Usha Uthup
Encyclopedia
Usha Uthup is a popular India
n pop
, jazz and playback singer
. She is well known for popular hits in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
She started her Bollywood playback career, when she sang an English verse in hit song, "Dum maro dum"" in Hare Rama Hare Krishna
, and went on work with music directors like R.D. Burman and Bappi Lahiri
, through the 1970s and 80s, singing hits like Ek do cha cha cha (Shalimar
), Koi yahan aha nache nache (Disco Dancer
), Ramba ho (Armaan), Hari Om Hari (Pyaara Dushman
) and Doston se pyar kiya (Shaan
) and more recently Darrling in 7 Khoon Maaf. She has sung in 16 Indian languages including Bengali
, Hindi, Punjabi
, Assamese
, Oriya
, Gujarati
, Marathi
, Konkani
, Malayalam
, Kannada
, Tamil
, Tulu
and Telugu
. She can also sing in several foreign languages including English
, Dutch
, French
, German
, Italian
, Sinhalese, Swahili
, Russian
, Nepalese, Arabic
, Creole
, Zulu
, and Spanish
.
family that hailed from Tamil Nadu
, in Madras (now Chennai
) in 1947. Her father Sami Iyer, later became the police commissioner of Bombay. She has three sisters Uma Pocha, Indira Srinivasan and Maya Sami, all of whom are singers and two brothers, one of whom is named Shyam. She was the fifth of six children. As a child, she lived in the police quarters at Lovelane in Byculla in Bombay and attended a local school.
When she was in school she was thrown out of music class because she didn't fit in with a voice like hers. But her music teacher recognized that she had some music in her and would give her clappers or triangles to play. Even though she was not formally trained in music, she grew up in an atmosphere of music. Her parents used to listen to a wide range from Western classical to Hindustani
and Carnatic
including Kishori Amonkar
and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan on radio and she used to join them. She used to enjoy listening to Radio Ceylon
.
Her next door neighbour was S.M.A. Pathan, who was then the deputy commissioner of police. His daughter, Jamila, inspired Usha to learn Hindi, wear salwar kameez and take up Indian classical music. This fusion approach helped her to pioneer her unique brand of Indian pop in the 1970s. She is married to Mr Jani Uthup from Kottayam, Kerala.
who gave her an opportunity to sing on the Ovaltine Music Hour in Radio Ceylon. She sang a number called "Mockingbird Hill". After that, several appearances followed through her teenage years.
hotels. By happenstance, a film crew belonging to Navketan unit including Shashi Kapoor
visited the nightclub and they offered her a chance to sing movie playback. As a result, she started her Bollywood career with Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Originally, she was supposed to sing Dum Maro Dum along with Asha Bhosle. However, as a result of internal politicking on the part of other singers, she lost that chance but ended up singing an English verse.
In 1968, she recorded covers of two pop songs in English, "Jambalaya
" and The Kingston Trio
's "Greenback Dollar", on an EP
, Love Story, and "Scotch and Soda", another Kingston Trio song, which sold very well in the Indian market. She also spent some time in London
during this early period. She was a frequent visitor to Vernon Corea
's BBC
office at the Langham in London
and was interviewed on "London Sounds Eastern
" on BBC Radio London.
Usha visited Nairobi as part of an Indian Festival. She was so popular that she was invited to stay on. Singing and quite often nationalistic songs in Swahili made her extremely popular and the then President Jomo Kenyatta made her an Honorary Citizen of Kenya. She sang the famous song "Malaika" (angel) with Fadhili Williams who was the original singer. She produced a record "live in Nairobi" with a local band Fellini Five.
Uthup sang several songs in the 1970s and 1980s for music directors R D Burman
and Bappi Lahiri
. She also reprised some of R.D. Burman songs that were sung by others such as Mehbooba Mehbooba and Dum Maro Dum and popularised them to a distinct end.
Uthup sang in Chris Perry
's Konkani album Chris Perry Presents Usha - 'Meu Amor
In addition, she has also sung as a playback singer for the following Bollywood movies: Dhol (2007), June R (2005), Joggers' Park (2003), Jajantaram Mamantaram (2003), Ek Tha Raja (1996), Dushman Devta (1991), Bhavani Junction (1985), Hum Paanch (1980), and Purab Aur Pachhim (1970) among others.
