Thirty Six Hours with an Indian Playback Singer

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I always used to believe – the famous playback singers in movie industry never drink or smoke as it affects their sound. This belief was gone a couple of years back when a very famous playback singer from South India came to Phoenix for a stage show. This artist was here for only thirty six hours but the amount of alcohol he drank in those two days was unimaginable.

On the way to the hotel from the airport he was enquiring about the place he will be having dinner. He told he wanted to booze and wanted to go only to a bar. Six of us took him to a bar and for the next three hours it was all about drinking and songs. The amount of alcohol he drank that day was at least 2 to 3 times more than all six of us drank that day. After each round of drinking he sang songs, the pitch of which increased after each round of singing. We were amazed by the gifted singing talents and equally shocked by his drinking habits.

Next day evening as soon as the music concert was over he wanted us to take him to a bar for more drinks. The sponsor of the event had an Indian Restaurant that doesn’t serve alcohol and he refused to go there till his veins are filled with alcohol. He drank almost the same quantity he drank the previous night and then came to this restaurant to have dinner.

In those 2 days, the quantity of alcohol he drank might be equivalent to all six of us who accompanied him drank together for the last two years. Seeing the way he drank during those two days we could easily make out – if he continues to do this for another few more years we will soon see a news that this playback singer has died of liver/ lung/ heart disease similar to what has happened to Malayalam film stalwarts like Padmarajan or Rajan P Dev or Murali or Lohithadas or Narendra Prasad or Cochin Haneefa.

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