Suneeta Rao is an Indian pop singer, playback singer, dancer and stage actress, popular for her songs sung in the 1980s and 1990s. Her most famous song is ''Paree Hoon Main'' from the album ''Dhuan'' (1991).

Early life and career

Rao was born in Germany. She completed her schooling in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

and higher studies at

St. Xavier's College, Mumbai St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic, autonomous higher education institution run by the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on January 2, 1869. The college is affil ...

. During and after college, she acted in many plays such as ''Evita'' and musicals such as ''They're Playing Our Song'' and ''Greased Lightning''.

Singing and stage career

Rao started her career with the song ''Suneeta Senorita'' in 1989. She became popular with the song "Paree Hoon main". She released a Hindi pop album entitled ''Dhuan'' in 1991 with HMV, which sold over 75,000 copies, with music by Lesle Lewis. The song and video of "Paree" from the album made Suneeta Rao a household name, leading the press to affectionately crown her the "Paree of the Masses". Her first and only association with

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...

was "Adi Paru Mangatha", from the 1994 Tamil film ''

May Madham ''May Maadham'' () is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language romance film directed by Venus Balu. The film stars Vineeth and Sonali Kulkarni, and has music by A. R. Rahman. It is based on the 1953 American film ''Roman Holiday''. The film was released on ...

''. She released a Hindi pop album entitled ''Talaash'' in 1999 with HMV, with music by

Ranjit Barot Ranjit Barot (born 1959) is an Indian film score composer, music director, music arranger, drummer and singer based in Mumbai, India. He is a longtime associate of A. R. Rahman. He has been described by guitar legend John McLaughlin as "one of ...

. Two videos that hit the screen were for the songs "Dehka Dehka" and "Kesariya", two folksy upbeat tracks that reinstated Rao at the top of the charts. She then released a new single and music video entitled "Chhoti Chhoti Baatein" as part of the Magnasound album ''A Reason To Smile'' on the occasion of 50 years of Indian Independence. She also featured in a group song in the album called "Wajah Muskurane Ki". Besides going platinum, all the above albums were at the top of the Hindi music charts. Her album ''Ab Ke Baras'' has lilting, sensuous, joyous music that blends traditional folk music with modern production values. Her career includes songs from films like ''Ghulam-e-Mustafa'', ''Dulhan Hum le Jayenge'' and ''Kahin pyar na ho jaye''. Suneeta Rao also has shows in Pakistan and Africa in the offing, as well as several other projects for television, theatre and films. She performed for

NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. The company is considered to be a legacy brand that pioneered independent news broadcasting in India, and is credited for launching t ...

in 2008. Rao wrote and recorded an anthem song for global warming. This was for a campaign initiated by the ICAI and GYAAN called "Planet alert". The song launched the campaign in a radiothon that was aired from 5 June 2009 on BIG 92.7 FM! The song was produced by Dhruv Ghanekar, and sung by Rao. Rao launched her new album ''Waqt'' on 15 July 2008 at the Hard Rock Cafe. These Raag-based contemporary songs were composed by Rao, with music arranged by Nexus, DJ Gaurav Issar and Dudul Saikia. The CDs were available in stores under the Crescendo Music label. The first video was of the song "Sun Zara", a song for the Girl Child, supported by the UNFPA, to address the issue of sex-selection. The video was directed by Rachel Reuben, shot by Jason West, and stars Suneeta Rao and leading actress Suchitra Pillai. Suneeta Rao gave 12 performances in the NDTV Imagine reality show ''Dhoom Macha De'' and received the runner up award for the "Dhoom final stopper". In 2005, she acted in an Off-Broadway play in New York called ''Sidd''.

Personal life

Rao is married to Jason West, a

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

based in Mumbai. She is actively involved and is the spokesperson of an initiative called Laadli, organized by an NGO called Population First, started by her uncle, Bobby Sista, whose main agenda is "Saving the Girl Child", population control and other social movements in India.

Discography

* ''Senorita'' (1989) * ''Dhuan'' (1991) * Ekk Pal Hai Zindagi (1995) (Title Song Of TV Serial "Swabhimaan") * ''Talaash'' (1996) * ''Choti Choti Batein'' - Single (1997) * ''Ab Ke Baras'' (2000) * ''Mujhe Pyar Ho Gaya'' - Single (2001) * ''Waqt'' (2008) * ''Vaada Karo'' - Single (2018) * Dekha Tujhe To Dil Remake (2020)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Suneeta 21st-century Indian singers 21st-century Indian women singers Bollywood playback singers Indian women playback singers Indian women pop singers Indian stage actresses Living people Singers from Mumbai St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni Women musicians from Maharashtra Year of birth missing (living people)