She is a stage performer and gave performances all over the world and is known for her lively stage presence. She has been felicitated with several awards over the years, some of which include Rajiv Gandhi Purashkar for National Integration for quality music, Mahila Shiromani Purashkar for international peace, and Channel [V] award for outstanding achievement.
She made a cameo appearance in the movie Bombay To Goa with Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha in 1972. In 2007, she appeared in Bow Barracks Forever directed by Anjun Dutt as herself. Again in 2007, she appeared in Hattrick music video as herself.
She appeared in disguise on Indian Idol 1 and 2. She was one of the co-judges of the 2007 and 2008 & Idea Star Singer Season V (2010) the most rated south Indian reality show as well music oriented reality shows in Malayalam.
She has a minor role in the 2010 Tamil movie Manmadhan Ambu
, as the mother of Madhavan
.
She also acted in Vishal Bhardwaj's 7 Khoon Maaf as a maid. She has also sang a song in the film which released on February 18, 2011.
and flowers that she wears in her hair, as well as her Kancheepuram saris
Public Works Department minister Jatin Chakraborty who belonged to the Communist Party of India banned her from singing in all state-owned buildings accusing her of singing in a "decadent" style. The controversy started when she was invited to sing at the Government Cancer Research Center in Thakurpukur in Calcutta and the minister preemtively enforced the ban to prevent her. After an explosive meeting with the minister, she sued the Government. Several political figures, including the Chief Minister Jyoti Basu
came out in support of her. She won the lawsuit against the government. Following her father's advice, she dropped her separate defamation lawsuit against the minister. The minister subsequently resigned from his post after he made further allegations against other people including the son of the chief minister.
In 2008, the communists again resorted to further insults when the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
(CPI(M)) Kerala
General secretary Pinarayi Vijayan
, irritated by his party workers who had gone berserk during a public meeting at Kottayam, admonished them that it was not Usha Uthup's programme but the meeting of the communists. As a response, popular pop singer Usha Uthup said she and her supporters were hurt by such a remark.
, and was formerly married to the late Ramu Iyer. They have a daughter Anjali and a son Sunny, named after the song, Sunny
.
She currently lives in Kolkata
with her husband. She is considered an icon of modern Kolkata and is an active social presence in the city life.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, jazz and playback singer
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
. She is well known for popular hits in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
She started her Bollywood playback career, when she sang an English verse in hit song, "Dum maro dum"" in Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Hare Rama Hare Krishna can refer to:* Hare Rama Hare Krishna , a Hindi language film directed by Dev Anand* Hare Rama Hare Krishna, the working title of Jalsa, a 2008 Telugu language film directed by Trivikram Srinivas...
, and went on work with music directors like R.D. Burman and Bappi Lahiri
Bappi Lahiri
Bappi Lahiri or Alokesh Lahiri , born 27 November 1952, is a music director in the Hindi film industry. He pioneered the use of disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions. He was popular in the 1980s with films like Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal and Sharaabi among others.-Early...
, through the 1970s and 80s, singing hits like Ek do cha cha cha (Shalimar
Shalimar
Shalimar is a Kashmiri term that may refer to:In Pakistan and India*Shalimar means abode of love.*Shalimar Gardens, also called Shalimar Bagh, several royal gardens of the Mughal Empire...
), Koi yahan aha nache nache (Disco Dancer
Disco Dancer
Disco Dancer is a 1982 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by Babbar Subhash starring Mithun Chakraborty in lead role and Rajesh Khanna in a special appearance. The film tells the rags-to-riches story of a young street performer...
), Ramba ho (Armaan), Hari Om Hari (Pyaara Dushman
Pyaara Dushman
Pyaara Dushman is a 1980 Bollywood Hindi movie. Produced by Subhash Sagar it is directed by Anand Sagar. The film stars Vidya Sinha, Yogeeta Bali, Sarika, Amjad Khan, Vinod Mehra and Rakesh Roshan...
