Sunanda(സുനന്ദ) (சுனந்தா) is an

Indian film The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

playback singer, who predominantly works in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...

and

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

. She completed her pre-degree schooling in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

before moving to

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

in 1983. She was trained in carnatic music. She was introduced to South Indian film music composer

Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of ...

, who offered her the debut playback song for the movie

Pudhumai Penn (1984 film) ''Pudhumai Penn'' (), officially released as ''AVMin Pudhumai Penn'' (), is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja and produced by AVM Productions. The film stars Pandiyan and Revathi. It was released on 14 July 1984. ...

Career

Prior to her break in Tamil playback singing, she had sung Carnatic songs and slokas for a Malayalam documentary. Her debut film song was a hit, and she went on to sing multiple hit songs in Tamil and Malayalam movies in 1980s and 1990s. She was not able to continue active playback singing for many years due to personal reasons.

List of Tamil songs

References

Living people Artists from Kerala Women artists from Kerala 21st-century Indian women artists Year of birth missing (living people) {{India-singer-stub