Sweta Prasad has made her grandfather veteran actor late Sri Nagabhushanam garu proud in his birth centenary year. She has lent her voice to the Mahesh Babu starrer ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’, where she can be heard humming and reciting Konnakol Jattis for full 20 minutes, which is popularly called RR – Re Recording. Her rendition also follows the popular song ‘Kalaavathi’ in the film. Speaking exclusively to Natyahasini, Carnatic singer Sweta Prasad shares that she got this opportunity thanks to Srikrishna Vishnubhotla garu. “Music director S Thaman had asked Srikrishna Vishnubhotla garu that he was looking for a Carnatic singer who could render the solkattus before the entry of the heroine and my name was suggested. Thaman sir had also heard my renditions on Facebook and that is how I got this opportunity to hum for Telugu film.
The Carnatic musician reveals that she has been part of many choruses for many music directors like Keervani sir. The singer is happy that she is getting praises from all quarters. “All those who have heard the humming in the film have called me up to check whether I had sung for it. This itself is a great recognition for me,” she says smilingly. Sweta reveals that when the film released in the city, she was in Chennai and had to wait for a day to feel her voice on the Big Screen. “After my family members saw it, they shared the audio and video with me. But when I visited the movie theatre to experience it, it was a different experience and made me feel very happy,” she says.
The singer says that her immediate family members, mother, husband and in laws are all happy. “My daughter Prasiddha is very happy and she is sharing the news with all our acquaintances,” she says. Sweta discloses that she was waiting for an opportunity to sing in films. “Singing in movies is different. By singing in movies, I can carry the legacy of my grandfather in a different genre. Today, he is a forgotten artiste. He was the person who started the villain comedian and paved the way for others like Kota Srinivas Rao, Gollapudi Maruthi Rao to name a few. I feel sorry that he has not been bestowed with any award and reward,” she points out.
Speaking about the music director Thaman, Sweta says that he is a grounded person. “He gave me a free hand to sing. He respects Carnatic music and makes a balance of it in his movies,” she says. The ‘A’ graded artiste says, “Carnatic musicians can handle any genre of songs. Singing for movies is very tough and different from stage presentation, as one has to sing as per the track. I prefer to sing for films and on stage too,” she says. From time to time, the artiste sings SD Burman and RD Burman songs. Before signing off, Sweta Prasad shares that she has also sung ‘Pancha Kattu’ song version in a Tamil and Malayalam film.