Veteran playback singer P Jayachandran passed away at the age of 80 at a private hospital in Thrissur on Thursday, January 9. A singer known for his unmatched vocal prowess, he primarily sang in Malayalam and Tamil movies and was lovingly called bhaavagayakan, a word in Malayalam which means ‘soulful singer’.
In a career spanning nearly six decades, P Jayachandran emerged as one of India's most versatile playback singers, with an impressive repertoire of 15,000 songs across five languages – Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi. Born in 1944 to musician Ravi Varma Kochaniyan Thampuran and Subhadra Kunjamma, Jayachandran’s journey in film music began with 'Manjalayil Mungithorthi' for the 1966 film Kalithozhan. Though he had recorded 'Orumullappoomalayumayi' for Kunjali Marakkar in 1965, Kalithozhan was released first, making the P Bhaskaran-penned melody his debut song.
Jayachandran’s mastery over classical music and his emotive rendering earned him the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1985. Some of his unforgettable songs in Malayalam include ‘Neelagiriyude Sakhikale’ (Pani Theeratha Veedu), ‘Madhuchandrikayude’ (Anachadanam), ‘Upasana Upasana’ (Thottavadi) and ‘Anuragagaanam Pole’ (Udhyogastha). He has collaborated with some of the most renowned music composers in the industry including G Devarajan, MS Baburaj, V Dakshinamoorthy, K Raghavan, MK Arjunan, MS Viswanathan, Ilaiyaraaja, Koti, Shyam, AR Rahman, MM Keeravani, Vidyasagar, and M Jayachandran. He collaborated with Rahman for his Hindi film debut, singing 'Mila Waham Waham' with Alka Yagnik for Ada...A Way of Life (2010).
Throughout his illustrious career, Jayachandran has won multiple accolades, including five Kerala state awards, four Tamil Nadu state awards and a National award. In 2020, he received the JC Daniel award for his outstanding contributions to Malayalam cinema.
His other memorable songs in Tamil and Malayalam include ‘Poova Eduthu Oru Maalai’ from Amman Kovil Kizhakale (1986), ‘Kodiyile Malliyapoo’ from Kadalora Kavithaigal (1986), ‘Ariyathe ariyathe’ from Ravanaprabhu (2001), ‘Oru Dheivam Thantha Poove’ from Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), and ‘Onnu Thodaanullil’ from Yathrakarude Shraddhaku (2002).
He was also an actor, first appearing in Nakhakshathangal (1986) and also performing a notable role in Malayalam film Trivandrum Lodge (2012).