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{{Short description|Indian playback singer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Kalyani Menon
| image =
| image_size =
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1941|6|23}}
| birth_place = [[Kerala]], [[Ernakulam District]], [[British Raj]]
| death_date = 2 August 2021<br>(aged 80)
| instrument =
| genre = [[Playback singer|Playback singing]]
| occupation = Singer
| years_active = 1977–2021
| website =
}}
'''Kalyani Menon''' (23 June 1941 – 2 August 2021) was an Indian [[playback singer]] who worked in the Indian film industry. After beginning her career in the 1970s as a classical singer, Kalyani established a parallel career as a singer in the film industry and worked extensively with [[A. R. Rahman]] during the late 1990s and early 2000s. She was awarded [[Kalaimamani|Kalaimamani Award]] in 2010 and was also a recipient of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award.<ref name=":0" />

==Career==
Kalyani Menon learned classical music from M. R. Sivaraman Nair and made a mark as a classical vocalist, before gradually branching out into singing for films. An early Malayalam film song which garnered her acclaim was "Kanneerin Mazhayathum" for composer [[M. S. Baburaj]] in [[Ramu Kariat]]’s ''[[Dweepu]]'' (1977).<ref name="menon">{{Cite web|url=https://www.last.fm/music/Kalyani+Menon/+wiki|title=Kalyani Menon biography|website=Last.fm}}</ref> She began working in Madras during 1977, through [[Dhananjayans|Dhananjayan]]’s Malayalam dance drama ''Magdalana Mariyam'' that was choreographed as part of the Vallathol Centenary celebrations. Kalyani sang [[Vallathol Narayana Menon]]’s lines that were set to tune by the [[Dhananjayans|Dhananjayan]]. Her first film song in Tamil was with composer [[Ilaiyaraaja]] for the song "Sevvaaname Ponmegame" from [[K. Balaji]]’s ''[[Nallathoru Kudumbam]]'' (1979) and the track found frequent airtime. The song "Nee Varuvaaiyena" from ''[[Sujatha (1980 film)|Sujatha]]'' (1980) and
"Thanniya Potta Sandhosham Pirakkum" from ''[[Savaal]]'' (1981), both composed by [[M. S. Viswanathan]] became a major hit and boosted her career.

[[K. Balaji|Balaji]] continued to ensure that Kalyani sang in some of his films in the early 1980s such as "Aei Rajave Un Rajathi" from ''[[Vazhvey Maayam]]'' (1982) and the reflective "Vidhi Varaindha Padhai Vazhiye" from ''[[Vidhi]]'' (1984). Kalyani also sang other popular songs in the period such as "Naan Iravil Ezhuthum Kavithai Muzhuthum" from ''Suba Muhoortham'' (1983) and "Theril Vandhaal Devadhai" from an unreleased film called ''Mookuthi Meengal''.<ref name="menon"/>

After a period away from the film industry, Kalyani Menon worked on several albums for [[A. R. Rahman]] during the 1990s and early 2000s. She recorded for songs including "Vaadi Saathukkudi" in ''[[Pudhiya Mannargal]]'' (1993), and followed it up with the "Omana Thingal" sequence in "Kuluvalile" from the [[Rajinikanth]]-starrer ''[[Muthu (film)|Muthu]]'' (1995).<ref name="menon"/> She later worked on songs including the title track from ''[[Alaipayuthey]]'', "Adhisaya Thirumanam" from ''[[Parthale Paravasam]]'' (2001) and for the three versions of ''[[Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa]]'' (2010) made by [[Gautham Menon]] in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. Kalyani also featured in Rahman's historical ''[[Vande Mataram (album)|Vande Mataram]]'' album; and also in ''Ussele'', the album by [[Srinivas (singer)|Srinivas]], in which Kalyani and [[P. Unnikrishnan]] sang [[Gopalakrishna Bharathi]]’s "Eppo Varuvaaro" set to a modern beat.<ref name="menon"/>

