Vani Jairam (born as Kalaivani on 30 November 1945), also credited as Vani Jayaram, is an Indian singer. She is best known as a

playback singer A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...

South Indian cinema The Cinema of South India refers collectively to the six distinct film industries based in Southern region of India namely Tamil, Telugu, Tulu, Kannada, Konkani, and Malayalam. Although these industries developed independently for a long p ...

. Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. She has done playback for over one thousand Indian movies recording over 10,000 songs. In addition, she has recorded thousands of devotionals and private albums and also participated in numerous solo concerts in India and abroad. Renowned for her vocal range and easy adaptability to any difficult composition, Vani has often been the choice for several composers across India through the 1970s until the late 1990s. She has sung in several Indian languages, such as Kannada, Tamil,

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 de ...

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 ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

, Odia,

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

, Haryanvi, Assameese, and

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 ...

languages. Vani won the

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

for Best Female Playback Singer three times and also has won State Government awards from the states of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. In 2012, she was honored with the

Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South ceremony. Recipients Notes References General * Specific External links 55th Filmfare Awards South Winners {{DEF ...

for her achievements in South Indian film music. In July 2017 she was honored with the Best Female Singer at the NAFA 2017 event at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Early life and career

Vani was born as Kalaivani in

Vellore Vellore (English: ), also spelt as Velur (), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River in the northeastern part of Tamil Nadu and is separa ...

in Tamil Nadu, in a

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 ...

family of classically trained musicians as a fifth daughter in a family of six daughters and three sons. Her Parents Duraisamy Iyengar–Padmavathi, trained under Ranga Ramunaja Iyengar, enrolled her into his classes where he taught her a few

Muthuswami Dikshitar Muthuswami Dikshitar (Mudduswamy Dikshitar)(, 24 March 1776 – 21 October 1835), mononymously Dikshitar, was a South Indian poet, singer and veena player, and a legendary composer of Indian classical music, who is considered one of the musical ...

kritis. Later she was given a formal Carnatic training under the guidance of Kadalur Srinivas Iyengar, T. R. Balasubramanian and R. S. Mani. Vani was glued to the Radio Ceylon channel and was attracted towards Hindi film songs to the extent that she used to memorize and reproduce the entire orchestration of the songs that used to repeatedly play on the Radio. At the age of 8, she gave her first public performance at the

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

, Madras. Vani Jairam was a student of Queen Mary's College in

Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

. Post her studies, Vani was employed with the

State Bank of India State Bank of India (SBI) is an Indian multinational public sector bank and financial services statutory body headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. SBI is the 49th largest bank in the world by total assets and ranked 221st in the ''Fortune ...

, Madras and later in 1967, she was transferred to the Hyderabad branch.

Personal life

Vani was married into a family which supported music. Her mother in law, Mrs. Padma Swaminathan ,social activist and Carnatic music singer, was the last surviving daughter of

F. G. Natesa Iyer F. G. Natesa Iyer (11 November 1880 – 23 January 1963) was an Indian activist in the Indian National Congress during the Indian independence movement. He was also one of the pioneers of modern Tamil drama and Tamil cinema. He was a talent s ...

N. Rajam N. Rajam (born 1938) is an Indian violinist who performs Hindustani classical music. She remained professor of Music at Banaras Hindu University, eventually became head of the department and the dean of the Faculty of Performing Arts of the Uni ...

is her sister in law

Early career in Mumbai

After her marriage with Jairam in 1969, She moved to

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- ...

to set up her family. Upon her request, she was transferred to the Mumbai branch of her bank. Knowing her singing skills, Jairam persuaded Vani to get trained in the

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

and she enrolled under Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan of the

Patiala gharana The Patiala ''gharana'' (, ) is one of the vocal (tradition, school, or style of music) of Hindustani classical music, named after the city of Patiala in Punjab, India where it was established. The ''gharana'' was founded in the mid to late 19th ...

. Her rigorous training under him made her quit from her bank job and take up music as her profession. She learnt the nuances of various vocal forms such as

Thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dr ...

Ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

and

Bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

under Khan's tutelage and gave her first public concert in 1969. In the same year, she was introduced to the composer

Vasant Desai Vasant Desai (1912–1975) was an Indian film music composer, most remembered for his score in V. Shantaram films like '' Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje'' (1955), '' Do Aankhen Barah Haath'' (1957), Vijay Bhatt's '' Goonj Uthi Shehnai'' (1959), ''Samp ...

who was recording a Marathi album with singer

Kumar Gandharva Pandit Kumar Gandharva (pronunciation:, Kn: ಕುಮಾರ್ ಗಂಧರ್ವ; 8 April 1924 – 12 January 1992), originally known as Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkalimath was an Indian classical singer, well known for his unique vocal style ...

