In a career spanning over four decades, legendary playback singer Anuradha Paudwal has sung more than 9,000 songs and has been the recipient of Padma Shri India’s fourth-highest civilian award, by the Government of India in 2017 and is a four-time winner of the Filmfare Award. Known for many timeless songs during the 90’s, she is considered one of the best female singers in India. She is also one of the most popular bhajan singers in the country.
In a candid conversation, Anuradha reveals, “I started my career from ‘Abhimaan’. My family background was more towards education and I hadn’t received any training in playback singing and it was only after my marriage in 1972, I was called to sing shloka in ‘Abhimaan’ and immediately after that, I was called by Kalyanji–Anandji to sing a song for the movie ‘Kalicharan’. After that, there was no looking back and I worked with several composers like Laxmikant-Pyarelal, R.D Burman, and many others. I am very fortunate to have worked with several noted music composers and each composer has his own individuality.”
The esteemed singer is also engaged in social work and has a foundation named Suryodaya Foundation. She avers, “At present, we are collecting funds for HIV positive children in Latur. The pandemic has hit the country very hard and many people have lost their lives. During the entire lockdown, music has been my strength and given me peace.” Anuradha has also sung several devotional tracks and is currently working on ‘Navagraha Stuti’. She suggests struggling singers to just keep singing well.
“My family background was more towards education and I hadn’t received any training in playback singing and it was only after my marriage in 1972, I was called to sing a shloka in ‘Abhimaan’ and immediately after that, I was called by Kalyanji–Anandji to sing a song for the movie ‘Kalicharan’. After that, there was no looking back”