Sujatha Mohan is a renowned Indian

playback singer A playback singer, as they are usually known in South Asian cinema, or ghost singer in Western cinema, is a singer whose performance is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and the performers lip-sync the ...

known for her contributions to a wide range of Indian film industries, particularly in

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

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

, and Telugu cinema. Over her decades-long career, she has also recorded songs in other languages including

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

, Badaga,

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

, and

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

, among others. , she had sung more than 18,000 songs.Widely celebrated as the Melody Queen of South India, Sujatha is affectionately called Bhava Gayika in Kerala for her emotive singing, and Innisai Kuyil (Nightingale of Music) in Tamil Nadu, reflecting her sweet and expressive vocal style.She has worked with a wide array of prominent music composers such as

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...

Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil cinema, Tamil in addition ...

, M. M. Keeravani, Koti, Vidyasagar, S. A. Rajkumar, and

Mani Sharma Yanamandra Venkata Subrahmanyam (Telugu: యనమండ్ర వెంకట సుబ్రహ్మణ్యం; born 11 July 1964), professionally known as Mani Sharma, is an Indian composer and music producer known for his work primaril ...

, and has frequently performed duets with legendary playback singers including

K. J. Yesudas Kattassery Joseph Yesudas ( /jeːʃud̪aːs/; born 10 January 1940) is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. He is widely considered one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian m ...

, Hariharan, and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam.Her unique voice often described as husky yet melodious along with her ability to adapt to diverse musical styles, has earned her a devoted following across generations of music lovers.

Personal life

Sujatha Mohan is the granddaughter of Paravoor T. K. Narayana Pillai, the first

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

of the erstwhile State of Travancore–Cochin after India gained

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

. Her father, the late Dr. Vijayendran died when she was two years old. She completed her graduation in Economics from the St. Teresa's College,

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

. She married Dr. V. Krishna Mohan on 9 May 1981. Her only daughter,

Shweta Mohan Shweta Mohan (born 19 November 1985) is an Indian playback singer. She has recorded songs for films and albums in all the four south Indian cinema namely Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada, besides few Hindi films and has established hersel ...

, is also a singer.

Radhika Thilak Radhika Jayathilakan (1969 – 20 September 2015), known by her stage name Radhika Thilak, was an Indian playback singer who predominantly worked in the Malayalam film industry. She sang 70 songs for Malayalam films. Career Some of her songs a ...

and

G. Venugopal Gopinathan Nair Venugopal (born 10 December 1960), popularly known as G. Venugopal, is an Indian playback singer known for his works in Malayalam films. He started his singing career in the film '' Odaruthammava Aalariyam'' (1984). Since then ...

are her cousins.

Vocal struggles

Sujatha Mohan experienced severe vocal issues for three years in the late 2010s. She struggled even to speak, making it impossible for her to take up singing assignments. Though she was unable to perform, she worked extensively to regain her voice and eventually resumed singing, including recording songs again.

Career

Mohan shot to fame in the seventies as ''Baby Sujatha'', the schoolgirl who regularly used to sing with

in his stage shows all over the world. She recorded her first song, "Kannezhuthy Pottuthottu" when she was in the sixth standard. The song was composed by

M. K. Arjunan Maliyekkal Kochukunju Arjunan (1 March 1936 – 6 April 2020) was an Indian film and theatre composer, known for his works in Malayalam cinema and the theatre of Kerala. He was fondly referred to as ''Arjunan Master''. Early life Arjunan was ...

for the 1975 Malayalam movie ''Tourist Bungalow''. She recorded songs for Shyam in ''Kamam Krodham Moham'' and

Salil Chowdhury Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali, Hindi cinema, Hindi and Malayalam films, Malayalam films. ...

in ''Aparadhi''. Around this time, composer M. G. Radhakrishnan got her to record many non-film songs; the biggest hit among them was "Odakkuzhal Vili". She debuted in Tamil through the song "Kaadhal Oviyam Kandein" from '' Kavikuyil'' (1977), tuned in ''Hameer Kalyani'' raga by

Illayaraja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil in addition to Telugu, M ...

, but it was not included in the film. Her first released song in Tamil was "Kalai Paniyil" from the Tamil film '' Gaayathri'' (1977), starring

Sridevi Sridevi Kapoor (née Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan; 13 August 1963 – 24 February 2018), known mononymously as Sridevi, was an Indian actress who worked in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada language films. She is regarded as one of ...

and

Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, ...

with music by

Ilaiyaraja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil in addition to Telugu, M ...

. She sang for Ilaiyaraaja in ''

Johnny Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John (given name), John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly ...

'', ''Kavikuyil'' and ''Ilamai Kolangal''. After her marriage in 1981, she took a sabbatical from playback singing. She made a successful comeback in 1988 through ''Kadathanadan Ambadi'', followed by the hit '' Chithram''. She used to sing ad jingles in the late 1980s for

(such as the Premiere Cooker ad and the Tilda Rice ad). Then Rahman got her to sing " Pudhu Vellai Mazhai" from

Mani Ratnam Gopalaratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. H ...