. Upon listening to her voice, Desai chose her to sing the song "Runanubandhacha" for the same album along with Kumar Gandharva. The album released to much popularity among the Marathi audience and the duet song was well received. She sang with veteran vocalist of agra charan Pt. Dinkar Kaikini in movie "Meera". The music was given by none other than Pt. Ravi Shankar.

Career

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...

Vani's contribution towards Telugu cinema and devotional songs has been extensive and widespread. She recorded her first Telugu song for the film ''Abhimanavanthulu'' (1973). The song "Eppativalekaadura Naa Swami" composed by

S. P. Kodandapani Sripathi Panditharadhyula Kodandapani ( 5 April 1974) was an Indian music composer and playback singer in Telugu cinema. He composed music for more than 100 films. He made his debut as an playback singer in the 1955 film ''Santhanam''. Later, ...

was a classical dance based song. Her songs for the film '' Pooja'' (1975) brought her to the forefront in Telugu cinema. The songs "Poojalu Cheya" and "Ennenno Janmala Bandham" became household hits and cemented her position. It was for the

K. Viswanath Kasinadhuni Viswanath (born 19 February 1930) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema. He is recipient of five National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, ten Filmfare Awards South ...

's musical film '' Sankarabharanam'' (1979), Vani increased her popularity by singing five songs and winning her second National Film award for all the songs collectively. She was also awarded with Andhra Pradesh government's

Nandi Award for Best Female Playback Singer The Nandi Award for Best Female Playback Singer was commissioned since 1977:(in Telugu) As of now K S Chithra and S Janaki won 11 & 10 awards respectively, followed by P. Susheela with 6 wins. Winners See also * List of music awards ho ...

for the same songs. She went on to collaborate with director Viswanath and music director K. V. Mahadevan for many films like ''

Seetamalakshmi ''Seetamalakshmi'' is a 1978 Indian Telugu-language film written and directed by K. Viswanath. The film stars Talluri Rameswari (in her Telugu debut) and Chandra Mohan. It was released on 27 July 1978. It won two state Nandi Awards and a Fi ...

'' (1978), '' Sruthilayalu'' (1987), ''Sankarabharanam'' and ''Swati Kiranam''. Later in 1990, the same team produced the film '' Swati Kiranam'' which was again musically noted and all the songs sung by Vani were received well. She received her third National Film Award for the film. Apart from K. V. Mahadevan, Vani recorded many Telugu songs for

Rajan–Nagendra Rajan–Nagendra were an Indian musical duo who were prominent composers of film music in Kannada and Telugu cinema from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. Rajan, along with his brother Nagendra, created a niche for themselves for nearly four de ...

, Satyam, Chakravarthy, M. S. Viswanathan and

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 ...

. She recorded most of the dubbed songs from Tamil composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

Vani's good professional association with

resulted in her breakthrough with the film '' Guddi'' (1971) directed by

Hrishikesh Mukherjee Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his ca ...

. Desai offered Vani to record three songs in the film amongst which the song "Bole Re Papihara", featuring

Jaya Bachchan Jaya Bachchan (''Birth name, née'' Bhaduri; born 9 April 1948) is an Indian actress and politician. She is a member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party, serving four terms since 2004. Known primarily for her work in Hindi ...

in the lead role, became a talk-of-the-town song and gave her instant recognition. Composed in Miyan Ki Malhar raag, the song showcased her classical prowess and subsequently fetching her many laurels and awards including the

Tansen Samman Tansen Samaroh or Tansen Sangeet Samaroh () is celebrated every year in the month of December in Behat village of Gwalior district, Madhya Pradesh. It is a 4-day musical extravaganza. Artists and music lovers from all over the world gather here to ...

(for best classical-based song in a Hindi film), the Lions International Best Promising Singer award, the All India Cinegoers Association award, and the All India Film-goers Association award for the Best Playback Singer in 1971. Her other song Humko Mann Ki Shakti Dena became a school prayer since the release of the song in 1971 and continues to be even now. She toured entire Maharashtra state accompanying her mentor, Desai, and taught many Marathi songs for school children. She went on to sing a few songs each for music directors of

Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

, which remain popular, including the

Chitragupta Chitragupta (Sanskrit: चित्रगुप्त, 'rich in secrets' or 'hidden picture') is a Hindu deity assigned with the task of keeping complete records of the actions of human beings and punishing or rewarding them according to their ...

song, a classical

Naushad Naushad Ali (25 December 1919 – 5 May 2006) was an Indian music director for Hindi films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularising the ...

compositions More Saajan Souten Ghar from ''

Pakeezah ''Pakeezah'' (; ) is a 1972 Indian Hindustani language, Hindustani-language Musical film, musical romantic drama film that was written, directed, and produced by Kamal Amrohi. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, and Raaj Kumar. It tells ...

