Playback singer Nithya Mammen’s scores a hit with ‘Alaare Neeyenile…’ from the film ‘Member Rameshan 9aam Ward’

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Nithya Mammen is surprised by the response to her Malayalam song ‘Alaare Neeyenile…’

Singer Nithya Mammen is riding high on the success of her recently-released song, ‘Alaare Neeyenile’ from Malayalam film Member Rameshan 9aam Ward. The film, due for release last year, is scheduled to hit theatres soon. “When the song was done, I liked it and I knew people would like it but not this much. My inbox is filled with covers of that song,” she says.

The song is her second outing with composer Kailas Menon; she made her debut as playback singer in Edakkad Battalion 06 (2019) for which he composed music. Another song of hers that did well isVathikkalu Vellaripravu…’ from Sufiyum Sujathayum. She has also sung the Tamil and Telugu versions of the song.

Nithya landed her first song rather serendipitously when Menon called her to sing the track (dummy version of the song) of ‘Hima Mazhayayi Varu…’ in Edakkad…

“His mother came across a video of me singing; she told him about me, and that’s how he asked me for voice demos, thus leading to my first break.”

Producer Sandra Thomas and Menon liked what they heard and retained Nithya’s version.

Though lockdown brought the film industry to a standstill, Nithya is happy about the chances she has had.

“I got to work with music director M Jayachandran (Sufiyum Sujathayum) and Ishaan Chabbra for Abrid Shine’s Kung Fu Master. Both were such wonderful opportunities; with Chabbra, the work was done remotely. I sang the song with Karthik and though we did not ‘sing together’, it is an experience I’m happy about.”

It is not all film music; she recently sang for music director Mejjo Joseph’s single, ‘Mayathe’, along with Harish Sivaramakrishnan.

She has been singing covers for her YouTube channel for a while, though she confesses that it did not have many viewers. All that changed post her playback debut. “‘Hima Mazhavayi Varu’ changed everything.”

Music is not new to her, she has always been singing and even has her own YouTube channel, which she started a few years ago. She sang covers on it and on which, she confesses, didn’t have too many people listening. But it blew up after her debut, “Until then not too many were listening, but ‘Hima Mazhayayi Varu…’ changed everything,” she says.

Nithya had been learning Hindustani music back home in Thiruvananthapuram; which she took up again on moving to Kochi, with Bernie of composer duo Bernie-Ignatius.

Singing, which started as a hobby, has taken a front seat for this architect. She says, “I have not quit architecture altogether; I take up freelance projects now.”

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Actress strips at Cesar Awards to protest France’s COVID-19 strategy

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The ceremony took place at a theatre as anger and frustration grows amongst actors, musicians and artists at the government’s unwillingness to set a date for the reopening of cultural centres.

French actress Corinne Masiero stripped naked on stage during a scaled-back Cesar Awards ceremony in Paris to protest the government’s months-long closure of theatres and cinemas during the coronavirus pandemic.

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She had “no culture no future” written on her chest and”give us art back Jean” on her back, in a message to Prime Minister Jean Castex.

Masiero, 57, was on stage to present the award for best costume, wearing a donkey outfit and a blood-stained dress before she stripped before the audience.

Masiero, 57, was on stage to present the award for best costume, wearing a donkey outfit and a blood-stained dress before she stripped before the audience.

Masiero, 57, was on stage to present the award for best costume, wearing a donkey outfit and a blood-stained dress before she stripped before the audience.
 
| Photo Credit: AP

France’s answer to the Oscars, the ceremony is in normal times the biggest night on the French cinema calendar but on Friday there were no flashbulbs on the red carpet and no partners on the arms of award nominees.

The ceremony took place at a theatre as anger and frustration grows amongst actors, musicians and artists at the government’s unwillingness to set a date for the reopening of museums, galleries, concert halls and movie houses.

Marina Fois, one of France’s best known comedians, took aim at the government’s months-long closure of theatres and cinemas during the coronavirus pandemic in a searing speech to open the ceremony.

Fois, who hosted the night, took a swipe at Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot for finding time to write a book during the COVID-19 crisis and said: “I’m losing confidence in you.”

Nor did she hold back from attacking the French government’s broader strategy to counter the COVID-19 crisis, as cases in the country topped 4 million.

“They cooped up our youngsters, closed our cinemas and theatres and banned concerts so that they could open churches, because we’re a secular country, so that old people could go to church,” she said. The majority of French people are Roman Catholic.

Across the capital, several dozen protesters were occupying the Odeon Theatre for an eighth night demanding cultural venues be reopened and more financial support.

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