'Cinema Paithiyam' remake of 'Guddi' was a hit too Vani Jayaram's flawless rendition enthralled all

Chennai, Feb 4 (PTI) Her flawless rendition and mesmerising voice enthralled music lovers and it was her voice that made them forget their worries.
If Vani Jayaram stormed to fame through her evergreen song 'Bole Re Papihara' in the Hindi film 'Guddi', its Tamil remake - 'Cinema Paithiyam' - is on equal footing in terms of popularity.
"People still listen to the Tamil song - En Ullam Azhagana - in that film," recalls Ravi Muktha, film-maker and industrialist.
It is the Tamil song of Bole Re Papihara, which she sang.
Ravi, son of Muktha Srinivasan, the legendary Indian film director and producer, says "Sippiyile Muthu" is the first song Vani Jayaram sang for the film "Anbai Thedi" (In search of Love) in 1974, directed by his father.
She also sang in the popular film 'Andaman Kadhali' (Lover from Andaman) in 1978, directed by Muktha Srinivasan. "She sang at least 40 to 45 songs for the films made by our father who always preferred her for her perfect rendition," Ravi told PTI on Saturday. But after her husband's demise, she suffered a setback and gradually began to withdraw, he said.
Once, 'Mellisai Mannar', (King of Melody) as Indian music director, singer and actor M S Viswanathan is called, depicted a drunkard in a song and Vani Jayaram was expected to chide him. "But she refused to say 'shut up' as she regarded Mellisai Mannar as her guru. There were 3 - 4 takes but she preferred not to utter the words ada chi gammunu kada. Finally, MSV had to make her utter those words," Ravi recalls going down the memory lane.
"We have missed a great artiste and a great personality. More than a versatile singer, she has been a great human being," Ravi said with a tinge of pain.
"To even talk about the demise of Vani Jayaram is very painful. One can't get used to the fact that she's no more," says Sudha Raghunathan, popular Carnatic vocalist, singer and composer.
"Vani akka (elder sister) is a very affectionate person, outstanding musician and a wonderful human being. We all know that she sung in 14 languages and she stormed tinsel town with her Bole Re Papihara. That song is evergreen in our hearts and minds, though after that she has given so many hits and won so many national awards," Sudha Raghunathan, a Padma Bhushan and Sangeetha Kalanidhi awardee, said.
Vani Jayaram was endowed with a voice that surpassed the sweetness of a koel or nightingale, she added.
"For me, personally, my favourite song (sung by Vani Jayaram) is the one from Apoorva Raagangal (a 1975 film) - Ezhu swarangalukkul enthanai paadal...," Sudha Raghunathan said and added that the singer's "demise is untimely and I pray for her soul to rest in peace."
Writer and documentary film-maker Usha Subramanian says Vani Jayaram had always been modest and committed to her work.
Considered a child prodigy, Vani Jayaram's voice was first heard on the All India Radio, Madras, when she was 8. She was born as Kalaivani in Vellore on November 30, 1945, as fifth daughter in a family of six daughters and three sons. She was a student of Queen Mary's College, Chennai, and had worked in the State Bank of India.
She started her career in 1971 and won many national film awards for best female playback singer and State government awards from Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)