) and Doston se pyar kiya (Shaan
Shaan (film)
Shaan is a 1980 Indian Hindi film. It is director Ramesh Sippy's 2nd film with Amitabh Bachchan after Sholay. The story was written by Salim-Javed....
) and more recently Darrling in 7 Khoon Maaf. She has sung in 16 Indian languages including Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Hindi, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, Assamese
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
, Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
, Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
, Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
, Kannada
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Tulu
Tulu language
The Tulu language |?]]]) is a Dravidian language spoken by 1.95 million native speakers mainly in the southwest part of Indian state Karnataka known as Tulu Nadu. In India, 1.72 million people speak it as their mother tongue , increased by 10 percent over the 1991 census...
and Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
. She can also sing in several foreign languages including English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Sinhalese, Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Nepalese, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Creole
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
, Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
, and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Early life
Usha was born in Mumbai, in a Tamil BrahminTamil Brahmin
Tamil Brahmins are Tamil-speaking Brahmins from Tamil Nadu who have settled in other South Indian states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka...
family that hailed from Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, in Madras (now Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
) in 1947. Her father Sami Iyer, later became the police commissioner of Bombay. She has three sisters Uma Pocha, Indira Srinivasan and Maya Sami, all of whom are singers and two brothers, one of whom is named Shyam. She was the fifth of six children. As a child, she lived in the police quarters at Lovelane in Byculla in Bombay and attended a local school.
When she was in school she was thrown out of music class because she didn't fit in with a voice like hers. But her music teacher recognized that she had some music in her and would give her clappers or triangles to play. Even though she was not formally trained in music, she grew up in an atmosphere of music. Her parents used to listen to a wide range from Western classical to Hindustani
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
and Carnatic
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
including Kishori Amonkar
Kishori Amonkar
Kishori AmonkarN- is an Indian singer who performs in the classical genre khyal and the light classical genres thumri and bhajan. Amonkar trained under her mother, classical singer Mogubai Kurdikar of the Jaipur gharana , but experimented with a variety of vocal styles in her career...
and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan on radio and she used to join them. She used to enjoy listening to Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon is the oldest radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis in Ceylon by the Telegraph Department in 1923, just three years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe.- Edward Harper :...
.
Her next door neighbour was S.M.A. Pathan, who was then the deputy commissioner of police. His daughter, Jamila, inspired Usha to learn Hindi, wear salwar kameez and take up Indian classical music. This fusion approach helped her to pioneer her unique brand of Indian pop in the 1970s. She is married to Mr Jani Uthup from Kottayam, Kerala.
Career
Her first public singing occurred when she was nine. Her sisters who were already exploring a music career, took her to a musician called Ameen SayaniAmeen Sayani
Ameen Sayani is a popular radio announcer from India. He achieved fame and popularity all across South Asia when he presented his Binaca Geetmala program of hits over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon. He is one of the most imitated announcers even today....
who gave her an opportunity to sing on the Ovaltine Music Hour in Radio Ceylon. She sang a number called "Mockingbird Hill". After that, several appearances followed through her teenage years.
Singing career
Uthup started singing in a small nightclub in Chennai called as Nine Gems in the basement of the erstwhile Safire theater complex on Mount Road, when she was 20, wearing a saree and leg callipers. Her performance was so well received that the owner of the nightclub asked her to stay on for a week. After her first night club gig, she began singing in Calcutta at night clubs such as "Trincas". She met her future husband Uthup in Trincas. At about the same time, she also sang at "Talk of the Town", now known as "Not Just Jazz By The Bay" in Bombay (now Mumbai). After Trincas, her next engagement took her to Delhi where she sang at the OberoiOberoi
Oberoi is a Khatri / clan .-History:Oberoi is a prominent Khatri surname found in India's Punjab state. They are a north Indian community that originated in the Potohar Plateau of Punjab. This region is historically connected with the composition of the Vedas and classics like the Mahabharata and...
hotels. By happenstance, a film crew belonging to Navketan unit including Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
visited the nightclub and they offered her a chance to sing movie playback. As a result, she started her Bollywood career with Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Originally, she was supposed to sing Dum Maro Dum along with Asha Bhosle. However, as a result of internal politicking on the part of other singers, she lost that chance but ended up singing an English verse.