==Personal life and death==
Kalyani Menon was born as the only daughter of Balakrishna Menon and Karakkat Rajam in Ernakulam.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|others=Special Correspondent|date=2021-08-02|title=Singer Kalyani Menon passes away aged 80|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/singer-kalyani-menon-passes-away-aged-80/article35684065.ece|access-date=2021-08-02|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Her husband was K.K. Menon, an officer in [[Indian Navy]], who died of a [[heart attack]] in 1978, leaving her a widow at the age of 37. She was the mother of [[Rajiv Menon]], who has worked in Indian films as a cinematographer and director and Karun Menon IRAS, a senior Civil Services officer who currently works with the Indian Railways.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fullpicture.in/interview-detail/114/the-imaginarium-of-r.html|title = The Imaginarium of Rajiv Menon — Talking mindscreens}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/2000/03/06/stories/09060701.htm | title=Chords & Notes | date=6 March 2000 | first=Savitha | last=Padmanabhan | newspaper=[[The Hindu]] | accessdate=8 June 2019 }}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2000/sep/11rajiv.htm|title=rediff.com, Movies: Showbuzz! Kandukondain in cash row|website=www.rediff.com}}</ref> [[Rajiv Menon|Rajiv]] became acquainted with music composer [[A. R. Rahman]] and worked with him on commercial and film projects as a result of the composer's music work with Kalyani.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gfCTmjEAChIC&q=kalyani+rajiv+menon&pg=PA50 |title = A.R. Rahman: The Musical Storm|isbn = 9780670083718|last1 = Mathai|first1 = Kamini|year = 2009}}</ref> As a mark of respect, when the audio cassette of Rajiv Menon's ''[[Kandukondain Kandukondain]]'' (2000) was released in a grand function, Kalyani Menon was called to receive the first cassette from [[Kamal Haasan]]. Kalyani had also made a brief appearance in the film as [[Aishwarya Rai]]’s music tutor.<ref name="menon"/> She died on 2 August 2021 at the age of 80.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rajiv Menon's mum, singer Kalyani Menon passes away - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/music/rajiv-menons-mum-singer-kalyani-menon-passes-away/articleshow/84973100.cms|access-date=2021-08-02|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-08-02|title=Singer Kalyani Menon passes away at 80|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/popular-singer-kalyani-menon-passes-away-at-80-7434850/|access-date=2021-08-02|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref>

==Notable discography==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="background:#f5f5f5;"
|-
! Year !! Song title !! Film !! Music Director !! Notes
|-
| 1979 || "Sevvaaname Ponmegame" || ''[[Nallathoru Kudumbam]]'' || [[Ilayaraja]] ||
|-
| 1980 || "Nee Varuvaaiyena" || ''[[Sujatha (1980 film)|Sujatha]]'' || [[M. S. Viswanathan]] ||
|-
| 1984 || "Rhithubedha Kalpana" || ''[[Mangalam Nerunnu]]'' || [[Ilayaraja]] ||
|-
| 1994 || "Vaadi Saathukodi" || ''[[Pudhiya Mannargal]]'' || [[A. R. Rahman]] ||
|-
| 1994 || "Indiraiyo Ival Sundariyo" || ''[[Kadhalan]]'' || [[A. R. Rahman]] ||
|-
| 1995 || "Kuluvalile" || ''[[Muthu (film)|Muthu]]'' || [[A. R. Rahman]] ||
|-
| 2000 || "Alaipayuthey" || ''[[Alaipayuthey]]'' || [[A. R. Rahman]] ||
|-
| 2001 || "Adhisaya Thirumanam" || ''[[Paarthale Paravasam]]'' || [[A. R. Rahman]] ||
|-
| 2004 || "Chentharmizhi" || ''[[Perumazhakkalam]]'' || [[M. Jayachandran]] ||
|-
| 2008 || "Jalashayyayil" || ''[[Laptop]]'' || [[Sreevalsan J. Menon]] ||
|-
| 2010 || "Omana Penne" || ''[[Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa]]'' || [[A. R. Rahman]] || Also co-lyricist
|-
| 2010 || "Kundanapu Bomma" || ''[[Ye Maaya Chesave]]'' || [[A. R. Rahman]] || Also co-lyricist
|-
| 2012 || "Phoolon Jaisi Ladki" || ''[[Ekk Deewana Tha]]'' || [[A. R. Rahman]] || Also co-lyricist
|-
| 2018 || "Kathale Kathale" || ''[[96 (film)|96]]'' || [[Govind Vasantha]] ||
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External Links==
* {{discogs artist|Kalyani Menon}}
* {{imdb name|id=1674002}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Kalyani}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian female film singers]]
[[Category:Tamil playback singers]]
[[Category:Kannada playback singers]]
[[Category:Telugu playback singers]]
[[Category:Tamil singers]]
[[Category:Indian female classical singers]]
[[Category:Female Carnatic singers]]
[[Category:Carnatic singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Singers from Kerala]]
[[Category:Film musicians from Kerala]]

Kalyani Menon - Revision history

imported>AMCKen at 04:43, 5 August 2021