a singer, but when you think about the hit songs he has sung, viz. Ooo la la la (Sapnay), Dola dola (Dil Hi Dil Mein), Ta ra rum pum (Doli Saja Ke Rakhna), Yeh jo zindagi hai (1947 - Earth) and the current Aao sunein (Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya), you know that he is among the few good singers with an appealing voice. A popular singer in the South and a regular with A.R. Rahman, Srinivas has come out with his first private album in Hindi titled Yeh Duniya Sab Ki, released by Magnasound. "I’ve been singing for films for five years now, more for South Indian films, and occasionally for Hindi films. This album in Hindi should help in giving me a wider appeal," says the singer.

The album couldn’t have come at a better time feels Srinivas, since he is now looking at expanding his avenues. "I am a quite a known name in the South, and though I have sung for Hindi films, the listeners still don’t associate my name with the song, even if it is a popular one. So I am working towards singing for more Hindi films, and this Hindi album is the first step at bringing me closer to the North Indian listeners," smiles the singer.

Also, since the album experiments with new sounds, it’s release has happened at the right time, what with the listeners being very receptive to new trends in Indi-pop. "Pravin Mani, who is the arranger of the album, has come up with some great fusion music," vouches Srinivas, "The album is a result of a lot of brain-storming sessions between me and Pravin. We first met at Rahman’s place, where the idea of the album took root. Later, we met again, after I had some tunes ready with me, so we jammed together. Pravin then set the tunes to the rhythm, and the result was some different songs."

Armed with the songs, the duo met the executive director of Magnasound, Madhav Das, who was impressed with the fare and agreed to produce the album. "We further worked and re-worked on the compositions, for a year almost, and came up with some good fusion. The album is dominated by Western music, but the Indian feel is very much there since Indian classical is blended with Western music. Of the eight numbers, six have been composed by me and two by Pravin," informs Srinivas.

The title track Yeh duniya sab ki, which has been shot into a video, is surely the most impressive of the lot. "This track is a pointer to what the album is all about," says the singer, "I wanted the album to reflect my personality, my attitude. I wanted to make a statement against communal hatred because I strongly feel that human beings are one. Nida Fazli has come up with very thought-provoking lyrics. The title song preaches tolerance and secular feelings, as it starts off with the Gayatri mantra, which then fuses into the Islamic chant of Alham, which then fuses into Ale lu ya, the Christian praise."

Srinivas informs that the romantic songs in the album invoke nostalgia, and his favourite is Zindagi se pyar karle and a Sufi song. "Even Rahman loved the Sufi track and the title number," he says proudly.

Though Srinivas started taking lessons in Carnatic music early, he never did take up professional singing till five years back. "I worked as a chemical engineer for 10 years," he reveals, "But all along I had been wanting to sing. So one fine day, I just chucked up my secure job, and decided to take up singing as a career."

His first song was given to him by composer Mahesh for the Tamil film Nammavar starring Kamal Haasan. Luckily for him, the song Sawrgam en bada namakku was a hit, and Srinivas’ career took off. To date, Srinivas has sung for all the leading composers of the South, including Illayaraja and Deva to name a few. His recent hits were from the film Tajmahal and Mudalvan.

Right from the start, Srinivas says he was keen to sing for Rahman, after he heard his haunting score in Roja. And his aim was fulfilled soon. "I went and met Rahman, and expressed my strong desire to sing for him. Rahman was very encouraging, and tried me out. He must have liked my singing, because he has asked me to sing for him regularly. And some of my career’s best numbers have been for Rahman," says Srinivas.

The singer is impressed with Rahman’s dedication to music. "He’s totally absorbed in his music, and there’s nothing else that affects him," says Srinivas in praise of the maverick composer, "For him music is God. And he gets the best out of a singer."

A die-hard fan of ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan, and also addicted to R.D. Burman-Kishore Kumar hits, Srinivas has earlier sung for a couple of Hindi albums like Pagalpan and Ahsaas. "All I want is to sing more of Hindi film songs, and become a popular name," he concludes.

Salma Khatib