'Vaasantha Raavinte...'

23-09-2008 6.05 PM

"VASANTHA RAAVINTE VAATHIL THURANNU"

(Mal/doc/55 min)

Dir: Baiju Chandran

Santha P. Nair once reigned as the melody queen of Malayalam., passed away on 26 july 2008 at the age of 79. Santha P. Nair immortalised many film songs with her mellifluous voice in a career spanning from 1951 to 1967. She was equally proficient in Carnatic music and held many concerts, which she used to end with light music. She is survived by her daughter, Latha Raju, who is now Deputy Director of AIR in Chennai.

“Vasantha Ravinte Vvathil Thurannu” is a 53 minutes documentary, directed by Baiju Chandran, assistant director, Doordarshan, throws light on her contributions to the music industry. this biographical documentary highlights the life and times of this talented singer.

Born into the famous Ambady family in Thrissur, as one of the five children of Vasudeva Poduval and Lakshmi, Santha Poduval showed her potential at a very young age.

In a nostalgic mood, Santha.p.nair, throws light on her early upbringing, and education in Queen Mary's College in Chennai. She recalls with pride how thrilled she was when she got an opportunity to sing `Vande Mataram' before Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

"Although she was the queen of melody at one time, she quietly left the scene and most people seem to have forgotten her." Says Baiju.

In fact, as an announcer of All India Radio, Kozhikode, she, along with Abdul Khader began the trend of `Lalithasangeetha ganam' or light music.

Her days in Kozhikode have been aesthetically depicted through sepia tinted scenes and old photographs. She left AIR after her marriage to writer and broadcaster Padmanabhan Nair. She recounts her association with Dakshinamoorthy, P. Devarajan, Brother Lakshman and K.J. Jesudas.

Shanta's tryst with the film industry began when she sang for the film 'Thiramala.'

Interspersed with songs and film clippings, the film takes you down memory lane. Her mellifluous voice immortalised songs like 'Unarunaru Unnikanna...' ('Neelakuyil'), 'Nazhiyurippalukondu naadake kalyanam...' ('Rarichanenna Pouran'), 'Poove nalla poove...' ('Palattu Koman') and so on. She even composed a song for 'Ezhu Rathrikal,' on the lines of a `mappila pattu.'

She remembers that she sang a "comedy song with Jesudas, who was a very polite young chap when I met him." Her duet 'Kadavathu thoniyaduthappol penninte...,' with S. Janaki ('Murappennu') was a super hit. But little did her fans realise that this song would be her swan song.

"I plan to make a series of biographical documentaries on the lives of the stalwarts who shaped the cultural landscape of Kerala. The first one is on Shanta P. Nair. My aim was to make a portrait documentary that not only depicts the person, but also the surroundings and the period," says the director.

(Courtesy: The Hindu )