Uthara Unnikrishnan (born 2004) is an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

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 ap ...

. In 2015, she won the

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 ...

at the 62nd National Film Awards for her rendition of the song "Azhagu" from the 2014

Tamil film 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 ''Kollywo ...

Saivam ''Saivam'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language drama film written, directed and produced by A. L. Vijay. The film features Nassar in the lead role and child actress Sara Arjun plays another pivotal role. The film's cinematography was handled by ...

'', a family drama directed by A. L. Vijay. She received the award at the age of 10, becoming its youngest recipient.

Biography

Uthara Unnikrishnan is the daughter of Carnatic classical singer

P. Unni Krishnan Parakkal Unnikrishnan (born 9 July 1966) is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and playback singer. Early life and background Unnikrishnan was born to K. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Harini Radhakrishnan in Palakkad, Kerala. The family home, Kesari Kutee ...

and

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...

dancer Priya Unnikrishnan. Her father, a recipient of multiple National Film Awards for Best Male Playback Singer, received his first award in 1995 for his debut performance of the Tamil songs "Ennavale adi ennavale" and "Uyirum neeye". Uthara began learning Carnatic music at the age of six from Sudha Raja. She studied in Lady Andal school and APL Global school. Apart from Tamil music, she enjoys Western (classical, rock and pop) and wants to master all these genres.

Songs

"Azhagu" (Beauty) was composed by

G. V. Prakash Kumar G. V. Prakash Kumar is an Indian composer, actor, producer and singer known for his work in Tamil films and a few Telugu films as well. His first film was S Pictures' ''Veyil'' (2006) and he became popular in Tamil cinema by the early 2010s. He ...

, based on

raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradition, and as ...

Kanada. The song describes a child's perception of the beauty around her. The song was penned by

Na. Muthukumar Nagarajan Muthukumar (12 July 1975 – 14 August 2016) was a Tamil poet, lyricist, and author. Best known for his Tamil language film songs, he received the most Filmfare Awards for Best Lyricist in Tamil and was a two-time recipient of the Nat ...

, who also received the National Film Award for Best Lyrics. When Uthara Unnikrishnan accompanied her mother to Carnatic singer Saindhavi's house during

Golu Golu is the festive display of dolls and figurines in South India during the autumn festive season, particularly around the multiday Navaratri (Dussehra, Dasara) festival of Hinduism. These displays are typically thematic, narrating a legend fr ...

festival, she sang a few lines. A couple of months later, Saindhavi's husband G. V. Prakash Kumar called upon Uthara to croon a solo melody for Saivam. Uthara recorded the song for child actor Sara Arjun when she was eight years old in 2013. Apart from "Azhagu", she has sung two more Tamil songs. While praised by most in regards towards her 2015 win of the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her rendition of the song "Azhage", singer Pradip Somasundaran criticised the jury's selection, terming the song as having been heavily modified through use of pitch correction software. Uthara later worked on '' Theri'' with G. V. Prakash Kumar in the song "Eena Meena Teeka".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unnikrishnan, Uthara Living people Tamil musicians Tamil playback singers Indian women playback singers 2004 births Indian child singers Singers from Chennai 21st-century Indian singers 21st-century Indian women singers Women musicians from Tamil Nadu Best Female Playback Singer National Film Award winners