In 1968, she recorded covers of two pop songs in English, "Jambalaya
Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
"Jambalaya " is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music singer Hank Williams that was first released in July 1952...
" and The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
's "Greenback Dollar", on an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Love Story, and "Scotch and Soda", another Kingston Trio song, which sold very well in the Indian market. She also spent some time in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during this early period. She was a frequent visitor to Vernon Corea
Vernon Corea
Vernon Corea was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation...
's BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
office at the Langham in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and was interviewed on "London Sounds Eastern
London Sounds Eastern
London Sounds Eastern was one of the most popular ethnic minority radio program's on the BBC. It was presented by Vernon Corea and produced by Keith Yeomans.-The Launching of London Sounds Eastern -BBC Radio London:...
" on BBC Radio London.
Usha visited Nairobi as part of an Indian Festival. She was so popular that she was invited to stay on. Singing and quite often nationalistic songs in Swahili made her extremely popular and the then President Jomo Kenyatta made her an Honorary Citizen of Kenya. She sang the famous song "Malaika" (angel) with Fadhili Williams who was the original singer. She produced a record "live in Nairobi" with a local band Fellini Five.
Uthup sang several songs in the 1970s and 1980s for music directors R D Burman
Rahul Dev Burman
Rahul Dev Burman commonly known as R. D. Burman and nicknamed Pancham da or simply Pancham, was an influential Bollywood music composer. He was the only son of singer and Bollywood music composer Sachin Dev Burman and his wife Meera...
and Bappi Lahiri
Bappi Lahiri
Bappi Lahiri or Alokesh Lahiri , born 27 November 1952, is a music director in the Hindi film industry. He pioneered the use of disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions. He was popular in the 1980s with films like Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal and Sharaabi among others.-Early...
. She also reprised some of R.D. Burman songs that were sung by others such as Mehbooba Mehbooba and Dum Maro Dum and popularised them to a distinct end.
Uthup sang in Chris Perry
Chris Perry (musician)
Chris Perry , born Pereira was a Goan musician, composer, songwriter and film producer.Chris Perry was an exceptionally gifted trumpeter, but he was also at ease with blowing instruments as saxophone, trumpet and flute as well as finger instruments like keyboard, piano and guitar. He learnt to...
's Konkani album Chris Perry Presents Usha - 'Meu Amor
Filmography
Some of her famous songs for movies (and associated music directors) include:| Song | Movie | Year | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Hai Ye Maya" | Don 2 | 2011 | Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages... |
| "Darling", "Doosri Darling" (With Rekha Bhardwaj Rekha Bhardwaj Rekha Bhardwaj is an Indian playback singer. She is the wife of famous Director-Producer-Music Composer Vishal Bharadwaj. She is known in the industry for her distinctive style of singing. She is also very good musician... ) |
7 Khoon Maaf | 2011 | Vishal Bhardwaj Vishal Bhardwaj Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian film director, writer, screenwriter, music composer and playback singer.-Early life:Bhardwaj was born in Bijnor but raised in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh to Satya Bhardwaj, a homemaker, and Ram Bhardwaj, a popular poet and lyricist. His father was a government employee and... |
| "Wicket Bacha" (With Earl) | Hattrick Hattrick (film) Hattrick is a 2007 Bollywood film, directed by Milan Luthria, starring Paresh Rawal, Rimi Sen, Kunal Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Danny Denzongpa.-Synopsis:The film opens with the introduction of the central characters.... |
2007 | Pritam Pritam Pritam Chakraborty , better known as Pritam is a music director and composer from Kolkata who currently works in Bollywood, Mumbai.- Early life :... |
| "Teri Meri Merry Christmas" | Bow barracks Forever | 2007 | Anjun Dutt |
