Renowned playback singer Kalyani Menon dies at 80

CHENNAI: Popular playback singer Kalyani Menon passed away at a private hospital here on Monday due to complications of a stroke she suffered a few days ago, sources close to her family said. She was 80.
To the young generation, Kalyani was one of the key voices behind the hit song ‘Kadhale Kadhale’ in the 2018 Tamil film ‘96’ –– which she sang at the age of 77.
To young artistes, she was a mentor, advising them on their careers as well as hosting jugalbandhis at her home to encourage them.
To her young granddaughters Saraswati and Lakshmi Menon, she was the epitome of strength. “We grew up with stories of how she defied the norms of the time,” says Saraswati. “When her husband died, she refused to pay heed to those who told her widows had to stay home or dress a certain way. She would dress the way she wanted, wear a bindi, and go out and sing. It was a struggle at the time, but she never caved in. She did what she loved,” she says.
“Last Tuesday, two days before her stroke, she was correcting some technicalities in a song I had learned in my Hindustani lesson,” says her son Karunakar Menon, financial advisor, and chief accounts officer for Southern Railway.
Kalyani began her career as a classical singer in the 1970s, and then established a parallel career as a playback singer. She made her playback singing debut in ‘Abala’, a Malayalam film released in 1973.
She shot to fame by singing in the movie, ‘Dweep’ directed by Malayalam director Ramu Kariat. Since then she was a regular presence in South Indian movies, including Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
Kalyani’s famous songs with noted singer K J Yesudas in Malayalam include ‘Rithubheda Kalpana Charutha Nalkiya’ of 1983 movie ‘Mangalam Nerunnu’ and ‘Pavanarachezhuthunnu Kolangalennum’ of Mohanlal-starrer ‘Vietnam Colony’ released in the year 1992.
Born in Ernakulam, Kalyani started singing at the age of five in the Navaratri Sangeeth Utsav organised in the famous TDM hall there.
Over the decades, she has sung in several Malayalam and Tamil films including the famous ‘Nee varuvai ena’ in the Tamil film ‘Sujatha’ (1980). She worked extensively with composer AR Rahman in the late 1990s and early 2000s – she sang for his album Vande Matharam (1997) and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010).
In 2000, Kalyani appeared in a cameo in the film Kandukondein Kandukondein, directed by her son Rajiv Menon. In 2010, she was the recipient of the Tamil Nadu government’s Kalaimamani Award and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy for her contribution to devotional music. In fact, she and her son both received their Kalaimamani awards together on the same stage in 2010.
In December 2020, Kalyani had recorded for a yet-to-be-released Malayalam film song.
The singer is survived by her sons Rajiv and Karunakar Menon.
The last rites and cremation would take place in the city’s Besant Nagar on Tuesday afternoon.