Vasundhara Das (born 27 October 1977) is an Indian playback singer and former actress. Vasundhara's acting career includes Hey Ram (Tamil/Hindi), Monsoon Wedding (English), Citizen (Tamil), Ravana Prabhu (Malayalam), Lankesh Patrike (Kannada) and several others. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer – Tamil for the song, "Shakalaka Baby" from the film Mudhalvan

Early life Vasundhara Das was born into a Hebbar Iyengar family in Bangalore, Karnataka, to Kishen Das and Nirmala Das. She was educated at Cluny Convent High School and at Sri Vidya Mandir in Bangalore. She thereafter studied at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, where she graduated in Mathematics, Economics, and Statistics.

Vasundhara began training in Hindustani classical music at the age of six under her grandmother Indira Das, who ran a music school on the top of their house. She then joined the Lalit Kala Academy and later studied under Pandit Parameshwar Hegde, her guru. In her college days, she was a lead singer of a girl band and a soprano in the college choir. In an interview, she states that "I got booed off the first time I sang on stage." She speaks Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, English, Hindi, Malayalam, and Spanish.

In 2012, Vasundhara married her long-time friend, Roberto Narain, a drummer and percussionist.

Career

Acting

In 1999, Vasundhara debuted as an actor with Kamal Haasan in the film Hey Ram though she started her career industry as a playback singer. She played the lead actress alongside Mohanlal in the Malayalam movie Raavanaprabhu (2001), with Ajith Kumar in the Tamil movie Citizen (2001) and with Darshan in the Kannada movie Lankesh Patrike. She also starred in Mira Nair's movie Monsoon Wedding (2001).

Music She worked with playback singing career with A. R. Rahman's Tamil film Mudhalvan, for which she sang the song "Shakalaka Baby", which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer – Tamil 2001. Later she worked with composers such as Vijaya Bhaskar, Yuvan Shankar Raja and G. V. Prakash Kumar. Her first film as a music composer was Paranthe Wali Gali (2014) along with Vikram Khajuria.

She was a founding member of Arya, a world music band that performed in Europe and America, and broke up in 2004. She has composed music at her Bangalore-based studio, The Active. She has also been involved in several independent projects such as Channel V Jammin', BBC's HIV awareness anthem for India "Har Kadam", Mission Ustaad, Global Rhythms, Nylon Soundz, and The Shah Hussain Project, a collaborative album with Sufi singer Mir Mukhtiyar Ali. She has a French single out in France called "L'ete Indien" in collaboration with Paris-based Agrumes Studio.

Vasundhara trained under the founder of drum jam, Arthur Hull in Hawaii. In 2013, she initiated an event, Community Drumjam at the MG Road metro station, Bangalore. It has since been run monthly by the Rangoli Metro Art Center, and Drumjam, a Western music company she co-founded and is running with her husband. They have conducted drum-jam programs at educational institutions and for communities of different age groups including children at risk, elderly with dementia and terminally-ill cancer patients. In 2016, she conducted a drum jam session for the India national cricket team for their team building exercise initiative.

Filmography Films Year Title Role Language Notes/Ref. 2000 Hey Ram Mythili Iyengar Tamil/ Hindi Debut feature film2001 Monsoon Wedding Aditi Verma Hindi/English Citizen Indhu Tamil Ravanaprabhu Mundackal Janaki Nambiyar Malayalam 2003 Lankesh Patrike Preethi Kannada Film Star Lila, An Inmate Hindi 2004 Vajram Gemini Malayalam Pathar Bezubaan Kalpana Varma Hindi 2006 Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamana Natasha Corporate Herself 2007 Ek Dastak Akansha 2024Gowri Kannada Special appearance

Television Year Title Role Notes/Ref.2002 Channel V Jammin' Performer

Discography YearMovie TitleSong TitleComposerLanguageCo-singer1999MudhalvanOke Okkadu"Shakalaka Baby"A. R. RahmanTamilTelugu (dubbed)Pravin Mani2000Rhythm"Ayyo Pathikichu"A. R. RahmanUdit NarayanAzad "Sonare" Mani SharmaTeluguUdit NarayanKushi "Kattipudi Kattipudida" DevaTamilShankar MahadevanMoodu Mukkalaata"Prema Vikramarkudu"M. M. SrilekhaTeluguS. P. Balasubrahmanyam2001Neela"Hejje Hejje Mathadu"Vijaya BhaskarKannadaSolo "Ee Nada Manninalli"Citizen"Pookari Pookari"DevaTamilShankar Mahadevan"I Like You"Little John"Laila Laila"Pravin ManiTamilPravin ManiLagaan"O Rey Chhori"A. R. RahmanHindiUdit Narayan, Alka Yagnik2002Adrustam"Hollywood Handsome"DhinaTeluguKarthik2003 Lankesh Patrike "Nodkond Baaro Andre" Babji-SandeepKannada BabjiBoys"Sarigame"A. R. RahmanTamil<br/ >Telugu (dubbed)Lucky Ali"Dating"Missamma "Ney Padithe Lokamey Padadha"Vandemataram SrinivasTeluguJuniors"Night Jorugunnadi"ChakriTippuMee Intikosthe Yem Istharu Maa Intikosthe Yem Testharu"Cienmallo Gani"Ghantadi KrishnaKal Ho Naa Ho "It's The Time To Disco" Shankar–Ehsaan–LoyHindiKK, Loy Mendonsa, Shaan, Sadhna Sargam2004Sye "Sye" M. M. KeeravaniTeluguKalyani Malik, Smita"Ganga AC"Manmadhan "Thathai Thathai"Yuvan Shankar RajaTamilSilambarasanManmadhaTeluguDevi Sri PrasadMonalisa"Kurrakaru Hero"Valisha BabjiKannadaShankar MahadevanMain Hoon Na"Chale Jaise Hawaien"Anu MalikHindiKKDhoom"Salaame"PritamHindiKunal Ganjawala2005Anniyan AparichithuduAparichit"Kannum Kannum""Naaku Neeku Nokia""Gora Gora Aankh"Harris JayarajTamilTelugu (dubbed)Hindi (dubbed)Lesle Lewis, Andrea JeremiahKunal GanjawalaLesle LewisAnbe Aaruyire"Maram Kothiye"A.R. RahmanTamilShankar MahadevanKanda Naal Mudhal"Erimalai Naane"Yuvan Shankar RajaTamilShankar MahadevanSalaam Namaste"Salaam Namaste"Vishal–ShekharHindiKunal Ganjawala2006Happy"I Hate You"Yuvan Shankar RajaTeluguRanjithMayabazar "Andulona Undi" K. M. Radha KrishnanK. M. Radha KrishnanHanumanthu"Neevu Kottina"Vandemataram SrinivasNaveenKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna"Where's The Party Tonight?"Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy HindiJoi Barua, ShaanSarada Saradaga"Yenno Janma Janmala"S. V. Krishna ReddyTeluguKunal Ganjawala2007Hudugaata "Mandakiniye" Jessie Gift Kannada Jessie GiftVijayadasami"Deepavali"Srikanth DevaTeluguNaveenSillunu Oru Kaadhal"Machhakkari"A. R. RahmanTamilShankar MahadevanJhoom Barabar Jhoom"Kiss of Love"Shankar–Ehsaan–LoyHindiVishal Dadlani2008Ullasamga Utsahamga"Chakori"G. V. Prakash KumarKannadaBenny DayalNannusire"Sanje Beachinalli"Premji AmarenPremji Amaren2012Yamudiki Mogudu: Ee Nela Thakkuvodu"Narottama Narottama"KotiTelugu

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