'' (1972) and Dulhan Badi Jadugarni, a duet with Asha Bhosle in '' Aaina'' (1977)),

Madan Mohan Madan Mohan is a form of the Hindu god, Krishna. Krishna is celebrated as ''Madan Mohan'', who mesmerizes everyone. His consort, Radha is glorified as Madan Mohan's ''Mohini'', who can even mesmerise Madan Mohan (her Kahn). Radha is known as th ...

composition Pyar Kabhi Kam Na Karna Sanam, a duet with Kishore Kumar in the film ''

Ek Mutthi Aasmaan ''Ek Mutthi Aasmaan'' is a 1973 Bollywood drama film directed by Virender Sinha. The film stars Vijay Arora and Yogeeta Bali. Cast * Vijay Arora *Radha Saluja *Mehmood *Yogita Bali * Pran *Kamal Kapoor *I. S. Johar *Aruna ...

'' (1973)),

R. D. Burman Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work w ...

song Zindagi Mein Aap Aaye, a duet with

Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It also means god of 3 worlds, heaven, hell & earth, which in turn represents Hindu god Shiva. It is commonly used as a male given name in India. Peopl ...

in ''

Chhalia ''Chhalia'' is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Manmohan Desai. It stars Raj Kapoor, Nutan, Pran, Rehman and Shobhna Samarth. The story is loosely based on the 1848 short story "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, but is ...

'' (1973), Shyamji Ghanshyamji composition Teri Jheel Si Gehri from film Dhuan Ki Lakeer, a duet with Nitin Mukesh, and the solo song Aa Balam composed by

Kalyanji Anandji Kalyanji Virji Shah (30 June 1928 – 24 August 2000) was the ''Kalyanji'' of the Kalyanji-Anandji duo. He and his brother Anandji Virji Shah have been famous Indian film musicians, and won the 1975 Filmfare Award for Best Music Director, f ...

in the film

Dharm Aur Qanoon ''Dharm Aur Qanoon'' (transl. ''Religion and Law'') is a 1984 crime thriller film starring Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Vinod Mehra, Jaya Prada, Asha Parekh and Danny Denzongpa, with Supriya Pathak, Manmohan Krishna, Iftekhar and Om Shivpuri in ...

. She sang several songs composed by O.P. Nayyar from the film ''

Khoon Ka Badla Khoon ''Khoon Ka Badla Khoon'' is a 1978 Bollywood action film directed by K. Parvez alias Kalpataru and produced by Ratan Mohan. Plot This is the story of two brothers, separated long ago, are reunited and destroy their enemies. Cast * Vinod Khan ...

'' (1978) including duets with

Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...

and also with Uttara Kelkar and Pushpa Pagdhare).She sang the duet song Maine Tumhe Paa Liya with Rafi composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal in Jurm Aur Sazaa, and a duet with

Manna Dey Prabodh Chandra Dey (May 1, 1919 − October 24, 2013), known by his stage name Manna Dey, was an internationally acclaimed and celebrated Indian playback singer, music director, and a musician. As a classical vocalist, he belonged to the Bhen ...

in ''

Parinay ''Parinay'' (literally ''Espousal'') is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Kantilal Rathod and produced by Samantar Chitra. The film starred Romesh Sharma and Shabana Azmi, with Asha Sachdev, Dinesh Thakur, Priti Ganguly and T.P. ...

'' (1974) composed by

Jaidev Jaidev (3 August 1918 – 6 January 1987; born Jaidev Verma) was a music composer in Hindi films, most known for his work in films: '' Hum Dono'' (1961), '' Reshma Aur Shera'' (1971), ''Prem Parbat'' (1973), ''Gharaonda'' (1977) and '' Gaman ...

and the solo song Pee Kahan in '' Solva Sawan'' (1979) by

. The song "Mere To Giridhar Gopal" in ''

Meera Meera, better known as Mirabai and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. Mirabai was born into a Rathore ...

'' (1979), composed by

Pandit Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...

, won her first

Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer The Filmfare Best Female Playback Award is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song. Although the award cere ...

. She recorded as many as 12 bhajans for the film Meera which became highly popular.

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' ...

While Vani's popularity continued to soar in Bollywood cinema, she started getting offers from the South Indian industry. In 1973, she recorded her first Tamil song for the film ''Thayum Seiyum'' under the music direction of

S. M. Subbaiah Naidu Subburayulu Munuswami Subbaiah Naidu (a.k.a. SMS) (15 March 1914 – 26 May 1979) was an Indian composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He was one of the oldest music directors. He worked as an in-house music composer for Central Studios an ...

