Anna Baby was one of the first to see KGF: Chapter 2 When it was released in Kerala. She had been waiting for this moment for a year and a half. The singer, based in Angamaly, Kerala, has lent her voice to the raga ‘Gaganam Ni’ in the Malayalam version of the film. “It felt like a dream to hear my own song in a cult film like KGF,” says Anna.
It all started when her friend music director Sam Simon George asked her to send some of her vocal samples as music director. KGF Ravi Basrur was looking for Malayalam singer. Anna sang the female part of the song ‘Slow down…‘ from KGF: Chapter 1 , “Within a day, I was asked to visit Ravi Basrur’s studio in Mangaluru. This was during the peak of the pandemic in October 2020. But we didn’t have much time to think. My husband and I packed our bags and left for Mangaluru for the recording,” she says.
It all happened so quickly that Anna had little time to process it, she says. “The song had a certain intensity and emotion and I was a little tense. But it turned out well and Ravi sir was happy with my singing. I consider it a huge compliment.”
emotional number
The song appears at a turning point in the second half of the film. Anna says, “The song is based on the feelings of a mother and it had to carry that power.”
Anna, who worked as an engineer in Kochi for a year, decided to quit her job and pursue music full time. Although she had been “around” in the music industry for a while, KGF This is her first real break in mainstream film music, says Anna. She has pulled out a few singles, devotional songs and covers. Anna sang the lead song with Yesudas for the 2017-film Sthanam. Anna also has a YouTube channel.
Anna has been learning Carnatic music since the age of six and is also learning Hindustani classical music.
“I am getting a lot of positive response from the audience for Gaganam Ni and it is really a proud moment. It also comes with a sense of responsibility. This is just the beginning,” says Anna.