Sithara Krishnakumar (born 1 July 1986) is an Indian

playback singer A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not ap ...

, composer
lyricist
classical dancer and an occasional

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

. She predominantly works in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, '' Elippat ...

in addition to Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Sithara is a well known singer who is trained in

Hindustani Hindustani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Hindustan (another name of India) * Hindustani language, an Indo-Aryan language, whose two official norms are Hindi and Urdu * Fiji Hindi, a variety of Eastern Hindi spoken in Fiji, and ...

and Carnatic classical music traditions and is also a recognised

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

singer. She is the recipient of several awards which includes three Kerala State Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer. She travels extensively and has performed in concerts and stage shows across the world. Folk and fusion being her other areas of interest. She has collaborated with various popular musical bands in Kerala as well as collaborated in many stage shows which includes international shows as well. In 2014, she formed a musical band Eastraga which focuses on a mix of female oriented songs backed by a team of renowned musicians. She is also part of the 6-member band named Sithara's Project Malabaricus, an independent venture which features contemporarised folk and classical songs.

Personal life

Sithara was born in

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarter ...

to K. M. Krishnakumar, an academician and Saly Krishnakumar. Born into a family inclined to classical arts, Sithara was introduced to the world of music as a child and started singing at the age of four. She attende
St. Paul's Higher secondary School Thenhipalam
GMHSS Calicut University Campus School and NNM Higher secondary School Chelembra . She did her graduation in English Literature from

Farook College Farook College is a government-aided, autonomous, arts and science college located in Feroke near Calicut, Kerala, India. It is the largest residential post-graduate aided institution in Kerala affiliated to the University of Calicut; it was ...

Feroke Feroke (), is a Municipality and a part of Kozhikode metropolitan area under Kozhikode Development Authority (K.D.A) in the Kozhikode district of the Indian state of Kerala. Feroke municipality shares the border with Kozhikode corporation, Ra ...

and secured her master's degree from Calicut University Campus, Kerala. She married Dr. Sajish M, a

cardiologist Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular he ...

, on 31 August 2007 and the couple has a daughter Saawan Rithu born on 9 June 2013. The family resides at

Aluva Aluva (; also known by its former name Alwaye) is a town in the Ernakulam District in Kerala, India. It is a part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is situated around from the city center on the banks of Periyar River. A major transp ...

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of ...

Kerala.

Career

She started off her art life as a dancer and eventually became a playback singer. She was trained in Carnatic Music by Sri Ramanattukara Satheesan Master and Palai CK Ramachandran. Sithara also received extensive education in Hindustani Classical music from Ustad Fiyaz Khan. She is also a classical dancer trained by Kalamandalam Vinodini. For her multifaceted talents, she was accoladed with the Kalathilakam title in Calicut University Arts Festival for two consecutive years(2005 and 2006). She holds master's degrees in Hindustani Khyal Music and Vocal Music from Rabindra Bharati University,

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

Sithara performing with Shankar Mahadevan

Sithara started off her playback singing career in the year 2007 with the song Pammi Pammi in

Vinayan T. G. Vinayakumar (born 16 May 1957), professionally credited as Vinayan, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, and lyricist, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and occasionally in Tamil cinema. Early life Vinayan is from ...

's Malayalam film

Athishayan ''Athisayan'' () is a 2007 Indian Malayalam-language science fiction monster film written and directed by Vinayan, starring Master Devadas with Jackie Shroff (in his Malayalam debut), Kavya Madhavan, Karthika, Jayasurya and Mukesh in other ...

. Formerly, she was the winner of several musical talent shows like Asianet Saptha Swarangal (2004),

Kairali TV Kairali TV is an Indian Malayalam-language general entertainment television channel owned by Kairali TV Network (Malayalam Communications Limited). It is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram. It was launched on 17 August 2000. The channel is b ...

Gandharva Sangeetham (Seniors) and Jeevan TV Voice 2004. She also won Jeevan TV's 20 million Apple Megastars in 2008. She has gained a good reputation as a devoted Ghazal singer and a passionate stage performer of other vocal genres. She has worked with noted composers like

Ouseppachan Mechery Louis Ouseppachan (born 13 September 1955), known mononymously as Ouseppachan, is an Indian film composer and singer who primarily works in Malayalam films. He is a recipient of National Film Award, Filmfare Award and Kerala Stat ...

, M. Jayachandran,

G. V. Prakash Kumar G. V. Prakash Kumar is an Indian composer, actor, producer and singer known for his work in Tamil films and a few Telugu films as well. His first film was S Pictures' ''Veyil'' (2006) and he became popular in Tamil cinema by the early 2010s. He ...

, Prashant Pillai, Gopi Sundar,

Bijibal Bijibal Maniyil is an Indian music composer and playback singer who works predominantly in Malayalam films, documentaries, short films and television commercials. He has composed for more than 150 feature films, several documentaries and televis ...

