Mallipoo and music

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In this weekly column, the photographer talks about how this picture came to be. This week, we feature singer Usha Uthup

The shoot was to begin at 10 a.m. I got a call at 9.30 a.m. that Usha Uthup had already arrived. I rushed to the studio, and there she was, my idol, sitting with her signature happy smile. She apologised for having come in early, and I simply responded with a polite hug.

I had to pinch myself, as I couldn’t quite believe that a lady I had admired all my life was in my studio. I also couldn’t but noticed the gorgeous jewellery she wore. One of my colleague’s name is Kota. Upon introducing him to her, her first response was: “Neenga kota? Illa pant-a?” We were all in splits.

Usha also sang for us, with the tambourine being her only accompaniment. We bombarded her with requests, and she patiently sang all of them. Her energy is highly infectious. From Harry Belafonte to Elvis, from Punjabi to Malayalam, she sang all the songs with effortless ease.

And then, it was time for the photograph. She already knew what she wanted—something similar to the photo I had taken of the late Mandolin Shrinivas. I couldn’t refuse, of course, and that’s the photo you now see.