Shilpa Rao - Unplugged! Kochi

Shilpa Rao – Unplugged!  JT Pac, Kochi

A Memorable 100 Minute Musical Soiree!

By - Lt Col (Retd) D Purushothaman Pillay

On Sunday, 17 Feb, we were seated in the 'Acoustic Dreamland' - JT Pac, dot at 7 pm, very excited at the prospect of atlast, coming face to face, with the latest rage in Hindi film playback singing. It was indeed the perfect setting for this intimate 'Unplugged' session, with this sensational 'wonder-voice' that has stealthily arrived, riding on the current invasion of small-town, little-known singers who have suddenly emerged from obscurity and are fast upstaging the older names of the Hindi film music world. At the appointed hour, out came a dainty, frail frame, clad in a loose black gold-bordered garb, a mike in her delicate hand. One could have easily mistaken her for a senior student of the Choice School who happened to stray on to the stage. Then the mouth opens, the voice pours out and instantaneously one knows that the charming Shilpa "was born with it". Her mellifluous voice, traverses from deep inside her pure soul and establishes a sponateous captivating connect, with the enraptured listener’s souls. The next 100 minutes were sheer listening bliss, riding on a melodious roller coaster, ranging from slow soulful ballads to the entrancing high energy anthems. We were absolutely mesmerized, by the easy connect she establishes with her rapt audience, the variety of styles she so effortlessly flits through and the sheer ease with which she hits and holds those high notes.

The accompanying six member troupe, who provided the music for this memorable unplugged evening, were Dilshad Khan on Sarangi, Hitech Modak on Keyboard, Aditya on Acoustic Guitar, Arun on Percussion, the young 17 year old Mohini Dey on Bass Guitar and Ashwin Andrew on the Drums. The patrons who had turned out in quite a large number, were regaled by her, with a well-compiled selection of her songs. Among others, the much awarded 'Khuda Jaane' from Bachna Ae Haseeno, 'Mudi Mudi Ittefaq Se' from Paa, 'Tosey Naina Lage' from Anwar, 'Dhol Yaara Dhol' from Dev D, 'Saiyyaan Re' from Salaam-e-Ishq, 'Woh Ajnabee' from The Train, 'Ek Lau' from Aamir, 'Ishq Shava' from Jab Tak Hain Jaan and the foot-stomping title track from English-Vinglish, were well appreciated by the admiring assembly.

This Jharkhand-born, Jamsedpur-bred diminutive 28 year old gifted prodigy, was christened 'Apeksha' at birth, by her father S V Rao, a music aficionado. This name however, endured very briefly, only so long as her 'Apeksha or Wait 'for stardom lasted, then she declared her arrival on stage, and became known to the world, by her more popular allonym 'Shilpa Rao'. The famous ghazal singer Hariharan, her father's dear friend, must be credited with spotting her latent talent in her teens. He brought her under the strict tutelage of the revered Ghulam Mustafa Khan, who studiously imparted the tough fundamentals of vocal training, which included mastery over the principles of breathing, secrets of diaphragm-supported resonance creation and versatile voice modulation. Following that extensive indoctrination, she was fully equipped to face the rigours of any competition, and there was no looking back, thereafter for this dazzling bundle of talent. After some concert singing with Sankar Mahadevan, she moved to Delhi, journeyed her way through some ad jingles before finally arriving in Bombay, where in 2006 she recorded her first film song 'Tosey Naina Laage' for the film Anwar.

The list of heroines who have mouthed her numbers in films reads like a virtual who-is-who of the current Hindi film industry. She has sung for the likes of Deepika Padukone, Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif, to name a few. The list of prominent films for which she has sung, apart from the ones listed above, include hits like Gandhi My Father, Anjaana Anjaani, No One Killed Jessica, Ladies v/s Ricky Bahl, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Cocktail, Jodi Breakers, Desi Boyz, Yeh Saali Zindagi, Lafangey Parindey  and Sikandar besides many others. Incidentally, she has also sung for the Tamil movie 'Naan Mahaan Alla' and the Malayalam movie 'Puthiya Mukham'.

Other than her Hindi film projects, Shilpa is also a member of a three-member independent music ensemble - "Band Called Nine" comprising of the noted author/lyricist Neelesh Misra and an advertising professional/composer Amartya Rahut. This band is breaking new ground in the non-film genre, with a unique storytelling-meets-song concept that brings together the classical tradition of qissagoi (storytelling) and the throbbing sounds of neo-folk-fusion Indian music. Their first album 'Rewind' consisting of nine original compositions besides an epic narration, won the Best Debut Award (non-film music) at the Global Indian Music Awards 2011.

She is also reputed to be a firm believer in effectively using the Internet and to explore the digital medium to promote her work and sphere of influence. This exploratory side of her visionary self, professes in the efficacy of experimenting with new technology in widening her social media presence. Intuitively, she also percieved that the new-age belonged to web concerts, and  she is proud of having some energetic collaborations with the likes of Agnee and Parikrama. As early as Dec 2011, this far-sighted singer, had also participated in a simulcast of a WebCert across the ArtistAloud.com, Youtube, Facebook  and Dailymotion.com platforms. This ambitious and clairvoyant creative soul, is meticulously carving out a niche for herself, among her chosen audience; thereby marking her out as 'a formidable voice of the future'.

She epitomizes the 'You are the song..The song is you' oneness, that exceptional singers carry as their calling card. In this frivolous movie industry plagued with capricious loyalties this rising star, with her refreshing dedication, fiery ambition, scrupulous planning and determined professionalism, will be one enduring voice that will be entertaining us for a very long time. I shall be looking out for her name, when I need to select a melody to connect with, because I am assured any song that Shilpa should allow to pass between her lips, must be worth going miles to listen to. God bless this young singer! Go forth Girl, and conquer the world! Thank you JT Pac for facilitating the discovery of Shilpa in Kochi!