. However, the film remains unreleased till date and the song remained in the cans. Her first released song was a duet romantic song with

T. M. Soundararajan Thoguluva Meenatchi Iyengar Soundararajan (24 March 1923 – 25 May 2013), popularly known as TMS, was an Indian Carnatic musician and a playback singer in Tamil cinema for over six and a half decades. He sang over 10,138 songs from 3,162 fi ...

for the film '' Veettukku Vandha Marumagal'' (1973). The song "Or Idam Unnidam" was composed by the duo

Shankar–Ganesh Shankar–Ganesh is an Indian music director duo who has worked on Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada movies for around 50 years. Career They started as assistants to Tamil music composers M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy in 1964 a ...

, with whom, Vani went on to record maximum songs in Tamil cinema. Immediately after this, she was employed by one of the most successful director-composer duos,

K. Balachander Kailasam Balachander (9 July 1930 – 23 December 2014) was an Indian film maker and playwright who worked mainly in the Tamil cinema. He was well known for his distinct film-making style, and the Indian film industry knew him as a master of un ...

and M. S. Viswanathan, for their successful film ''

Sollathaan Ninaikkiren ''Sollathaan Ninaikkiren'' () is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language film, written and directed by K. Balachander. Starring S. V. Subbaiah, Sivakumar, Kamal Haasan, Jayachitra, Srividya, Shubha and Jayasudha, it is based on the novel ''Ilavu Kaatha ...

'' for a solo song "Malarpol Sirippathu Pathinaaru". Thus began her long association with the top rated music directors in Tamil cinema. Her biggest break came through the song "Malligai En Mannan Mayangum" from the film ''

Dheerga Sumangali ''Dheerga Sumangali'' () is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language drama film co-written and directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar. The film was produced by N. S. Rajendran under Visalakshi Combines and stars K. R. Vijaya and Muthuraman, while Major Sundar ...

'' (1974), again composed by M. S. Viswanathan. Vani recalled that it was a challenging song and "he (Viswanathan) trusted me with it". When Vani was in Madras (now

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 ...

) for two music concerts at a Bhajan Sammelan, Viswanathan, who was the chief guest, was impressed by her performance and gave her the opportunity to sing the song. The song received laurels and accolades for both its composition and vocal rendition. It was in the same year, she recorded a duet song with

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wi ...

for music director

Vijaya Bhaskar Vijaya Bhaskar ( kan, ವಿಜಯಭಾಸ್ಕರ್; 1924–2002) was an Indian music director and composer who composed music for several mainstream and experimental feature films in the Kannada film industry. Scoring music for over 600 fe ...

for the film ''

Engamma Sapatham ''Engamma Sapatham'' () is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by S. P. Muthuraman and produced by S. Baskar. The film stars R. Muthuraman, Sivakumar, Jayachitra and Vidhubala. It was released on 4 October 1974. The film was remade ...

''. It was later reported that Vani's voice featured in all the films which had Vijaya Bhaskar as the composer in both Tamil and Kannada film industries. The year 1975 turned out to be the first most eventful year for Vani since she won her first

National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer The National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to a female playback singer for the best renditions of songs from soundtracks within the Indian film industr ...

for the songs she rendered in the film ''

Apoorva Raagangal ''Apoorva Raagangal'' (; ) is a 1975 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. It stars Kamal Haasan, Sundarrajan, Srividya and Jayasudha, while Nagesh and Rajinikanth, in his feature film debut, ...

''. The songs "Ezhu Swarangalukkul" and "Kelviyin Nayagane" made her popularity soar to heights and she became known as the singer who would always get selected to sing difficult compositions. She was flooded with singing offers from all the top rated music composers including M. S. Viswanathan, Kunnakkudi Vaidyanathan, Sankar Ganesh,

V. Kumar V. Kumar ( ta, வரதராஜுலு குமார், ) (28 July 1934 – 7 January 1996) was a yesteryear Tamil cinema music director, born in Chennai, Tamilnadu on 28 July 1934 to Varadharajulu and Dhanabhakiyam couple, in July 1969 ...

, K. V. Mahadevan,

G. K. Venkatesh Gurusala Krishnadas Venkatesh (21 September 1927 – 17 November 1993) was an Indian film score composer who primarily worked in Kannada cinema during the 1960s, 1970s and until the late-1980s. He also composed music for Telugu, Malayalam and Ta ...

and Vijaya Bhaskar. In 1977, she first recorded her voice for

's composition in the film ''

Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri ''Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri'' () is a 1977 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by S. P. Muthuraman and written by Panchu Arunachalam. It is based on the novel of the same name by Maharishi. The film stars Sivakumar, Rajinikanth and Sum ...

''. She won her first

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female Playback The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The list Here is a list of the award winners and the films for wh ...

for the song "Naane Naana" composed by Ilaiyaraaja for the film ''

Azhage Unnai Aarathikkiren ''Azhage Unnai Aarathikkiren!'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language romance film directed by C. V. Sridhar and produced by B. Bharani Reddy. The Tamil version stars Vijayakumar, Latha (who stars in all three versions) and Jai Ganesh. The film ...

