K. Rani (4 September 1942 – 13 July 2018) was an Indian playback singer who has sung songs in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...

and Uzbek. Rani was the first female singer from India to sing in

and Uzbek, and sang the national anthem of Sri Lanka (the " Sri Lanka Matha"). She performed before

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975), natively Radhakrishnayya, was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He served as the 2nd President of India from 1962 to 1967. He also 1st Vice President of India from 1952 ...

, and

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

leader

K. Kamaraj Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975, hinduonnet.com. 15–28 September 2001), popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras State (Tamil Nadu) ...

called her ''"Innisai Rani"''. Rani was invited to perform at the

Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (15 September 1861 – 12/14 April 1962), also referred to by his initials, MV, was an Indian civil engineer, administrator, and statesman, who served as the 19th Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918. Visvesvaraya i ...

centennial, travelling in an aeroplane chartered by the

government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

provided the rhythms when she sang Hindi songs, including ''"O Maine Pyar Kia, Mai Kya Karu Ram Mujhe Budda Mil Gaya"'', at a stage show.

Early life

Her family migrated from Kanpur to South India. Her father, Kishan Singh was a ''Railway Station Master'' and was transferred frequently from station to station. This gave Rani an opportunity to become conversant with different languages. At the age of 5 or 6 she got a chance to sing in a stage. She sang on stages where Vyjayanthimala's dance programs were taking place. She sang songs during the dress change-over interludes. One day, during such a program at Raja Annamalai Mandram, music composer

C. R. Subburaman C. R. Subbaraman also known as C. S. Ram (1916–1952) was a famous South Indian film music composer and producer. He was born to Ramasamy at Chintamani village in Thirunelveli, in present-day Tamil Nadu. Music director Shankar of Shankar–Gan ...

was present. He noticed the little girl's talent and introduced her as a playback singer in films.

Life and career

Rani's first films, in 1951 at age eight, were the Telugu '' Roopavathi'' and Tamil ''Mohana Sundaram'' and ''Singari''. A year later, she was singing for lead characters in films like '' Kalyani'', ''

Kalyanam Panni Paar ''Pelli Chesi Choodu'' () is a 1952 Indian satirical comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad and produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their company Vijaya Productions. The film was made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, the latter titl ...

'', ''

Pelli Chesi Choodu ''Pelli Chesi Choodu'' () is a 1952 Indian satirical comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad and produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their company Vijaya Productions. The film was made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, the latter titl ...

'', ''Dharma Devadhai'' and ''Dharma Devadha''. Rani's ''"Antha Bhranthi Yenaa"'' (Telugu) and ''"Ellaam Maayai Thaanaa"'' (Tamil), from 1953's '' Devadasu'', were popular. She first performed in Sri Lankan cinema for '' Sujatha'' in 1953 under the direction of composer Ananda Samarakoon, and contributed to ''

Seda Sulang Seda Sulang ( si, සැඩසුළං), is a 1955 Sri Lankan romantic musical film directed and produced by Thambiraja Somasekaran for Ceylon Films Limited. The film starring Florida Jayalath and Prem Jayanth in lead roles whereas Dommie Jayaw ...

'' in 1955 and '' Sirimali'' in 1959. Much sought after during the 1950s, Rani had few songs in the early 1960s. She sang Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) songs and recorded Tamil Islamic songs with Nagore E. M. Hanifa.

Music composers she sang for

Fellow playback singers

Rani sang duets mostly with Ghantasala. Also with

A. M. Rajah Aemala Manmadharaju Rajah, popularly known as A. M. Rajah, was an Indian playback singer and music director. Early life A. M. Rajah was born on 1 July 1929 in Cchamanchipuram, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh. His father died when he was thr ...

, P. B. Sreenivas, T. M. Soundararajan,

Thiruchi Loganathan Thiruchi Loganathan (24 July 1924 – 17 November 1989) was a playback singer of the Tamil film industry. He is known for his work in movies such as ''Manthiri Kumari'' (1950) and '' Parasakthi'' (1952). He was married to Rajalakshmi, daughter ...

Seerkazhi Govindarajan Sirkazhi Govindarajan (19 January 1933 – 24 March 1988) was an Indian Tamil Carnatic vocalist and a leading playback singer of Indian cinema. Early life Govindarajan, was born on 19 January 1933 at Sirkazhi (a small town in present day M ...

S. C. Krishnan S. C. Krishnan (1929-1983) was an Indian actor and playback singer who worked mainly in Tamil dramas and films. Early life He was born into a Saurashtra family as the fourth son of a jeweller ''Chelvam Achary'' in Sivaganga that was part of ...

V. N. Sundaram V. N. Sundaram (1918-2009) was an Indian Stage and Film actor, Carnatic singer and Playback singer who sang mostly in Tamil-language films. Early life Born in 1918 in Visalur - a village in Kumbakonam Taluk of Thanjavur district, he was named ...

, K. H. Reddy, Pithapuram Nageswara Rao,

Madhavapeddi Satyam Madhavapeddi Satyam (11 March 1922 – 18 December 2000) was an Indian playback singer and actor who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. He entered films as a singer-actor in Y. V. Rao's Tamil-Hindi bilingual movie ''Ramadas'' in the year 194 ...

Talat Mahmood Talat Mahmood (24 February 1924 – 9 May 1998) was an Indian playback singer who is considered one of the popular male Indian film song and ghazal singers. Although he tried his luck as a film actor, he did not succeed a great deal in act ...

