TRIBUTE TO P JAYACHANDRAN

'Never do this to any artist,' Jayachandran once pleaded

P Jayachandran, the legendary playback singer who touched countless hearts with his soulful voice, was with us for over half a century, weaving his melodies into thousands of unforgettable songs.

His music accompanied us through moments of sadness, love, longing, and joy. His voice not only earned respect but captured the hearts of millions. Yet, when he penned his autobiography, he wrote: "This should not happen to any artist, not just to Jayachandran alone."

What were the wounds that still ached in the heart of an artist who, at 80, had reached an age when many past pains and insults tend to fade? In his autobiography, Ekanthapathikan Njan, Jayachandran unveiled the scars.

He revealed the pain of being sidelined in films such as Drishyam, Amen, and Nottam. Despite recording songs for these movies, his voice was replaced in the final versions without his knowledge.

What hurt him the most, he said, was not the rejection itself but the lack of basic courtesy to inform him. The disregard left a wound deeper than the decisions themselves.

Recounting the incident with Drishyam, Jayachandran expressed his hurt: "It was a newcomer who composed the music for Drishyam, and I sang the song multiple times exactly as he directed. At the end of the recording, they didn’t express any dissatisfaction with my performance.

"Yet, later, when the song was released, I discovered that my voice had been replaced. They claimed the track voice itself was used. But as a senior artist, shouldn’t I have at least been informed? If they had asked me to re-record the song, I would have gladly done so if I was available. Instead, the situation unfolded without a word to me, and worse, attempts were made to make it seem like I was at fault."

He recounted a similar experience with the movie Amen: "After I finished singing the song, the music director approached me with a request. He said he wanted to alter the style of the song and asked me to return the following week to re-record it. I told him that I wouldn’t be available next week and asked for the agreed payment for the session.

"After that, no one contacted me again. Naturally, I assumed there would be no changes. But when the song came out, I discovered that they had replaced me with a different singer."

"Perhaps the director, the music director, or someone important in that project didn’t like my voice. There’s no rule that everyone has to like it, and I completely understand that. But isn’t it basic decency to inform me that the voice has been changed?" he asked.

Jayachandran also shared a painful experience involving the renowned music composer M Jayachandran, whom he affectionately called "Kutta." Despite their close bond, the incident left a mark on him.

A song composed by M Jayachandran for the film Nottam, beginning with the line "Melle... Melle... Melleyanee Yathra", was recorded in P Jayachandran’s voice. "I finished recording the song feeling very happy. A few days later, Kuttan called me and said, ‘Jayetta, there’s a little change to be made in that song.

"I’m coming to Chennai. Can you sing it for me again?’ I assured him there was absolutely no problem. But after that, there were no more calls about it."

"Much later, I found out that he had sung the song himself and included it in the film. I felt a little sad, not because he sang it, but because he didn’t tell me such a change was necessary.

"If he truly wanted to sing it, I wouldn’t have had to record it in the first place. On the contrary, he is close enough to me to be honest, even if the change happened due to someone else’s pressure," Jayachandran shared.

"I tried hard to let it go. But I was genuinely happy to know that Kuttan won the State Award for Best Singer for that song. He has a voice full of emotion and feeling. And, most importantly, our friendship continued without any troubles," he added.

Brahmanandan, Ayirur Sadasivan, Srikanth, Venugopal, M G Radhakrishnan—the list of artists who have faced similar misfortunes in the music world is long. P Jayachandran, despite his illustrious career and countless accolades, joined this list. What made his revelations particularly poignant was that these weren’t struggles of a fledgling artist but experiences faced as a seasoned legend.

This was the reality for an artist who won National Awards and multiple State Awards and whose legacy spanned decades. Even in the twilight of his career, P Jayachandran remained an icon of humility, grace, and artistry.