Vani Jayaram, a tremendously talented singer, fondly referred to as the “Meera of Modern India,” started her career in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. Though Vani did not get her due in Hindi films, she found tremendous success in films of other Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, and Kannada.
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Willum Skeener
She did playback for over 1,000 movies, recording over 10,000 songs. She also has hundreds of devotional and private albums under her name and has been a part of thousands of concerts and live shows across the world.
Trained under Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan of the Patiala Gharana, she learned the nuances of various vocal forms such as Thumri, Ghazal, and Bhajan. She was spotted by the great Vasant Desai during a classical session and he chose her to sing the song “Runanubandhacha” for the same album along with Kumar Gandharva.
Although Vani Jayaram made a career primarily in South Indian films, she debuted as a playback singer in the Hindi film Guddi. Her mentor, Vasant Desai, gave all three songs “Bole Re Papihara,” “Hari Bin Kaise Jeeun,” & “Humko Man Ki Shakti Dena” in Guddi to her. Considering Lata Mangeshkar’s dominance at the time, this was a brave decision. With the songs of Guddi making waves, Vani Jayaram more than justified Vasant Desai’s faith in her.
“Bole Re Papihara,” based on “Raag Miyan Ki Malhar,” showcased her classical training and went on to win many awards, including the Tansen Samman (for best classical-based song in a Hindi film), the Lions International Best Promising Singer award, the All India Cinegoers Association award, and the All India Filmgoers Association award for Best Playback Singer in 1971.
She was chosen by the Great Naushad saab for a classical badish “More Saajan Souten Ghar” for Meena kumari’s classic Pakeezah (1972). Vani was chosen for the voice of Meera Bai in 1979 movie “Meera” which has the music of Pt. Ravi Shankar, the song “Mere To Giridhar Gopal” from the movie won her first Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer.
In 1973, she sang her first Tamil song for the film Thayum Seiyum under the music direction of S. M. Subbaiah Naidu. Vani won her first National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the Tamil film Apoorva Raagangal in 1975. In 1980, she got the National Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the Telugu movie “Sankarabharanam.”
Her third National Award for Best Female Playback Singer came for “Anathineeyara Hara” (Swathi Kiranam) in 1991.
Vani is the youngest artist to be awarded the “Sangeet Peeth Samman.” She has won the National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer three times and also has won State Government awards from the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
In 2012, she was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (South) for her achievements in South Indian film music. In July 2017, she was honoured with the Best Female Singer award at the NAFA 2017 event in New York City. She was also conferred with the Padma Bhushan award in 2023.
On February 4, 2023, 78-year-old Vani Jairam was found dead at her Haddows Road apartment in Chennai. Vani Jairam’s husband died a few years ago and she used to live alone in her apartment in Chennai.
