Uthara Unnikrishnan (born 2004) is an 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 ...

. In 2015, she won the

National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer The National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to a female playback singer for the best renditions of songs from films within the Cinema of India, Indian fi ...

at the 62nd National Film Awards for her rendition of the song "Azhagu" from the 2014

Tamil film Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Chen ...

'' Saivam'', a family drama directed by A. L. Vijay. She received the award at the age of 10, becoming its youngest recipient.

Biography

Uthara Unnikrishnan is the daughter of Carnatic classical singer P. Unni Krishnan and

Bharatanatyam ''Bharatanatyam'' is a Indian classical dance form that came from Tamil Nadu, India. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas of Hinduism and Jainism.< ...

dancer Priya Unnikrishnan. Her father, a recipient of multiple National Film Awards for Best Male Playback Singer, received his first award in 1995 for his debut performance of the Tamil songs "Ennavale Adi Ennavale" and "Uyirum Neeye". Uthara began learning Carnatic music at the age of six from Sudha Raja. She studied in Lady Andal school and APL Global school and now currently studying BSc Psychology in MOP Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai. Apart from Tamil music, she enjoys Western (classical, rock and pop) and wants to master all these genres.

Songs

"Azhagu" (Beauty) was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, based on

raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...

Kanada. The song describes a child's perception of the beauty around her. The song was penned by Na. Muthukumar, who also received the

National Film Award for Best Lyrics The National Film Award for Best Lyrics is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) to a lyricist who has composed the best song for films produced within the Indian c ...

. When Uthara Unnikrishnan accompanied her mother to Carnatic singer

Saindhavi Saindhavi (born 3 January 1989) is an Indian carnatic vocalist and playback singer. She has been performing since the age of 12. Personal life Saindhavi married her schoolmate, composer G. V. Prakash Kumar, on 27 June 2013, in Chennai, India. ...

's house during Golu festival, she sang a few lines. A couple of months later, Saindhavi's husband G. V. Prakash Kumar called upon Uthara to croon a solo melody for Saivam. Uthara recorded the song for child actor Sara Arjun when she was eight years old in 2013. Apart from "Azhagu", she has sung two more Tamil songs. Praised by most in regards towards her 2015 win of the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her rendition of the song "Azhage". Uthara later worked on '' Theri'' with G. V. Prakash Kumar in the song "Eena Meena Teeka".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unnikrishnan, Uthara Living people Tamil playback singers Indian women playback singers 2004 births Indian child singers Singers from Chennai 21st-century Indian singers 21st-century Indian women singers Women musicians from Tamil Nadu Best Female Playback Singer National Film Award winners