Ghantasala is one of the most gifted singers who graced the Telugu Cinema lands with his melodious voice. He could literally bring life to any character with his musical voice and there is no emotion which he couldn't emote. Coming from a simple background, Ghantasala had to face many hardships in order to become successful as a singer as well as musician. Here is one such interesting incident which would make us realize the greatness of Ghantasala once again!
Those were the days when Navashakti Productions were planning Jeevitha Chakram (Release Date: 31st March 1971) starring Sr.NTR and Vanisri in lead roles under the direction of C.S.Rao. For the purpose of novelty, they wanted Shankar Jaikishen to score the music for it. Prominent writers Arudhra and C.Narayana Reddy penned the songs. The song recording was scheduled in Bombay and singers from Madras were called. Ghantasala flew to Bombay and Shankar Jaikishen welcomed the legendary singer of South India. As Shankar belonged to Hyderabad, he knew the sweetness of Telugu language and Ghantasala’s greatness.
Those were the days when Navashakti Productions were planning Jeevitha Chakram (Release Date: 31st March 1971) starring Sr.NTR and Vanisri in lead roles under the direction of C.S.Rao. For the purpose of novelty, they wanted Shankar Jaikishen to score the music for it. Prominent writers Arudhra and C.Narayana Reddy penned the songs. The song recording was scheduled in Bombay and singers from Madras were called. Ghantasala flew to Bombay and Shankar Jaikishen welcomed the legendary singer of South India. As Shankar belonged to Hyderabad, he knew the sweetness of Telugu language and Ghantasala’s greatness.
The moment Ghantasala set his foot in the recording theatre; the entire musicians and crew were shocked. The reason for their surprise was the simple attire of Ghantasala. When they saw this great singer in white Kurtha, Lungi and casual footwear-, they could not get the celebrity feel at all. The so-called Bombay walas murmured saying, “What can this Lungi wala sing!” Ghantasala enquired about the song tune with the music directors and after a short rehearsal, he was ready for the take.
The recording theatre was filled with silence and Ghantasala started singing in his powerful voice. All the advanced recording equipment in Bombay vibrated with his commanding voice. For the musicians and crew who felt what this lungi wala could sing until then, Ghantasala’s voice sounded like an aggressive sea wave. The recording was completed and Shankar Jaikishen congratulated Ghantasala saying the song came out very well. This led to a huge blow to the initial opinion of Orchestra and crew on this legend!