'' (1979). With Ilaiyaraaja, Vani went on to record many popular songs in the 1980s for the films such as ''

Mullum Malarum ''Mullum Malarum'' (; ) is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Mahendran. Produced by Venu Chettiar and V. Mohan, the film stars Rajinikanth, Sarath Babu, Jayalaxmi and Shoba. It marks Mahendran's directorial ...

'' (1978), '' Rosappo Ravikaikaari'' (1979), ''

Anbulla Rajinikanth ''Anbulla Rajinikanth'' () is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language children's drama film directed by K. Natraj in his debut. The film stars Rajinikanth as himself, Meena, and Ambika. It was released on 2 August 1984, and received positive reviews, w ...

'' (1984), ''

Nooravathu Naal ''Nooravathu Naal'' () is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language mystery thriller film written and directed by Manivannan. The film stars Vijayakanth, Mohan and Nalini, with Thengai Srinivasan, Janagaraj and Sathyaraj in supporting roles. It is an unof ...

'' (1984), ''

Vaidehi Kathirunthal ''Vaidehi Kathirunthal'' () is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by R. Sundarrajan. The film stars Vijayakanth and Revathi as two villagers, Vellaisamy and Vaidehi, whose lives undergo a drastic turn when t ...

'' (1984), ''

Oru Kaidhiyin Diary ''Oru Kaidhiyin Diary'' () is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Bharathiraja and co-written by K. Bhagyaraj. The film stars Kamal Haasan. It was high financially successful and completed 175 day run in theatres becom ...

'' (1985) and ''

Punnagai Mannan ''Punnagai Mannan'' () is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. The film stars Kamal Haasan and Revathi, with Srividya, Rekha, Delhi Ganesh, Sudarshan and Sundar Krishna Urs in suppor ...

'' (1986). In 1994, composer

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 ...

recorded her voice for the film ''

Vandicholai Chinraasu ''Vandicholai Chinraasu'' is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed and co-written by Manoj Kumar, and produced by Vivekananda Pictures. This remains the only Sathyaraj film as hero where A. R. Rahman composed the music. It was releas ...

'' for a duet song with S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. Later in 2014, she recorded a portion of the Thiruppugazh composed by Rahman, for the period film '' Kaaviyathalaivan'' and followed it with the song "Narayana" in the film '' Ramanujan''. Vani recorded thousands of Tamil songs both in solo and duet formats. Many of her duet songs have been recorded along with

P. B. Srinivas Prathivadhi Bhayankara Sreenivas (22 September 1930 – 14 April 2013) widely known as P. B. Sreenivas was an Indian playback singer, composer, harmonium player, lyricist, littérateur, and poet known for his works in South cinema, and Bollyw ...

, K. J. Yesudas,

and Jayachandran. Songs like "Ezhu Swarangalukkul", "Keliviyin Nayagane", "Ennulil Engo", "Yaaradhu Sollamal", "Megamae Megamae", "Kavidhai Kelungal", "Nadhamenum Kovililae", "Aana Kana" and "Sugamana Raagangale" are considered amongst the best compositions to be recorded in Vani's voice.

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' ...

Vani Jayaram made her Malayalam debut in 1973 by recording the solo song "Sourayudhathil Vidarnnoru" composed by

Salil Chowdhary Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam films. He composed music for films in 13 languages. This in ...

for the film ''

Swapnam ''Swapnam'' is a 1973 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Babu Nanthankode. The film stars Madhu, Nanditha Bose, Sudheer and Jose Prakash. It was released on 3 August 1973. Cast *Madhu as Viswanathan *Nanditha Bose as Gauri * Sudhee ...

''. The song became hugely popular giving a good credibility to Vani and gave her career a breakthrough. She went on to record over 600 songs in Malayalam cinema. Vani collaborated with all the popular Malayalam composers such as M. K. Arjunan, G. Devarajan, M. S. Viswanathan, R. K. Shekhar, V. Dakshinamoorthy,

M. S. Baburaj Mohammad Sabir Baburaj was an Indian music composer. He is often credited for the renaissance of Malayalam film music. Baburaj has rendered music to many evergreen Malayalam film songs. Early years Baburaj was born on 9 March 1929 in Kozhikod ...

Shyam Shyam is a name of Krishna and an Indian masculine given name and surname. Notable people with this name include: ;Shyam *Shyam (actor), Indian Hindi film actor *Shyam (composer), an Indian music composer from Kerala * Shyam Benegal, Indian film di ...

A. T. Ummer Anjukandy Thalakkal Ummer ( ml, അഞ്ചുകണ്ടി തളയ്ക്കൽ ഉമ്മർ) (10 March 1933 – 18 October 2001) was a Malayalam music composer from Kerala, India. He is known for composing many soft melodies for 174 ...

