You have sung for Chiranjeevi in Telugu again?
That’s right. In Anil Ravipudi’s Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, I have sung again for Chiranjeeviji. I have earlier sung for him in Daddy, Choodalani Vundi, Indra and Tagore.
So would you say you have a rapport with Chiranjeevi?
Oh certainly! He is not just a superstar, he is also a wonderful human being. Nobody in Andhra and Telangana or in Mumbai has a single negative word to say about him. I would like to think that I, too, have a likeable image.
You do. In fact, you have a similar career trajectory?
How long has Chiranjeevi ji been acting? 47-48 years. I have been singing for almost 50 years. Of course, Chiranjeevi ji is a much bigger name than me. God has been kind to both of us. We both got abundant love for our fans. Ah, there is one more similarity between us.
What is that?
We both have a son of about the same age. I would like my son to sing for Ram Charan someday.
I am sure it would happen. Is singing in Telugu tough?
It is tough. I have to make sure the diction and pronunciation are irreproachable. But what is life without challenges? I have sung in any number of languages including Hindi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Sindhi, Odia, Bhojpuri, Nepali, Malayalam, Assamese and my own mother tongue Maithili. In the South, I’ve sung not only in Telugu but also in Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. I believe popular art whether it is singing, dancing or acting, has the power to dissolve all linguistic barriers.