| "Kabhi Pa Liya Tho Kabhi Kho Diya" | Jogger's Park | 2003 | Tabun |
| "Din Hai Na Ye Raat" | Bhoot Bhoot Bhoot is a Bollywood ghost movie released in 2003. It was directed by Ram Gopal Varma and stars Ajay Devgan and Urmila Matondkar. It was perceived to be different from a typical Bollywood movie as it did not contain songs. The film did average business at the box office... |
2003 | Salim-Sulaiman Salim-Sulaiman Salim Merchant And Sulaiman Merchant are a musical duo of brothers, born and brought up in Bhuj, Kutch, India. They belong to Ismaili Muslim family and are inspired by their father Sadruddin Merchant, who used to lead Ismaili Scouts Orchestra in India..Steeped in a family tradition of music as the... |
| "Vande Mataram" | Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... is a Bollywood film released in India and countries with large NRI populations on 14 December 2001.... |
2001 | Jatin-Lalit, Sandesh Shandilya, Aadesh Shrivastav |
| "Raja Ki Kahani" | Godmother Godmother (film) Godmother is a Hindi movie directed by Vinay Shukla released in 1999, and ostensibly inspired by the life of Santokben Jadeja.-Cast:* Shabana Azmi - Rambhi* Milind Gunaji - Veeram* Nirmal Pandey - Jakhra* Govind Namdeo - Kesubhai... |
1999 | Vishal Bhardwaj Vishal Bhardwaj Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian film director, writer, screenwriter, music composer and playback singer.-Early life:Bhardwaj was born in Bijnor but raised in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh to Satya Bhardwaj, a homemaker, and Ram Bhardwaj, a popular poet and lyricist. His father was a government employee and... |
| "Daud" | Daud Daud (film) Daud is a 1997 Hindi Road movie thriller by Ram Gopal Varma, starring Sanjay Dutt and Urmila Matondkar, with music composed by A. R. Rahman... |
1998 | A. R. Rahman A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and... |
| "Vegam Vegam Pogum Pogum" | Anjali Anjali (film) Anjali is a 1990 Tamil-language Indian feature film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Raghuvaran, Revathi, Prabhu, Tarun, Shruthi and Shamili. The musical film's score and soundtrack is composed by Ilaiyaraaja, being his 500th movie. Anjali is about a dying mentally disabled child, and the... |
1991 | Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter... |
| "Keechurallu" | Keechurallu | 1991 | Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter... |
| "Koi Yahan Aha Nache Nache" | Disco Dancer Disco Dancer Disco Dancer is a 1982 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by Babbar Subhash starring Mithun Chakraborty in lead role and Rajesh Khanna in a special appearance. The film tells the rags-to-riches story of a young street performer... |
1982 | Bappi Lahiri Bappi Lahiri Bappi Lahiri or Alokesh Lahiri , born 27 November 1952, is a music director in the Hindi film industry. He pioneered the use of disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions. He was popular in the 1980s with films like Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal and Sharaabi among others.-Early... |
| "Ramba Ho" | Armaan | 1981 | Bappi Lahiri Bappi Lahiri Bappi Lahiri or Alokesh Lahiri , born 27 November 1952, is a music director in the Hindi film industry. He pioneered the use of disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions. He was popular in the 1980s with films like Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal and Sharaabi among others.-Early... |
| "Hari Om Hari" | Pyaara Dushman Pyaara Dushman Pyaara Dushman is a 1980 Bollywood Hindi movie. Produced by Subhash Sagar it is directed by Anand Sagar. The film stars Vidya Sinha, Yogeeta Bali, Sarika, Amjad Khan, Vinod Mehra and Rakesh Roshan... |
1980 | Bappi Lahiri Bappi Lahiri Bappi Lahiri or Alokesh Lahiri , born 27 November 1952, is a music director in the Hindi film industry. He pioneered the use of disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions. He was popular in the 1980s with films like Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal and Sharaabi among others.-Early... |
| "Tu Mujhe Jaan Se Bhi Pyara Hai" | Wardaat | 1981 | Bappi Lahiri Bappi Lahiri Bappi Lahiri or Alokesh Lahiri , born 27 November 1952, is a music director in the Hindi film industry. He pioneered the use of disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions. He was popular in the 1980s with films like Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal and Sharaabi among others.-Early... |
