Soulful, magical and effortless are a few of the choicest words that can perhaps aptly describe the sublime, and at the same time, powerful voice of Kavita Krishnamurthy. The Padma Shri awardee is one of the most renowned female playback singers in Bollywood who left the audience awe-struck. Her most memorable songs such as the melodious Tu Hi Re, quirky and joyous Hawa Hawai and item number Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast shows her unmatched range and nonpareil versatility. As the magnificent melody queen who ruled the 1990s turns 64, Saregama wishes her a very happy birthday and remembers her special journey to stardom and much more.
Kavita Krishnamurthy was born in New Delhi to an Iyer family hailing from Tamil Nadu. Her father was a government official, and thus she aspired to go along that line. However, life has something else planned out for her. Her Bengali aunt played a substantial role in her becoming the singing sensation that people know of today. She was encouraged to take music training at a young age. Later, she learned Rabindra Sangeet and finally Hindustani classical music under the guidance of Balram Puri. Her tryst with the music world began, and she never looked back.
She moved from Delhi to Mumbai for higher education as well as limitless opportunities that the city gives. And she indeed found the fortune to make it big in the industry. Life took various turns and twists, ultimately leading her to the destination. She got acquainted with legends like Manna Dey and later accompanied greats like evergreen singer Mukesh and Talat Mahamood on concerts. Initially, she got opportunities galore for singing in regional languages and made a name for herself. Her first stint as a singer came with legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar as the composer for a Bengali movie Shriman Privthiraj. Eventually, the singing star got her shot in Bollywood.
In 1985, she got a breakthrough with the song Tumse Milkar Na Jane Kyun from the movie Pyar Jhukta Nahin, which became a hit. However, what made her popular among the mass and attain stardom was the song Hawa Hawai in the movie Mr. India 1986. Later, she collaborated with R. D. Burman, one of the greatest music composers of all time in Bollywood, for the movie 1942: A Love Story. It was the last composition of the legendary composer. All the songs connected with the audience and become major hits, and Kavita’s voice became a national sensation.
Throughout her journey as a playback singer, Kavita Krishnamurthy had the opportunity to work with all the big composers such as Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Bappi Lahiri, Jatin-Lalit, Anu Malik, A.R. Rahman, Ismail Darbar and singers like Sonu Nigam, Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan. As mentioned before, she even showed her versatility with the item song Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast and broke the mould in that era.
From the late 1980s, she was the most preferred voice in Bollywood, along with Alka Yagnik. Some of Kavita Krishnamurthy’s unforgettable songs include Pyaar Hua Chupke Se, Mera Piya Ghar Aaya, Aaj Main Upar, Dola Re Dola, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Nimbooda, Aey Dil Aaya Hai Bahar, Na Jaane Kahan Se, Tu Hi Re. After a brief hiatus, she sang the Tum Ho female version of the song in the movie Rockstar. Today, she continues to dazzle the audience by performing in national and international concerts. She was awarded Padma Shri in 2005. As for her personal life, she married violinist and Carnatic musician Dr. L. Subramaniam. The couple continue to spread the power and magic of music all over the world. Saregama wishes a very happy birthday to the melody queen and hopes that the audience gets many more songs from her.