Shaan Rahman Shaan Rahman (born 30 December 1979) is an Indian composer and singer, best known for his compositions in the Malayalam cinema. Shaan made his debut as a music director in the 2009 film '' Ee Pattanathil Bhootham'' directed by Johny Antony. H ...

and rendered her voice to over 300 film songs including Malayalam and other Indian languages. Her works are of various genres. Sithara Performing at Qatar in 2019 by Ijas Muhammed Photography

Sithara Performing at Qatar in 2019 by Ijas Muhammed Photography

In 2017, she turned composer with the single Ente Akasham, Written by herself. The video which officially got released at a program held by Kerala State Women's Development Corporation to commemorate

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday list of minor secular observances#March, celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights, women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, ...

, picturized the life of night-time female workers. She turned film music composer with the film '' Udalaazham'' along with Mithun Jayaraj. The film is produced under the banner ''Doctor’s Dilemma'' – a doctor's collective which includes her husband Dr. Sajish. M. She made a cameo appearance in the Malayalam film Ganagandharvan directed by Ramesh Pisharody.

Awards

Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State C ...

s: * 2012 – Best Singer – ''

Celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common contemporar ...

'' – "''Enundodee''" * 2017 – Best Singer – '' Vimaanam'' – "''Vaanamakalunnuvo''" * 2021 – Best Singer – '' Kaanekkaane'' – "''Paalnilavin''"

South Indian International Movie Awards South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appre ...

: *2014 – Best Female Playback Singer – ''

Mr. Fraud ''Mr. Fraud'' is a 2014 Indian action thriller film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan and starring Mohanlal, Siddique, Dev Gill, Vijay Babu, Miya, Manjari Phadnis and Pallavi Purohit. The film was produced by A. V. Anoop under the banne ...

'' – "''Sadaa Paalaya''" *2019 – Best Female Playback Singer – ''

Eeda ''Eeda'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language romance film written, edited and directed by B. Ajithkumar. The film is a modern take on William Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'', set in the backdrops of political violence in Kannur, north Ma ...

'' – "''Marivil''"

Asianet Film Award The Asianet Film Awards is an award ceremony for films presented annually by Asianet, a Malayalam-language television network from the south-Indian state of Kerala. Asianet says that awards ceremony has been instituted to honour both artist ...

s: *2016 – Most Popular Duet Song – ''

Jacobinte Swargarajyam ''Jacobinte Swargarajyam'' () is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language family- drama film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan. The film revolves around Jacob Zacharia ( Renji Panicker) and the struggles faced by his son ( Nivin Pauly) to cl ...

'' – "''Thiruvavani raavu''" Asiavision Awards: *2017 – Best Singer (Female) – '' Udaharanam Sujatha'' – "''Ethu Mazhayilum''" Mirchi Music Awards South: *2012 – Best Female Playback Singer in Tamil – '' Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal'' – "''Kangal Neeye''" *2019 - Best Female Playback Singer in Malayalam - '' Kumbalangi Nights'' - "''Cherathukal''" Mazhavil Music Awards *2019 - Best Female Playback Singer - Madhura Raja - "''Mohamundiri"'' *2020 - Best Female Playback Singer *2021 - Best Female Playback Singer - Kaanekkaane - "''Paalnilavin''" Janmabhumi Film Awards: *2018 – Best Female Playback Singer -

- "''Marivil"'' Mangalam Music Awards: *2017 – Best Female Playback Singer Yuva Awards: *2017 – Best Female Playback Singer Red FM Malayalam Music Awards: *2017 – Best Female Playback Singer Anand TV Awards: *2018 – Best Female Playback Singer *2016 – Best Female Playback Singer Federation of Kerala Associations in North America Awards: *2016 – Best Female Playback Singer – ''

Lailaa O Lailaa ''Lailaa O Lailaa'' is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language action spy thriller film directed by Joshiy. It stars Mohanlal and Amala Paul alongside a supporting cast of Sathyaraj, Joy Mathew, Sreerag Nambiar, Rahul Dev and Kainaat Arora. Bollywood ...

'' – "''Nanayumee Mazhai''" Other Awards: *2002 – Baburaj Memorial Award – Best Female Singer *2004 – Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas Award – Best Singer *2009 – Drishya Award – Best Female Album Singer *2011 – Mohammed Rafi Memorial Award – Best Playback Singer *2011 – Vayalar Samskarika Vedi Award – Best Playback Singer *2012 – Kannur Rajan Memorial Award – Best Playback Singer *2012 – L Channel Award – Best Playback Singer *2012 – Inspire Film Award – Best Playback Singer *2019 - Johnson Music Awards - Best Playback Singer *2020 - Muzic2morrow Awards - Best Female Singer *2020 - Movie Street Film Awards - Best Female Playback Singer

Discography

As composer

Albums

Films

As Playback Singer

*''All songs are in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

language unless otherwise noted''.

TV series title song

Albums(Non-film songs)

Malayalam film songs

Discography (other languages)

Tamil

Kannada

Telugu

Filmography as Actor

Television shows

References

External links

Official Website
*
Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sithara 1986 births Living people Indian women playback singers Indian women classical singers Malayalam playback singers Tamil playback singers Telugu playback singers Kannada playback singers Musicians from Kozhikode Indian women ghazal singers Indian ghazal singers Singers from Kerala University of Calicut alumni Film musicians from Kerala 21st-century Indian singers Women Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Indian women folk singers Indian folk singers 21st-century Indian women singers Women musicians from Kerala Actresses in Malayalam cinema