It was her unique ability to gauge what the music director wanted and deliver accordingly that made her a cut above the rest.

It was for ‘Manjil Virinja Pookkal’ that Vani Jayaram worked with me for the first time. During the discussions, her name came up along with S Janaki. I gave the film’s most happy song to her—‘Manjadikunnil’ a duet with Yesudas.

I realised her talent when I started teaching her the song. She was a quick learner. What gladdened me was her ability to sing exactly the way I wanted and with clarity.

And therefore the vowels will be spot on. There won't be any false notes. It always made things easier for the music director. I have made Vani sing the semi-classical song ‘Noopurametho kadha paranju’ for the film ‘Dhanya.’

She sang a song for me in ‘Action Hero Biju’, a light composition called ‘Pookkal panineer pookal.’ But it is while singing the stanzas that she really underlined her talent.

My other wonderful memory is her song ‘Bolere Paappihara’ in ‘Guddi’. It was during the reign of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle that a music composer like Vasanth Desai showed the audacity to bring her on board. And she matched Lata Mangeshkar in that song. It was a huge hit too.

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