Singer Sanah Moidutty: I was nervous about covering Kanmani Anbodu; the song means a lot to everyone

Bollywood singer Sanah Moidutty, known for lending her voice to the soundtracks of Mohenjo Daro and Meri Pyaari Bindu, recently came up with a cover of the Ilayaraaja classic Kanmani Anbodu from the 1991 Kamal Haasan film, Guna.

Describing her version as a humble attempt, Sanah says, "I must say, I was absolutely thrilled and nervous while doing this Ilayaraaja sir classic, because I know what this song means to everyone. It's a song that people absolutely love. Mine is only a humble attempt. I'm so glad to see the appreciation for my rendition."

Born in Mumbai in a Malayali family, Sanah has trained from an early age in Carnatic and Hindustani classical music. Her mentors included Sundari Gopalakrishnan, Madhuvanti Pethe and Samantha Edwards. She has also trained for a brief period under Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.

"Training is everything. It has taught me that one can be disciplined and yet improvise. Whatever little I'm able to do today is all because of my gurus and the training they've given me. It has helped me sing songs that need me to be outside my comfort zone. If not consciously, then subconsciously it's always of use," she says.

Commenting on her massive YouTube popularity, Sanah says, "YouTube has definitely helped me grow a dedicated audience. I won't say the process has been easy. There's a constant effort. Every upload is like a performance. You present it to the audience for their verdict. But yes, I've been able to connect with my audience on a personal level, thanks to YouTube. So it's easy, yet difficult."

On her foray into regional music and the universality of the medium, she says, "I totally believe that music is a universal language. I listen to everything and try to sing anything that appeals to me, even if I don't understand it. Malayalam is a little difficult to sing out of all languages. Though I'm a Malayali, I am very careful about the pronunciation. Having said that, every language has its own methodology which can't be taken lightly while singing."