The music world is buzzing with excitement as indie musician Pavithra Chari, known for her soul-stirring compositions, joins forces with the legendary Indian composer A.R. Rahman. This unexpected collaboration promises to bring together their unique musical sensibilities and create something truly remarkable.
Chari is an accomplished independent vocalist, composer and playback singer who has also featured on the GRAMMY Award-nominated album, Shuruaat, (by the Berklee Indian Ensemble), earlier this year. She is also notably a disciple of revered musician Shubha Mudgal. Chari has sung for films like Dasara, Udanpirappe, Waltair Veerayya and web series Ayali, working with esteemed composers including Santhosh Narayanan, D. Imman, Devi Sri Prasad and Reva. Having been featured in auteur Mani Ratnam’s PS-1 and PS-2 as an additional vocalist too, Chari is on an inspiring journey as one of the lead voices in “Utchanthala.”
On “Utchanthala,” Chari masterfully balances the raw delicacy of the emotions at play with a vocal prowess that’s atmospheric, synergetic and resounding. The track for Maamannan comes on the heels of the musician charting a prolific playback career. In what has already been a milestone six months, Chari cements yet another artistic landmark as one of the main vocalists in this song for the haloed Rahman. She sings alongside powerful voices of Indian music such as Sireesha Bhagavatula and Deepthi Suresh on “Utchanthala.”
About collaborating with Oscar-winning maestro A.R. Rahman, Pavithra Chari says,“It has been a dream come true to sing for A.R. Rahman sir’s music and I will always be grateful to him for this opportunity. His music has deeply inspired me for years. My experience as an indie musician has given me many perspectives on my craft, but working in the film industry has been equally challenging and gratifying in a very different way. I have explored many facets of my voice that I didn't even know existed. To be able to contribute to a composer’s vision within the much larger milieu of the film, and express diverse emotions based on the script
have been two of my biggest artistic lessons so far.”
Chari is also a widely renowned independent musician who has garnered praise as both a solo act and as part of fusion duo Shadow and Light (with Anindo Bose). She has also previously been featured on the cover of Rolling Stone India. Due to her and Bose’s pleasing sonic experiments wherein they fuse Indian classical music with electronica, jazz, blues and more, the prestigious native wing of the iconic music magazine noted them as one of the “coolest alchemists” in sound.