Maamannan singer Pavithra Chari on working with AR Rahman: It’s been a great blessing, a dream come true

Singer Pavithra Chari has co-sung Utchanthala in 'Maamannan' and has been an additional vocalist on 'Ponniyin Selvan'.

Chennai girl Pavithra Chari recently sang for AR Rahman’s Utchanthala from Mari Selvaraj’s new Tamil film Maamannan — the song has been co-sung by Chari along with Deepthi Suresh and Sireesha Bhagavatula (of Ghodey Pe Sawaar, Shauq, Phero Na Najariya from Qala fame) — and Chari’s work has been much appreciated. She has worked with Rahman previously as an additional vocalist in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan-1 and Ponniyin Selvan-2.

Singer Pavithra Chari with AR Rahman.

A disciple of the legendary Hindustani classical artiste Shubha Mudgal, Chari has worked with composers like Salim Merchant, Devi Sri Prasad (DSP), among others, and is also a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and expressive arts-based therapist. She is one half of the Delhi band Shadow and Light, along with musician Anindo Bose, and they earned a nomination at the 65th Grammy Awards for their song Dua in the Berklee Indian Ensemble album Shuruaat, in the Best Global Music Album category.   Excerpts from an interview:

Your latest song was with AR Rahman for Maamannan, tell us all about it. How was working with the maestro AR Rahman?

Singing for AR Rahman sir’s music has been a great blessing, it’s a dream come true for sure. I’ve been deeply inspired by his music for many years now. The entire process was a huge learning experience, and it is something that will be etched in my memory forever. About the song, I have to say that the haunting lyrics and Rahman sir’s poignant composition really brought it all together.

Your song Jaan se pyaara in Dasara is a beautiful, haunting one. What do you keep in mind when doing such songs?

Jaan se pyaara is a special song for me for many reasons. First, it is my first song for Santhosh Narayanan sir, a composer I greatly admire. Second, I have sung this song in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi — all the five languages of release. And finally, I got the opportunity to work with acclaimed lyricist Kausar Munir for this. It was a surreal feeling to experience this song in the movie theatre, particularly in the context of the film. When I am given a song like this, I try to immerse myself in the lyrics and composition and develop a sense of empathy towards the characters in the script. I feel very proud to be a part of this song.

Tell us all about your decade-old indie band Shadow and Light.

Shadow and Light is the musical outcome of my creative expression. Anindo Bose and I began writing music purely for the joy of song writing. For us in Shadow and Light, there are no restrictions or limitations. We have always focussed on writing original music that represents us as artistes and as people. In the last ten years we have faced many challenges and obstacles, but I guess the real thrill is in overcoming and learning from all of that, and having a curious mind that is always excited to learn and do more. It has been truly gratifying to celebrate a decade of song writing with our song Dua being a part of Berklee Indian Ensemble’s Grammy-nominated album Shuruaat.

ALSO READ: Grammy nominated Berklee Indian Ensemble founder Annette Philip: 'To be in the same category as Anoushka Shankar, Angélique Kidjo is unreal honour'

Your style of singing is inspired by your guru Shubha Mudgal?

I am Shubha ji’s disciple and I am indebted to her for giving me strength and guidance in all facets of my musical journey. She is a role model for me in so many ways — she has carved her own identity and voice and is a fearless artiste.

Being an independent singer and songwriter does it help when you come into the world of playback singing?

Being an indie artist teaches you a lot about your craft as well as how to navigate different situations in your artistic journey. I feel that it has encouraged me to learn more about my rights, understand the industry — which extends beyond music, and identify personal strengths or areas of improvement. I am able to apply many of these learnings in my playback work as well. One of the primary differences in film music is the significance of the script, which places the music within the larger universe of the film. Playback singing pushes me to emote for varied situations depending on the script, and as a vocalist it teaches me adaptability and versatility.

Tell us about your collaboration with Salim Merchant.

Shadow and Light collaborated with Salim Merchant for our recent original Tu kaun hai. It was a wonderful collaboration, and it was a joy to work with Salim. He was deeply invested in the whole process from the song composition to the music video, the release and promotion.

You have also worked with DSP/Devi Sri Prasad, music director of Pushpa. What have you learnt from working with artistes of such varied calibre?

Each composer who has trusted me with their compositions, has been hugely inspiring to work with for different reasons, whether it is finding your comfort in the studio, or emoting appropriately for the song. Every session gives me a lot to think about and contributes in many ways, towards my next session. I am always seeking projects that I can learn from.

You are also an art therapist. Tell us about that.

After my graduation in psychology, I trained to be an expressive arts-based therapist at Fortis Hospitals. I work with children and adults to address various concerns of self-awareness, confidence, trauma, trust and expression. I also work with children on the autism spectrum. I freelance with corporate firms, schools, arts organisations, and NGOs. Working in the social impact space is challenging and gratifying, I enjoy every bit of it.

Pavithra Chari and Anindo Bose of the Delhi band Shadow and Light. (Photo: Ishani Das)

What are your upcoming projects?

I have a few releases lined up which I will share on my social media platforms at the earliest. A very unique compositional project for an acclaimed director just got completed which I am really excited to share with the world. I have releases in multiple languages coming up and I cannot wait to share it with everybody.