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Hariharan chosen for Yesudas Award


Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 25 (PTI): Eminent film and pop singer Hariharan, has been chosen for the prestigious Yesudas Award for his distinctive style of popular music.

Hariharan has been selected for his popular music blending Indian classical traditions with the possibilities of western music, Jury Chairman and State Planning Board Vice-Chairman V Ramachandran, told a press meet here.

The award, instituted by Kairali T V channel, carries a cash award of Rs. 1 lakh, a citation and a statuette.Noted Malayalam playback singer of yesteryear, Santha P Nair, was chosen for the special jury award, carrying a cash prize of 50,000, a citation and a memento.

"Hariharan has been an active presence in Indian popular music for the last 25 years. Entering the world of music by singing Hindustani and Karnatic based songs, he has, over the years, made valuable contributions to popularise ghazal and film music," the jury noted.

Born in family of musicians in Kerala, Hariharan made his film debut in 1993 through the Tamil film Roja, in which his song 'Thamizha, Thamizha', directed by A R Rehman, which became a hit. In 1996, Indian-English fusion album 'Colonial Cousins' was released as a collaborative effort with Leslie Lewis, which won several honours, including the MTV Indian Viewers' Choice Award and the US Billboards Award.

Hariharan won the national award for the best playback singer for the song 'Mere Dushman Mere Bhai' for the film 'Border' in 1998.