M. B. Sreenivasan Manamadurai Balakrishnan Sreenivasan (19 September 1925 – 9 March 1988), or MBS, was a South Indian music director who worked mainly in the Malayalam and Tamil film industries. He was born to an orthodox Tamil Brahmin family on 19 Septe ...

K. Raghavan K. Raghavan (2 December 1913 – 19 October 2013), also fondly called Raghavan Master, was a Malayalam music composer and Carnatic Vocalist. Along with G. Devarajan, V. Dakshinamoorthy and Baburaj, Raghavan is often credited for the renaissance ...

Jerry Amaldev Jerome Thomas Veleeparambil, more popularly known by his stage name Jerry Amaldev (born 15 April 1939) is a three-time Kerala State Film Awards winning Indian composer of film scores who has given music to some of the most important motion pic ...

Kannur Rajan Kannur Rajan (24 June 1940 – 7 April 1995) was a music composer from Kerala, India. Though his songs are less in numbers, they are noted as emotional and nostalgic in the Malayalam film songs. He was the father-in-law of currently famous mu ...

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

Raveendran Madhavan Raveendran ( ml, മാധവൻ രവീന്ദ്രൻ ), (born Kulathupuzha, Kollam, 9 November 1943 – died Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 3 March 2005), fondly known as ''Raveendran Master'', was a popular South Indian music composer an ...

and

. Her rendition for the song "Aashada Maasam", composed by R. K. Shekhar for the film ''

Yudhabhoomi ''Yudhabhoomi'' is a 1976 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Crossbelt Mani and produced by Thiruvonam Pictures. The film stars KP Ummer, Vidhubala, Cochin Haneefa and Bahadoor in the lead roles. The film has musical score by R. K. Shekhar. ...

'' (1976) met with wide appreciation and further increased her popularity. In 1981, she sang "Kanana Poikayil Kalabham" along with K. J. Yesudas in the composition of M. K. Arjunan for the film '' Ariyapedatha Rahasyam'' directed by

P. Venu P. Venu (8 November 1940 – 25 May 2011), was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and lyricist with over 20 films to his name.His directorial venture Udhyogastha in 1967 was the first-ever multi-star cast film of the south Indi ...

. After a long hiatus, Vani returned to Malayalam cinema in 2014 by recording a duet song for the film '' 1983'', and followed it up with a duet song in ''

Action Hero Biju ''Action Hero Biju'' is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language police procedural comedy film directed by Abrid Shine. The film stars Nivin Pauly, Anu Emmanuel, Saiju Kurup, Joju George, Alexander Prasanth , Kalabhavan Prajod, Rony David and Sohan S ...

'' (2016). Some of Vani's Malayalam songs including "Olanjali Kuruvi", "Pookkal Panineer", "Etho janma kalpanayil", "Poo kondu poo moodi" (Palangal), "Manjil chekkerum" (Raktham), "Onnanam Kunninmel" (Airhostess), "nanam nin kannil" (kelkatha sabdham),"Manju pozhiyunnu" (Uthradarathri) "Thiruvonapularikal" (''

Thiruvonam Thiruvonam is a Taluk town in Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu Geography Thiruvonam is located at . It has an average elevation of 36 metres (120 feet). Demographics A small town located south of Thanjavur, has pop ...

''), "Dhoomthana" ('' Thomasleeha''), "Seemantha Rekhayil" (''

Aasheervaadam ''Aasheervaadam'' is a 1977 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by I. V. Sasi and produced by Thayyil Kunjikandan. The film was written by A. Sheriff, Alleppey Sheriff. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Sridevi, Sheela, K. P. Ummer and Bahadoor ...

''), "Naadan Paatile", "manjani kombil", "Nimishangal", "Thedi Thedi", "Moodal Manjumai Yamini", "Ee Raagadeepam", "Mandhaarapoo", "Taarake", "Hrudayathin Madhura", "Neelambarathile", "Navaneetha Chandrike", "Oru Raaga Nimishatil", "Thechi Pootha", "Yamini Nin Choodayil" amongst others are widely popular and considered among the best hits. Most of Vani's duets in Malayalam are recorded with K. J. Yesudas and P. Jayachandran. Title song "Marathe Marikurumbe" in the Film "Puli Murugan" rendered by Vani Jairam was short listed in 70 Songs which were considered eligible for Nomination to Oscar Award 2018, under the Category of "Original Song".

Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film ''Sati Sulochana'' directed ...

Music director

who worked with Vani in Tamil films introduced her to Kannada cinema in 1973 for the film '' Kesarina Kamala''. She recorded two songs in the film which was immediately followed by her breakthrough song "Bhaavavemba Hoovu Arali" from the film ''

Upasane ''Upasane'' ( kn, ಉಪಾಸನೆ; English: Worship) is a 1974 Kannada musical drama film, directed by Puttanna Kanagal. The film produced by Rashi brothers, is based on the novel of the same name, written by Devaki Murthy. The film mostly ha ...

