The Melancholy In My Voice Suited Jaanu: Chinmayi Reflects on 96

Chinmayi remembers being taken by surprise when director Premkumar expressed his wish to narrate his debut film to her. “I called up my husband and was like nobody has given me a narration. Why does he want to?” she laughs. The singer was also nervous as to how she’d react. “What if I didn’t react to the storytelling the way they expect me to? This was completely new to me.” 

It’s clear that musicians hardly get to be part of the narration exercise, but one viewing of 96 makes it abundantly clear why Chinmayi was approached. Apart from singing Govind Vasantha’s six gorgeous compositions, the singer also lent her mellifluous voice for Janaki Devi alias Jaanu (played by Trisha), a gifted singer who reconnects with her childhood love (Vijay Sethupathi), 22 years later at a school reunion. The love that Jaanu and Ram share, still fresh in our hearts, can be described in many ways. But we can all agree that she is the music in his life. 

Chinmayi, who will now be back to dubbing for Trisha (in Lokesh Kanagaraj and Vijay’s Leo), and the Tamil film industry after a four-year period owing to her ban by the dubbing union, is overwhelmed. In this interview, she reflects on the grief that surrounds Jaanu and Ram’s choices, the melancholy in her voice and the sounds that made ‘Kaathalae Kaathalae’ unique.

How did you react when Prem wanted to narrate 96 to you?

At the time I had a fracture or something so my ankle was propped up. Prem and Govind had come for the narration and my dogs were all over them. I think Prem anna was scared of dogs, but by the end of the narration he had warmed up to them. The two-hour narration was detailed. I loved it but asked him why he felt the need to narrate it to me. He told me he was looking for a singer who could sing all the songs and dub for Jaanu, someone who sings and is a huge fan of S Janaki amma.

Could you explain what about Jaanu moved you? Jaanu is the soul of 96 for many including myself. 

For me, it's the whole destiny of the character. It’s about the chances that are lost and the ‘what ifs’ that plague us. If she had maybe looked around in the mandap, things might have been different. The grief that she has is very unique. She is married and says, “santhoshama irukenanu theriyadhu aana nimmadhiya iruken.” This entire thing of ‘What I could’ve been had I married this person’ can happen to anybody. She had made peace with her life. But she now has to go back to knowing the truth about Ram. That really is something. I would wonder what happens to her if there’s a part 2. 

96 is such an immersive aural experience, not just with the music but also with dubbing. What were your conversations with Premkumar about how to go about using your voice?

The team was so magical where we understood each other without having to say something. The reason why he wanted to narrate the script to me was to help me get under the skin of the character from the very first day. When we were dubbing the character in the story, it didn’t take me too long to get into Jaanu’s mind because I understood her. 

Also in general I think my voice has this standard strain of melancholy and maybe that suited Jaanu. I wouldn’t slot my voice to a typically bubbly voice. Plainly put, I am not a Shreya Ghoshal in ‘Nannare’. I can see myself singing an ‘Iranvingu Theevai’ instead.  Of course, I have had a ‘Tere Bina’, but it's also a song that has to do with longing and introspection. I have never been that perennial sunshine girl. Shreya by default has a happy tonality to her voice. Even if I am smiling and laughing in my singing, there’s something more to my voice and maybe that’s coming from my life experiences. 

Now that you mention it, I found this in your dubbing for Jaanu as well. There is a constant longing.  

Perhaps there is a lot that is pent up and things that I have seen in general that come out when I sing, emote or speak. Maybe the collective life experiences help in some way. 

What is the one thing that you had in mind while you listened to the narration? 

I try not to overanalyse as I am a very self-critical person. So I try not to tap too much into these aspects as I would be putting too much pressure on myself. The one thing I remember being left with was a feeling of heaviness from the whole story and I think Govind Vasantha’s music also backed up that feeling of emotional weight.

Jaanu is a very emotional person yet her playful side comes out only around Ram. This is especially apparent in the scenes at the salon or outside the car where they discuss his virginity. How did you approach this duality?

