Indravathi Chauhan never imagined she would one day be a playback singer, let alone be singing a hit song for a Telugu film. But for the 21-year-old Hyderabad native that’s just what happened. Her first playback singing opportunity was ‘Oo Antava’, the dance number from Pushpa: The Rise that saw Samantha Ruth Prabhu in a special appearance. Indravathi says that this unexpected chance has thrown open many doors for her.
Though not a trained singer, Indravathi isn’t a stranger to the music business, her sister Mangli is a well-known playback and folk singer, who has sung popular songs like ‘Saranga Dariya’ and ‘Bhoom Bhaddhal’ among others. And in a way, she played a role in gaining Indravathi this opportunity. Six years ago, Mangli hosted a show on folk singers for a news channel. Indravathi had performed a song on the show. When Devi Sri Prasad, the music director of the film, was looking for a fresh new voice to sing ‘Oo Antava’ he put the word out. “Devi Sri Prasad sir was sent around ten videos of different folk singers performing, among which was one of Indravathi singing on my show. Devi Sri Prasad sir zeroed in on her and I got a call from his manager, asking if my sister would like to give a voice test,” Mangli tells TNM.
However, the sisters were unsure whether Indravathi would be selected, as she does not have a classical singing background nor was she a professional singer. “But, she was selected and her voice was perfect for the song,” adds Mangli.
Talking about her reaction when she heard that she was chosen, Indravathi says, “My joy knew no bounds when I learned that I was finalised for the song. Devi Sri Prasad sir patiently taught me to sing each and every line and got the best out of me. I'm ever grateful to the entire Pushpa team for this opportunity.”
Indravathi wasn’t the only one to score the chance to sing for Pushpa. While she sang the Telugu version of the song, her sister Mangli sang the Kannada version. “I had already been singing songs in Kannada and Devi Sri Prasad sir asked me to sing this song as well. I feel I have gotten a very good response to this song,” Mangli says.
With lyrics by Chandrabose and music by Devi Sri Prasad, 'Oo Antava' which was released on December 10 garnered about 47 million views on YouTube within the span of 7 days.
The song which features Samantha and the movie’s lead Allu Arjun, aims to subvert typical ‘item’ numbers and the lyrics focus on the male gaze, This has received lots of comments on social media. “There is no song which doesn’t get commented on and criticised these days, but we have to do our job and move on,” say the sisters.
Meanwhile, Indravathi, who found fame overnight, has been getting various playback singing opportunities but she wants to slow down and only pick songs that suit her voice. She also says that she will continue her studies, she is in her second-year degree. “When she was younger, Indravathi used to sometimes sing folk songs along with my father or me, but I never imagined that she had this kind of talent in her, and I'm happy that she got this particular opportunity,” says Mangli.
Watch Oo Antava song video here :