'' (1974). This song cemented her position in Kannada films which lasted for three decades. After Vijaya Bhaskar gave her a career break, she was employed immediately by top running composers such as

, M. Ranga Rao,

, Satyam,

Upendra Kumar Upendra Kumar (18 July 1941 – 24 January 2002) was an Indian composer who predominantly worked in Kannada and Odia films. He was known for his strong association with Rajkumar and his family and scored some of his career best compositions for ...

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 ...

L. Vaidyanathan Lakshminarayana Vaidyanathan ( ta, லக்ஷ்மிநாராயண வைத்தியநாதன்; kn, ಎಲ್.ವೈದ್ಯನಾಥನ್; 9 April 1942 – 19 May 2007) was an acclaimed musicologist, music director and compo ...

and

Hamsalekha Gangaraju (born June 23, 1951), professionally known as Hamsalekha, is an Indian film composer and a songwriter who works in South Indian cinema, predominantly in the Kannada film industry since the late 1980s. He is also a screenplay writer, di ...

. The combination of

Puttanna Kanagal Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma (1 December 1933 – 5 June 1985), known popularly as S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, was an Indian filmmaker known for his work in Kannada cinema. He is often considered one of Kannada cinema's most influent ...

(director) - Vijaya Bhaskar - Vani Jayaram produced many popular songs backed with strong female-centric themes. She modulated her voice and accent for the song "Happiest Moment" from the film ''

Bili Hendthi ''Bili Hendthi'' ( kn, ಬಿಳಿ ಹೆಂಡ್ತಿ) () is a 1975 Kannada movie, directed by Puttanna Kanagal, starring Aarathi, Loknath and Margaret Thomsen. Plot Sharada ( Arathi) who is affianced to a guy studying abroad, is extrem ...

'' (1975). With her contemporary singer

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 ...

, Vani recorded few female duets notably "Madhumasa Chandrama" ('' Vijaya Vani'' 1976) and "Teredide Mane O Baa Athithi" (''

Hosa Belaku ''Hosa Belaku'' () is a 1982 Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Dorai–Bhagavan duo. It is based on the novel of the same name by Vani. The film starred Rajkumar, Saritha, Mamatha Rao and K. S. Ashwath. The movie saw a theatrica ...

'' 1982). With legendary actor-singer

Dr. Rajkumar Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj (24 April 1929 – 12 April 2006), better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian ci ...

, she recorded many popular songs in 1980s. Most of her duet songs in Kannada have been with Rajkumar,

, P. Jayachandran and K. J. Yesudas. Some of her most memorable songs include "Ee Shatamanada Madari Hennu", "Besuge Besuge", "Belli Modave Elli Oduve", "Jeevana Sanjeevana", "Deva Mandiradalli", "Haadu Haleyadaadarenu", "Kannada Naadina Karavali", "Priyathama Karuneya Thoreya", "Sada Kannali Pranayada", "Endendu Ninnanu Marethu", "Hodeya Doora O Jothegara".

Other languages

Besides Hindi and South Indian languages, Vani Jairam has made recordings in

, Marwari,

Haryanvi Haryanvi ( ' or '), also known as Bangru, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the state of Haryana in India, and to a lesser extent in Delhi. Haryanvi is considered to be part of the dialect group of Western Hindi, which also includes Kharib ...

, Oriya,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, Badaga, Urdu, Sanskrit, Punjabi and Tulu 19 languages totally. She has been awarded many prestigious awards, among them are Best Female Playback Singer for states of Gujarat (1975), Tamil Nadu (1980) and Orissa (1984).One of her most famous Marathi songs, "Runanubandhachya", is a duet with the classical Hindustani singer

. This song was composed by Vani's mentor

for a Marathi drama called ''Dev Deenaghari Dhaavlaa''. The lyrics were written by Bal Kolhatkar. . Vani Jairam has recorded "Holi Songs" and "Thumri Dadra & Bhajans" with Pandit Briju Maharaj. She has also recorded "Gita Govindam" composed by Prafullakar with Odissi Guru Kelucharan Mohopatra playing the Pakhawaj. Vani Jairam has also released "Murugan Songs" with songs written by her with music composed by her.

Awards

The P. Suseela Trust honoured Vani Jairam at a function in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

, with a citation and a purse of one lakh. The event was widely covered on television. On 28 May 2014, Vani was felicitated in Bhubaneshwar for her contribution to

Odia cinema The Odia film industry, colloquially known as Ollywood, is the Odia language Indian film industry, based in Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack in Odisha, India. The name Ollywood is a portmanteau of the words Odia and Hollywood. Industry In 1974, th ...