, K. Appa Rao, D. B. Ramachandra, K. Prasad Rao, B. N. Rao, T. R. Jayadev, B. Gopalam,

T. G. Lingappa Thiruchirappalli Govindarajulu Lingappa (22 August 1927 – 5 February 2000) was an Indian music director who worked predominantly in Kannada language films. He also worked in Tamil and Telugu movies. He was the son of G. Govindarajulu Naidu w ...

, K. V. Mahadevan,

, J. V. Raghavulu,

A. L. Raghavan A. L. Raghavan (1933 – 19 June 2020) was an Indian playback singer, who sang many songs in Tamil-language films. Biography Raghavan was born to a Saurashtra Brahmin family in Ayyampettai near Thanjavur to Lakshmana Bhagavathar, Raghavan ...

, K. R. Chellamuthu, S. V. Ponnusamy, Maadhavan, T. K. Ramachandran, Subramanyam, K. P. Udayabhanu, K. J. Yesudas, Nagendra, Ananda Samarakoon,

Dharmadasa Walpola Dharmadasa Walpola ( Sinhala: ධර්මදාස වල්පොල) (1927–1983) was the most prominent Sri Lankan male playback singer of the 1950s and 1960s. Walpola was an accomplished musician adapt at playing the flute, harmonium, ...

, Mohideen Baig, Sunil Premadasa and

Christy Leonard Perera Kala Keerthi Madurawela Arachchilage Christy Leonard Perera (born 27 July 1932 – died 23 December 2015 as ක්‍රිස්ටි ලෙනාඩ් පෙරේරා) inhala, popularly as Christy Leonard Perera, was an actor in Sri Lank ...

. She sang duets with female singers, most notably

Jikki Pillavalu Gajapathy Krishnaveni (3 November 1935 – 16 August 2004), more famously known as Jikki, was an Indian playback singer from Andhra Pradesh. She sang around 10,000 songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, and Sinhalese langua ...

but also with

P. Leela Porayathu Leela (19 May 1934 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian playback singer, Carnatic vocalist and a music director. She has recorded more than 5,000 songs in various Indian languages including Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, ...

P. Susheela Pulapaka Susheela (born 13 November 1935), popularly known as P. Susheela, is an Indian playback singer associated with the South Indian cinema primarily from Andhra Pradesh for over six decades. She is one of the greatest and best-known playba ...

K. Jamuna Rani K. Jamuna Rani (born 17 May 1938 in Andhra Pradesh, India) is an Indian playback singer who has sung over 6,000 songs in Sinhalese, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam lnguages. Life and career Rani was born to K. Varadarajulu and violinist ...

. A. P. Komala, A. G. Rathnamala,

Radha Jayalakshmi Radha (born 1932) and Jayalakshmi (1932 - 2014), popularly known as Radha Jayalakshmi ( ta, ராதா ஜெயலட்சுமி), were an Indian Carnatic music vocalist duo as well as playback singers in films in the 1940s and 1950s. Th ...

Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi Soolamangalam Jayalakshmi ( ta, சூலமங்கலம் ஜெயலட்சுமி) and Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi ( ta, சூலமங்கலம் ராஜலட்சுமி), popularly known as Soolamangalam Sisters ( ta, � ...

R. Balasaraswathi Devi Raavu Balasaraswathi Devi (born 28 August 1928) is an Indian singer and actress who performed from 1930 to the 1960s in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She was the first light music singer on All India Radio and the first playback singer in the Telu ...

N. L. Ganasaraswathi N. L. Ganasaraswathi was an Indian playback singer who sang mainly in Tamil language, Tamil films and some Telugu language, Telugu and Malayalam films. She was active in the field during the 1950s and early 60s. She sang many songs based on Carna ...

, M. S. Rajeswari,

S. Janaki Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer from Andhra Pradesh. She is referred to respectfully as "Janaki Amma" and Nightingale of South India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in ...

, Kalyani, Ramola, Sundaramma, T. S. Bagavathi, Swarnalata, N. Lalitha, P. S. Vaideghi, Udutha Sarojini, M. S. Padma, G. Kasthoori and L. R. Eswari. The singing actors she sang with were J. P. Chandrababu and

P. Bhanumathi P. Bhanumathi Ramakrishna (7 September 1925 – 24 December 2005) was an Indian actress, singer, film producer, director, music composer, and novelist. She is regarded as the first female super star of Telugu cinema. She is also considered the ...

Filmography

Tamil Islamic songs

Tamil Islamic songs with Nagore E. M. Hanifa: # ''"Odhuvom Vaarungal"'' # ''"Dheenore Niyayama"'' # ''"Vaazha Vaazha Nalla Vazhigal Undu"'' # ''"Arul Mevum Aandavare"''

DMK songs

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) songs with Hanifa: # ''"Azhaikkindraar Azhaikkindraar Annaa"'' # ''"Vaazhga Dhraavida Naadu"'' # ''"Annaa Vaazhgave ... Annai Mozhi Kaatthu Nirkkum"''

References

External links

List of Malayalam Songs by Singers K Rani
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rani, K 1943 births 2018 deaths 20th-century Indian singers Indian women playback singers Kannada playback singers Malayalam playback singers Tamil playback singers Telugu playback singers 20th-century Indian women singers