I think it’s just Jaanu forgetting she’s a grown woman with a daughter and just recalling her carefree schoolgirl persona. Her playfulness comes out quite a bit in the school scenes. Even though a major part of her life is founded in regret, she finds herself going back to the past when she’s around Ram.

For a film that's extremely appreciative of music, 96 is driven by silences. The first time we see them hear the other person’s name, a silence engulfs, leading the way for music. 

I think to fully appreciate the entrance and exit of music, silences are important. It’s not necessary for music to be playing constantly. Part of music appreciation is also well-placed silences. 

Even the songs within the film like ‘Thendral Vanthu’, which is about nostalgia and ‘Yamunai Aatrile’, which explores a woman mourning her absent king, carried meaning. How did you look at singing these songs within a movie as opposed to singing for a film?

It all came down to the school reunion setting. Every normal class would have a singer, dancer and a class clown. I had that in my class. If we had a free period, there would be one mimic, I would be asked to sing, and someone else would be asked to recite a story. I think it is all relatable, no? The film in a way made people think about their own school reunions.

I am not sure if this was the first time I sang a song within a film. But this is peculiar because she is a singer who sings a lot. This was also about singing somebody else’s composition which was a lot of pressure. Especially when you’re singing classics, there is some pressure. 

Tell us about singing ‘Yamunai Aatrile’. The lyrics speak about a woman looking for her king, but in this context, it’s a happy moment.

Yeah, that’s because they have that one night together where they can do probably whatever they feel like. And they end up finding joy in childlike things like getting a haircut, walking on the road or eating something. Even touching each other’s hands would evoke a reaction close to something like ‘oh my god’. The hand-holding moment on the gear stick in the car is the only moment they allow themselves. It’s all about companionship. And she cries to death before she boards the flight.

Can you talk about ‘Thaabangale’? It’s this beautiful song about yearning but also carries some of their lightest moments. 

The entire movie is about yearning and the “what could have been(s)”. In places where they are allowing themselves to forget their real lives, they find companionship. Which is why that line where she asks him ‘Nee romba dhooram poitiya Ram’, he tells her he’s exactly where she left him, and that’s a telling dialogue. He hasn’t been able to move on. This is why the song and the lyrics by Umadevi are important because they had to delve into the fact that they had allowed themselves to find some happiness in between. Otherwise, their life is pretty mundane no?  

When you dub for really emotional scenes, do you channel something to emote?

For whatever it’s worth, I’m an average filmgoer. If you have one scene where you want an average moviegoer to react a certain way, I’ll react to that. It’s easy for me to react to what I am seeing and channel the emotion. 

So it helps to not overthink, right?

Yeah definitely, I think it’s better for me to not overthink. I have vera level imposter syndrome so I have to really keep a tab on what I’m thinking. 

Did you expect ‘Kaathalae’ to become so big? 

I was just reacting to the song and the composition. If it made me emote a certain way, it's because it’s what the song made me feel. It was easy for me to channelise it. But we didn’t expect it to go this big. We just did the song as a small thing for the trailer or teaser, but it just blew up. Prem anna was getting messages from so many people asking when the song would be out. But there was no song! So we actually had to create ‘Andhadhi' as an adjacent to ‘Kaathalae’, which was several seconds of Govind playing. 

Can you recall any cherished memory from dubbing or recording for the film?

The one thing I remember is that each time I record, I would remove my thaali and keep it aside on the stand because it would make a clunking sound each time I breathed. But Govind Vasantha thought the sound was interesting and let it be. If you hear some slightly metallic sound in between the ‘Konjum Pooraname’ line, now you know why. In terms of dubbing, the “Nee romba dhooram poitiya Ram” line will remain forever a favourite.

Finally, could you tell us how it feels to be back to the dubbing mic that too for a film like Leo following your boycott for speaking up in the Me Too movement?

The case is still going on in the City Civil Court. I did tear up when I faced the mic. I have dubbed Telugu films into other languages but after Mithran took a stand with Hero (2019), it took ages for me to get the next opportunity.