Hyderabad
7 July, 2011

Singer Sunitha who has made her presence felt with her debut film Gulabi and the finest song ‘Ee Velalo Neevu’ has come a long way and sang over 3200 songs so far. As per her mother, Sunitha started singing at the age of seven months and mastered the songs of Sankarabharanam to perfection by the age of 3. Coming from a musical family where Sunitha’s mother used to teach classical singing, it’s no wonder that Sunita imbibed the finest qualities of singing and music even before she knew what it was. Though she has won around 7 coveted Nandi awards, the filmfare award has been eluding her for the past 16 years. She has finally won it. Here is chitchat with singer Sunitha -

How does it feel to win a filmfare award at last?
I had come to film industry 16 years back and I had won 7 Nandi awards (6 for cinema and 1 for TV). I was nominated for filmfare award as for best female playback singer category for 12 times, but I wasn’t fortunate enough to hold the black lady in my hands. Just about when I was giving up hope to hold the prestigious filmfare award, the opportunity knocked on my door from an unexpected quarter. I was nominated for a song in Kannada film ‘Cheluveye Ninne Nodalu’ and won the black lady which has been elusive for the past 16 years. It has always been my dream to win a filmfare and finally it happened in this month. I would like to thank the jury and the filmfare team.

You are the only Telugu-based singer who made it big in the last 15 years. How do you feel about it?
I had sung around 3200 songs so far. Most of them are Telugu songs. I have worked for around 14 films in Kannada, 8 films in Tamil and 2 songs in Malayalam. I have made my debut in Tamil in the music direction of Ilayaraja in 1998. I sang period songs (reflecting the period of 1930) that were penned by Karunanidhi. I have made my Kannada debut in the music direction of Ilayaraja and that movie went on to win the national award.

Which one is difficult - dubbing or singing?
Dubbing is difficult compared to singing because we sing first and then actors enact the songs later. But dubbing to character which already mouthed similar words on screen is difficult as we need to make sure that there is proper lip sync and right emotion in the tone.

What is your ultimate dream?
My dream has always been to win National award for a Telugu song. It’s been 16 years since I started singing for films. I don’t think it’s in my hands any more. It’s up to destiny.

Who are your favorite singers?

1. Md Rafi
2. Suseela (for impeccable pronunciation)
3. Janaki (uninhibited expressions in all varieties of songs)
4. Chitra (versatility)
5. SP Balu (he is my role model)

There are lots of upcoming singers emerging from reality shows. Did anybody impress you?
I have not seen any singer who is capable of singing all kinds of songs in the upcoming singers. It may take them around 2-3 years to emerge as the versatile singers. I am also eagerly watching.

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