Minmini

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Minmini is a South Indian film playback singer. Her first hit song was Chinna Chinna Aasai from Mani Ratnam's award-winning 1992 Tamil feature film Roja, composed by A. R. Rahman. She has lent her voice to hit songs from films including Karuththamma (1994), and Thevar Magan (1992) where she worked with film composer Ilayaraaja.

Minmini was born at Keezhmedu, near Aluva, in 1970 as the fourth daughter of P A Joseph and Treeza. P A Joseph was crazy about art and artistes. He used to write and direct plays for his colleagues in the company where he worked. Treeza was a singer, though not a professional.

Mini's elder sisters sang in the choir in their village church. Emulating them, Mini also began to sing. Her father taught her to sing in rhythm and pitch. The sisters participated in competitions while they were studying in St Francis Girl's High School, Aluva. One of the sisters, Jancy, sang in Kalabhavan's ganamela troupe.

Mini won first prize for light music at the state-level school festival while she was in class-X. It gave her a lot of publicity and she was invited to sing in the ganamela troupe of Cochin Arts and Communications (CAC). Later, CAC gave her chances to sing in cassettes. She sang many Christian devotional songs.

After pre-degree, Mini decided to study music. She got admission in RLV Music Academy, Thrippunithura. However, she could not concentrate on studies as she had many stage programmes and recordings.

Many music directors visited CAC studio. When music director Rajamani sought a track singer for an album, others suggested Mini's name. Rajamani liked Mini's voice and he invited her to do track for the Malayalam film 'Swagatham'. When she did the track for three songs in the film, Rajamani could not think of letting another singer sing those songs: "He approved the songs rightaway."

After 'Swagatham', she got a few more films.

Mini used to sing in the ganamelas of Unni Menon, Krishnachandran, Jayachandran and others. Without Mini's knowledge, Jayachandran recommended her name to Ilayaraja. Ilayaraja wanted to meet Mini immediately. Amidst daily programmes, Mini came to Chennai with her father and met Ilayaraja. It was in January 1991.

Ilayaraja asked her to sing a keerthanam. She said, "I don't know keerthanam." Then he asked her to sing any song she knew. She sang a light music number and was asked to sing another song. When she finished the second song, Ilayaraja and others remained quiet for some time. And Ilayaraja broke the silence."Now you don't have to go back to Kerala. Stay here, I will give you many film songs," famous music director Ilayaraja told a budding female singer after listening to her voice.

"What! Can't I go to Kerala?! I have many stage programmes there," the innocent girl, hailing from a village in Ernakulam district, replied.

This innocence and ignorance was a matter for a good joke for Ilayaraja, his brother Gangai Amaran, lyricist Vali, who were in search of a new voice.

You can feel the same innocence and simplicity if you just listen to the song 'Chinna chinna aasai' in the film 'Roja'. Yes, the voice that carried that rustic simplicity is none other than Mini Joseph's. Oh! Sorry, Minmini's.

On the same day, Ilayaraja made Mini sing a song for the Tamil film 'Meera'. In the same week, she sang four more songs. Ilayaraja christened Mini as Minmini to make the name more appealing to Tamil taste.

Minmini stayed at singer C O Anto's house as a paying guest. She began to sing for other music directors like Deva, Keeravani, Vidhyasagar, S A Venkatesh.

A R Rahman's greatness lies in his selection of a good voice. He has proved the importance of selecting the right singer by choosing Minmini for 'Chinna chinna aasai'. I believe no other voice suited the rustic sweetness of that song.

Mini got the Tamil Nadu government's best playback singer award for the song. Which other voice would have been more suitable to songs like 'Pakkathe pakkathe panchankathe pakkathe' (Gentleman) or 'Shambo shambo'(Pudhiya Mugam)?

Mini continued to sing in Malayalam also. It is not an exaggeration when I say Mini's songs like 'Swaparnikamrudha' (Kizhakkunarum Pakshi), 'Neela ravil innu ninte' 'Oonjalurangi' (both Kudumba Sametham), 'Pathiravayi neram' (Vietnam Colony) and 'Vellithingal' (Melepparambil Aan Veedu) are eternal hits in Malayalam.

Mini's case is the best example of the eternity of art and risks an artiste is exposed to: By 1993, she lost her voice. She says, "It is a miracle how I lost my voice. It is a miracle how I speak to you now or sing now." She regained her voice after 1995 and now she can sing as she used to in the early '90s.

Mini married Joy Mathew in 1995. Joy is a keyboardist who worked in Unni Menon's troupe and later in Dubai radio station. Like Mini, Joy also got inspiration from the choir in the church in his native place, Thrissur.

There were rumours that Mini would never sing and that her husband had prevented her from singing. But Mini says, " My husband has always encouraged me. In fact, he is responsible for my returning to the field."

Recently, she sang a Hindi film song for A R Rahman.

Mini and Joy are planning to form an orchestra of their own.

Mini and Joy lead an ideal Catholic life with their three-year-old son Alan at a rented house in Virugambakkam. The Catholic church in Kerala has not contributed much to culture; but the choir groups in churches have produced many artistes. Some of these artistes have become very famous, irrespective of the religious bias in the field. And the couple can take a front row among these artistes.