| "Doston Se Pyar Kiya" | Shaan Shaan (film) Shaan is a 1980 Indian Hindi film. It is director Ramesh Sippy's 2nd film with Amitabh Bachchan after Sholay. The story was written by Salim-Javed.... |
1980 | R D Burman Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman commonly known as R. D. Burman and nicknamed Pancham da or simply Pancham, was an influential Bollywood music composer. He was the only son of singer and Bollywood music composer Sachin Dev Burman and his wife Meera... |
| "Shaan Se..." | Shaan Shaan (film) Shaan is a 1980 Indian Hindi film. It is director Ramesh Sippy's 2nd film with Amitabh Bachchan after Sholay. The story was written by Salim-Javed.... |
1980 | R D Burman Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman commonly known as R. D. Burman and nicknamed Pancham da or simply Pancham, was an influential Bollywood music composer. He was the only son of singer and Bollywood music composer Sachin Dev Burman and his wife Meera... |
| "Ek Do Cha Cha Cha" | Shalimar Shalimar (film) Shalimar is a 1978 Hindi film. Its English version known as Raiders of the Sacred Stone was released in USA. The movie starred Dharmendra, Sir Rex Harrison, Zeenat Aman, Shammi Kapoor, Prem Nath, Aruna Irani and American actors John Saxon and Sylvia Miles in supporting roles. Jayamalini does a... |
1978 | R D Burman Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman commonly known as R. D. Burman and nicknamed Pancham da or simply Pancham, was an influential Bollywood music composer. He was the only son of singer and Bollywood music composer Sachin Dev Burman and his wife Meera... |
In addition, she has also sung as a playback singer for the following Bollywood movies: Dhol (2007), June R (2005), Joggers' Park (2003), Jajantaram Mamantaram (2003), Ek Tha Raja (1996), Dushman Devta (1991), Bhavani Junction (1985), Hum Paanch (1980), and Purab Aur Pachhim (1970) among others.
She is a stage performer and gave performances all over the world and is known for her lively stage presence. She has been felicitated with several awards over the years, some of which include Rajiv Gandhi Purashkar for National Integration for quality music, Mahila Shiromani Purashkar for international peace, and Channel [V] award for outstanding achievement.
Recordings
She recorded her first album with Luis Banks for which she was paid Rs. 3500. Since then, she has recorded numerous albums. Usha's Hindi version of Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, titled '"Chhupke Kaon Aya'", can be found on the album Tom Middleton - The Trip (2004). A cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" is on another Tom Middleton album, Cosmosonica - Tom Middleton Presents Crazy Covers Vol. 1 (2005). She recently recorded a song called "Rhythm and Blues" with the Indian Rock Band Parikrama which appeared on Channel V on April 23, 2007.Acting career
Uthup is also an actress, often singing and acting in India's signature musical films. In 2006, she acted in the Malayalam movie - Pothen Vava as Kurisuveettil Mariamma.She made a cameo appearance in the movie Bombay To Goa with Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha in 1972. In 2007, she appeared in Bow Barracks Forever directed by Anjun Dutt as herself. Again in 2007, she appeared in Hattrick music video as herself.
She appeared in disguise on Indian Idol 1 and 2. She was one of the co-judges of the 2007 and 2008 & Idea Star Singer Season V (2010) the most rated south Indian reality show as well music oriented reality shows in Malayalam.
She has a minor role in the 2010 Tamil movie Manmadhan Ambu
Manmadhan Ambu
The film's music was scored by Devi Sri Prasad, after initially Shruti Hassan and later Thaman were reported to be the music composer. All lyrics by Kamal Haasan except where noted. The controversial song Kamal Kavidhai, had come under criticism due to lines about a woman's desire and for...
, as the mother of Madhavan
R. Madhavan
R. Madhavan is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations...
.
She also acted in Vishal Bhardwaj's 7 Khoon Maaf as a maid. She has also sang a song in the film which released on February 18, 2011.
