An evening of greatest hits in Tamil

Although musical talent abounds in the Indian community, with a number of local singers who have the potential to reach out to celebrated artistes like Shreya Goshal, KK, Atif Aslam, Yashita Sharma in Bollywood and Karthik, Suchitra Kartik Kumar and Andrea Jeremiah in Kollywood, there are times when music buffs would like to hear visiting artistes of the Indian film industry.

Such an opportunity would present itself on July 17 at the Westlake Boys High School Auditorium in Auckland as Mukesh and Usharaaj present an evening of songs culled mostly from Tamil films.

Ravi Muthumanickam, a popular singer of the resident Indian community, who is organising the programme called, Anrum Inrum Enrum (combination of melodies of the past and present for eternity), will join the visitors on stage.

“Mukesh is well known as the ‘Voice of Thyagaraja Bhagavadar, Sirkazhi Govindarajan, T M Soundarajan and S P Balasubrahmanyam’, apart from lending ‘his own voice’ to actors. Usha has the ability to render some of the most challenging and difficult numbers sung by P Susheela and other top singers of the Tamil film industry. Their performance will be a treat,” Ravi said.

He said the choice of songs would range from the Golden Age of Tamil Films of the 1960s through to the current era.

“Oscar Award winner A R Rahman introduced Mukesh in Kankalal Kaithu Sei. He has so far rendered more than 100 songs for Tamil films,” Ravi said.

As reported earlier, Usharaaj is another powerful singer, whose competence in bringing forth the melodious voice of P Susheela has won her a large chain of fans throughout the world.

Some of the impressive numbers that this writer has heard are Chittkuruvikku Enna (Savaaley Samali), Malai Pozhudin Mayakkathile (Nenjam Marappathillai), Nalai Intha Neram (Uyartha Manithan), Pakkathu Veetu Paruvamachan (Karpagam) and Unnai Naan Sandithen (Aiyrathil Oruvan).