Just shy of 75, Usha Uthup still reigns in people's hearts as queen of Indian pop

“Usha, don’t come for music classes hereafter. Music is not your cup of tea. You have a strange voice. Funny voice.” These words of Ms Davidson, music teacher of Convent of Jesus and Mary School in Bombay (now Mumbai), were like thunderclaps to a small girl who ran out of the music class with tears welling up in her eyes in 1957.

Later, this girl became an Indian pop diva with legions of fans around the world and had been conferred with the Padma Shri award for her invaluable contribution to the music industry. This former student of Convent of Jesus and Mary School who had been mesmerizing music lovers with her husky voice for more than five decades is none other than Usha Uthup.

It is amazing to know how the versatile singer shrugged off instances of agony, neglect and rejection to script a musical score with a perfect pitch in life. When Vikas Kumar Jha, a journalist hailing from Bihar, wrote the biography of Usha Uthup titled ‘Ullas ki Naav’, it portrayed a glorious era of the Indian cinema music and her dogged fight to carve out a musical space for herself. The memoir was translated to English under the title ‘The Queen of Indian Pop’ by Vikas Kumar’s daughter Srishti Jha. The tome reflects the heart-touching moments in the life of Usha Uthup, who will be turning 75 shortly.

Not a sweet voice but one which has music talent

Usha had put her best foot forward by singing in ‘Nine Gems’, a nightclub in Chennai. Later, she moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) and started crooning in the Trincas nightclub. It was the popular Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor who introduced Usha to noted music director R D Burman after hearing her sing at Oberoi Hotel in Delhi. And she became a playback singer through the Hindi movie ‘Kabhi Dhoop Kabhi Chhaon’, which had hit the theatres in 1971. Helen and Dara Singh enacted on screen Usha’s first song in Bollywood.

When Usha’s brother Shyama Sundar came to know that she was singing for the film, he pulled her legs by saying that “so you are singing for Dara Singh”. But Usha was unfazed by the quip as she was used to people remarking that her voice lacked femininity. It may be noted that the film industry then was familiar only with singers having sweet voice.

 

‘Dum Maro Dum’ song not sung by Didi

One song that is synonymous with Usha is the well-liked ‘Dum maro dum’ track of ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ film helmed by actor-director Dev Anand. It is noteworthy that the singer had set thousands of stages on fire with this beautiful number and many believe that the song was originally sung by Usha in the Hindi flick. Each time Usha enthralls the music lovers with this song, she is taking a sweet revenge as she lost the opportunity to lend her voice to ‘Dum Maro Dum’ in the film at the last moment. Music director R D Burman had asked Usha to sing the song which will feature Zeenat Aman and Mumtaz on the silver screen. It was decided that the ‘Dum maro dum’ song will be a duet with Lata Mangeshkar singing for Mumtaz and Usha lending her voice for Zeenat Aman’s character that has a western outlook. It was a dream come true for Usha and she started to rehearse the song with great fervor and enthusiasm. But when Usha came for the recording, she got the shock of her life when she was told that the song will be sung by Asha Bhosle, sister of Lata Mangeshkar. Though Burman gave Usha the opportunity to croon a song in ‘I Love You’ film, she was crestfallen after losing out on ‘Dum maro dum’. The Mangeshkar sisters at that time were ruling the playback singing roost in Bollywood and their infallibility had robbed Usha of many opportunities.

 

Usha made it clear that nightclub singers also talented

Exacting revenge on those who said that the complexities of ragas and talas of Carnatic music were a tall order for her, Usha stepped into the enviable world of pop music and became the queen of Indian pop. During those days, it was hard to believe that a girl was singing in a nightclub, Usha made her intentions loud and clear with the statement that nightclub singers are also talented singers. It may be noted that many celebrities including actors Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan and celebrated director Satyajit Ray had visited nightclubs to listen to Usha’s songs. The architects of fast numbers such as R D Burman and Bappi Lahiri churned out songs that suited her style of singing. Bappi Lahiri’s iconic song ‘Rambha ho ho ho’ was highly appreciated by music lovers around the world. Later, she had lent her voice to songs tuned by maestros Illayaraja and A R Rahman. Former West Bengal chief minister and pop music enthusiast Jyothi Basu called her ‘Didi’ and now she is popularly known as ‘Didi’.

 

Uthup’s girlfriend and Kerala’s daughter-in-law

Usha, who has Tamil roots, by birth, obviously is a neighbor of the state of Kerala. The acclaimed singer first saw Keralite Jani Chacko Uthup at Trincas nightclub in Calcutta. After a concert, Uthup came up to Usha to compliment her on her singing. It was love at first sight as Usha loved his talking style and smile. Uthup was a tea sommelier in Calcutta and their romance started brewing over a period time and without much ado they got married and Usha became the daughter-in-law of Kerala. When Uthup’s work took him to Kerala, the young couple moved to the south Indian state. Their daughter Anjali and son Sunny were born in Kerala. In the memory of their love for each other, Usha named their home in Kochi ‘Trincas’. The Keralites around the world can’t forget ‘Ente Keralam etra sundaram’ song, which was beautifully rendered by Usha, and this song is used by the state tourism department to promote Kerala tourism.

 

Usha's attire and style as a singer is still a rage in Indian pop music space

Usha’s shows were banned in Calcutta in 1983 on the grounds that they were decadent. Later armed with a favorable court verdict, Usha conducted a musical night in Calcutta itself and had sent a strong message to her detractors.

Usha clad in bright Kancheepuram saree with a bunch of jamine flowers adorning her hair, a big bindi and bangles clinking on her forearms, is still a rage in the Indian pop music space. Usha holds the record for releasing most number of English music albums by an Indian singer. “When it comes to music, I regret that I can’t read any musical notation. That knowledge could have helped me in my stage shows. I learn each notation by listening and singing repeatedly. You can take a call on whether I am a good singer or a bad singer. But one thing is for sure, I am cent percent original singer,” she says confidently.

 

An overdue apology

Once after a show, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was seated in the front row, embraced and congratulated Usha, and that’s one of the memorable moments in the singer’s life. Usha has fans across the world and even Nelson Mandela had danced in one of her pop music concerts. Years ago, a lady came to extend her wishes after a musical programme at Ashoka Hotel in Delhi. After seeing Usha, she hugged her and cried a lot. That woman was none other than Ms Davidson, the music teacher who told Usha in her schooldays that there was no music in her. It was indeed an overdue apology tendered by the wheel of time