's 1992 film '' Roja'', which became one of the biggest hit songs in India. The backing vocals for the song " Kadhal Roja" were also performed by Sujatha. She has had other hit songs, most of them with Rahman from films including '' Pudhiya Mugam'' (1992), ''

Gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

'' (1993), ''

Jeans Jeans are a type of trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with the addition of copper pocket rivets added by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and patented by ...

'' and '' Minsaara Kanavu'' (1997). She has also recorded some songs in

, including "Dil Hai Sanam" (the Hindi version of "Thee Thee") from '' Chor Chor'' (''Thiruda Thiruda''), "Ishq Bina" from '' Taal'', "Hai Jaana" from '' Pukar'' and "Ishwar Allah" from ''

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

'', and provided backing vocals for the song "Tum Ho Meri Nigahom" from '' Kabhi Na Kabhi'', all of them composed by

. She has had many of her notable and successful songs under the musical direction of Rahman. She made a strong comeback in the Malayalam film industry in the mid-1990s and most of her notable Malayalam songs were composed by Vidyasagar. Most of her hit songs from Telugu are composed by

Discography

Awards

Mohan has received several awards and recognitions for her work in the South Indian film musical world. She was awarded the

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government ...

award by the Government of Indian state Tamil Nadu in 2021. She has also received Kerala and Tamil Nadu state awards.

Kerala State Film Awards 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 Cha ...

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Cinema of Tamil Nadu, Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Governmen ...

Kerala Film Critics Association Awards The Kerala Film Critics Association Awards are presented annually by the Kerala Film Critics Association to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Malayalam language film industry of India. The awards were instit ...

South Indian International Movie Awards The South Indian International Movie Awards (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 appreciate and hono ...

Other prominent awards and nominations

* 1997 - Dinakaran Cinema Awards for Best Female Playback Singer - ''Surya Vamsam'' * 1997 -

Cinema Express Awards Cinema Express Awards are presented annually by Indian Express Group on behalf of Cinema Express film magazine to honour artistic excellence of professionals in the south Indian film industry which comprises Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayala ...

for Best Female Playback Singer - ''Surya Vamsam'' * 1998 - Dinakaran Cinema Awards for Best Female Playback Singer - '' Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen'' * 2015 –

Asiavision Awards Asiavision Awards have been held annually since 2006 to honor the artistes and technicians of Indian cinema and television & is organized under the leadership of renowned journalist Nissar Syed. More than 40,000 people across United Arab Emirates ...

for Best Female Playback Singer – ''Ottamandaram'' * 2014 – Thikkurishi Award (shared with Shewta) for movie ''Ottamandaram'' * 2013 – JFW magazine Women Achievers Award * 2009 – Swaralaya Yesudas Award * 2008 – Best female singer award in GMMA (Gulf Malayalam Music Awards) * The Film Critics award 11 times * Raju Pilakkad Film Award *

South Indian Bank The South Indian Bank Limited (SIB) is a major private-sector bank headquartered at Thrissur in Kerala, India. As of 31 December 2024, the bank had a network of 955 banking outlets (954 branches and 1 service branch) and 1290 ATMs/CRMs (1159 A ...

women's achiever's award 2017 *

Mirchi Music Awards ''Mirchi Music Awards'' are presented annually by ''Radio Mirchi'' to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film music industry of India. The awards, given in seventeen different categories, were i ...

2018: Lifetime achievement *

Kamukara Purushothaman Kamukara Purushothaman (4 December 1930 – 26 May 1995) was an Indian singer. He was a noted playback singer in Malayalam cinema during its early years. He has recorded over 170 songs in 68 movies in various South Indian languages. Early l ...

Kamukara Award 2019: Lifetime achievement (award from P. Susheela) * Kalaimamani 2021

Malayalam album songs

* "Maathey" - (2025) * "Ilamyel Kondu Njaan" – ''Ithal'' (2016) * "Maayumee thaazvarayooram" – ''Album'' (2015) * "Vaadyaghosham" – ''Kerala Piravi Day'' (2014) * "Kanna Neeyengupoi" – ''Nandagopalam'' (2013) * "Kayalthirakalil Kanneeralakalil" – ''Kulirmazhayai'' (2011) * "Athramel Athramel" – ''Danaha'' (2011) * "Ravereyayittum" – ''Pranayamarmaram'' (2009) * "Ee Manjil" – ''Spandanam'' (2010) * "Ennennum" – (2010) * "Manju Peyyume" – ''Purple'' (2009)

TV shows

Mohan has judged popular reality shows over South Indian television across Malayalam and Tamil languages. ;As judge

References

External links

*
Mohan's official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mohan, Sujatha Living people Indian women playback singers Kerala State Film Award winners Telugu playback singers Tamil playback singers Malayalam playback singers Kannada playback singers Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Bollywood playback singers Film musicians from Kerala 20th-century Indian singers Singers from Thiruvananthapuram 21st-century Indian singers Women musicians from Kerala 20th-century Indian women singers 21st-century Indian women singers 1963 births St. Teresa's College alumni Kerala Film Critics Awards winners