Fashion style
Usha's trademark is her massive bindiBindi (decoration)
A bindi is a forehead decoration worn in South Asia . and Southeast Asia...
and flowers that she wears in her hair, as well as her Kancheepuram saris
Controversy
West BengalWest Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
Public Works Department minister Jatin Chakraborty who belonged to the Communist Party of India banned her from singing in all state-owned buildings accusing her of singing in a "decadent" style. The controversy started when she was invited to sing at the Government Cancer Research Center in Thakurpukur in Calcutta and the minister preemtively enforced the ban to prevent her. After an explosive meeting with the minister, she sued the Government. Several political figures, including the Chief Minister Jyoti Basu
Jyoti Basu
Jyoti Basu was an Indian politician belonging to the Communist Party of India from West Bengal, India. He served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1977 to 2000, making him the longest-serving Chief Minister of any Indian state. Basu was a member of the CPI Politburo from the time of the...
came out in support of her. She won the lawsuit against the government. Following her father's advice, she dropped her separate defamation lawsuit against the minister. The minister subsequently resigned from his post after he made further allegations against other people including the son of the chief minister.
In 2008, the communists again resorted to further insults when the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
(CPI(M)) Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
General secretary Pinarayi Vijayan
Pinarayi Vijayan
Pinarayi Vijayan is a politician and a former minister of Kerala, South India. He is currently a politburo member and the state secretary of Kerala State Committee of Communist Party of India .- Early life :...
, irritated by his party workers who had gone berserk during a public meeting at Kottayam, admonished them that it was not Usha Uthup's programme but the meeting of the communists. As a response, popular pop singer Usha Uthup said she and her supporters were hurt by such a remark.
Personal life
She is married to Jani Chacko Uthup who is originally from Manganam, KottayamKottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
, and was formerly married to the late Ramu Iyer. They have a daughter Anjali and a son Sunny, named after the song, Sunny
Sunny (song)
"Sunny" is the name of a song written by Bobby Hebb. It is one of the most covered popular songs, with hundreds of versions released. BMI rates "Sunny" number 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century."...
.
She currently lives in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
with her husband. She is considered an icon of modern Kolkata and is an active social presence in the city life.
Awards
- Padma ShriPadma ShriPadma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
(Padma Shri Awards (2010–2011) )-fourth highest civilian award presented by Government of IndiaGovernment of IndiaThe Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India... - Filmfare Award Nomination for Best Female Playback SingerFilmfare Best Female Playback AwardThe 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....
for the song "One Two Cha ChaCha" from Shalimar (film)Shalimar (film)Shalimar is a 1978 Hindi film. Its English version known as Raiders of the Sacred Stone was released in USA. The movie starred Dharmendra, Sir Rex Harrison, Zeenat Aman, Shammi Kapoor, Prem Nath, Aruna Irani and American actors John Saxon and Sylvia Miles in supporting roles. Jayamalini does a...
(1978) - FilmfareFilmfareFilmfare is an English-language tabloid-sized magazine about Indian cinema. Published by The Times Group, India's largest media services conglomerate, in Mumbai , it highlights the doings of the Bollywood film scene...
Nomination for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Hari Om Hari" from Pyara Dushman (1980) - FilmfareFilmfareFilmfare is an English-language tabloid-sized magazine about Indian cinema. Published by The Times Group, India's largest media services conglomerate, in Mumbai , it highlights the doings of the Bollywood film scene...
Nomination for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Rambha Ho" from Armaan (1981) - 7th Kalakar AwardsKalakar AwardsKalakar Awards or Kalakar Puraskar ceremony is one of the most prominent film events given for Bengali Cinemas in India.-History & Background:...
for Best Audio Album (Bangla) for the Album "Door DeepBasini" (1999) - 10th Kalakar AwardsKalakar AwardsKalakar Awards or Kalakar Puraskar ceremony is one of the most prominent film events given for Bengali Cinemas in India.-History & Background:...
for Best Audio Album (Bangla) for the Album "Chai Silpir Samman" (2002) - 12th Kalakar AwardsKalakar AwardsKalakar Awards or Kalakar Puraskar ceremony is one of the most prominent film events given for Bengali Cinemas in India.-History & Background:...
for Best Playback Singer for the Film "Joggers Park" (2004)