In the Malayalam classic, Manjil Virinja Pookkal (Flowers That Bloomed in the Snow), the hero hears the heroine sing before he gets to know her. Prem is at Prabha's house waiting to meet her father when the song, 'Mizhiyoram,' floats into the room. He is immediately captivated.
Prem was not the only person mesmerised by that stunning voice. I was a child on my first ever visit to a movie theatre that I recall, when I heard S Janaki sing playback in director Fazil's 1980 blockbuster. I was too young to know that she was already an icon by then. But the melody, and her soulful rendition, never left me. Nearly half a century later, 'Mizhiyoram' has been the background score to my days since Janaki passed away at 88 this month.