. Preceding it was the PBS Puraskar Award in Hyderabad, instituted in memory of the inimitable P.B. Srinivas. On 30 July 2014, Yuva Kala Vahini, an organisation in Hyderabad, presented her the 'Pride of Indian Music' Award.

National Film Awards

* 1975 – Best Female Playback Singer

– Various songs (''

'') * 1980 – Best Female Playback Singer

– Various songs ('' Sankarabharanam'') * 1991 – Best Female Playback Singer

– "Anathineeyara Hara" (''

Swathi Kiranam ''Swathi Kiranam'' () is a 1992 Telugu-language musical drama film directed by K. Viswanath. Produced by V. Madhusudhana Rao, the film starred Mammootty in his Telugu debut, Master Manjunath and Raadhika, along with Achyuth, Jayanthi, Saks ...

'')

Filmfare Award

* 2015- Nominated for

– "Olanajali Kuruvi" - 1983 (2014 Malayalam Film) * 2013– The 60th South Indian Filmfare Award for Lifetime Achievements * 1980 –

– "Mere Toh Giridhar Gopal" (''

'')

State awards

* 1972 – Gujarat State Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer – ''Ghoongat'' * 1979 –

– ''Azhagae Unnai Aradhikkiren'' * 1979 –

– '' Sankarabharanam'' * 1982 – Odisha State Film Award for Best Singer – ''Debjani''

Other awards

* 1972 – Mian Tansen Award Best Film Playback Singer of 'Classical Song' in Films for "Bol Re Papi Hara" given by Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai. * 1979 – Her songs in the

scored film ''

'' brought her the Film World (1979) Cine Herald (1979) for "Mere To Giridhar Gopal". * 1991 –

Kalaimamani Award The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of ...

from Tamil Nadu State for her contribution to Tamil film music. * 1992 – The youngest artist to be awarded the "Sangeet Peet Samman" * 2004 – M.K. Thyagarajar Bhagavathar – Life Time Achievement Award from Tamil Nadu Government * 2005 – Kamukara Award for her outstanding contribution to film music in general and in all the four South Indian languages in particular.* 2006 – Mudhra Award of Excellence from Mudhra Academy, Chennai. * 2012 –

Subramanya Bharathi C. Subramania Bharathi Birth name: C. Subramaniyan, the person's given name: Subramaniyan, father's given name: Chinnaswami. (C. Subramaniyan by the prevalent patronymic initials as prefix naming system in Tamil Nadu and it is Subramaniyan C ...

award for her contribution to music. * 2014 - Life Time Achievement Award of Radio Mirchi given at Hyderabad on 16 August 2014 * 2014 -

Asiavision Awards Asiavision Awards have been held annually since 2006 to honor the artistes and technicians of Indian cinema and television & is organized under the leadership of renowned journalist Nissar Syed. More than 40,000 people across United Arab Emirates ...

- Best Playback Singer Award for the song 'Olanjali Kuruvi' from the Film "1983' * 2014 - Kannadasan Award by Kannadasan Kazagam, Coimbatore * 2015 - Life Time Achievement Award from Raindropss on Women Achievers Award Ceremony Chennai. * 2016 - Red fm Music awards 2016 for Best Duet with

Yesudas Kattassery Joseph Yesudas (born 10 January 1940) is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian Music and also as a ...

* 2017 -

Vanitha Film Awards The Vanitha Film Awards are presented annually by ''Vanitha'', an Indian magazine from the ''Malayala Manorama'' group in the south Indian state of Kerala. The awards ceremony has been instituted to honour both artistic and technical excellence i ...

-Best singer * 2017 - Ghantasala National Award * 2017 - North American Film Awards - New York- 22 July 2017 - Best Female Playback Singer - Malayalam * 2018 - M.S. Subbulakshmi Award given by Sankara Nethralya - Chennai - 27 January 2018 * 2018 -

Pravasi Express Awards Pravasi Express Awards were introduced in 2013 for appreciating personalities for outstanding contributions to society and endeavours in their chosen field/profession. The awards are overseen by Pravasi Publications from Singapore, publishers of t ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, Life Time Achievement Award - 14 July 2018.

Other titles

* 2004: Kamukara Award * 2007: South Indian Meera

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jairam, Vani 1945 births Living people Bollywood playback singers Filmfare Awards winners Filmfare Awards South winners Singers from Tamil Nadu Indian women playback singers Hindi-language singers Tamil playback singers Telugu playback singers Kannada playback singers Malayalam playback singers Bengali-language singers Marathi-language singers Gujarati-language singers People from Vellore Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Nandi Award winners Best Female Playback Singer National Film Award winners Women musicians from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian singers 20th-century Indian women singers 21st-century Indian singers 21st-century Indian women singers