Although a mere child, Chennai-based L.Srikanth (8), a class III student of Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School, is a talented singer, drummer, keyboard player, artist, magician, model and film actor all rolled into one. But singing is his forte and his yearly calendar is crowded with concert schedules. On July 14 this year, Srikanth held his audience at the Heavy Vehicles Factory (Avadi) in Chennai spellbound, by performing two outstanding feats which gained him entry into several books of record.
Accompanied by the Inbaraj Shambo Orchestra, he set the event rolling by singing 125 songs non-stop for seven hours, with just five-minute breaks every hour for energy drinks. Performing entirely from memory, the marathon was a mix of Carnatic classical, devotional, film and patriotic songs. At another performance, Srikanth showcased his multiple talents in a five-minute feat by playing the drums and keyboard, painting a portrait and performing magic all in quick succession, while singing Vande Mataram. This earned him the Most Talents Exhibited Award of the Asia and India Book of Records. Moreover, his seven-hour singing act earned him a notation into the Limca Book of Records and Vijay Records plus global recognition from Universal Records (UK) and Pogo Amazing Kids (USA).
Born to professional classical vocalists — K. Lakshmanan and R. Vanisree — Srikanth began playing the drums when he was three years old and was initiated into classical music by his mother, who together with his father runs the Sri Raga Music Academy in Chennai with an enrolment of 1,000 students. Suffused with the sound of music from birth, Srikanth gave his first concert in Chennai at the age of four. At age six, he won the most popular singer award at the Airtel Super Singer Junior 2 hosted by Vijay TV in 2009. Already a brand ambass-ador for two companies, this superstar performed at the audio release of Tamil film star Kamalahasan’s film Manmadhan Ambu in Singapore last year and in Sri Lanka earlier this year.
No laggard in the classroom either, Srikanth has already learned the priorities of time management. “I get up at 5 in the morning to study and practice singing in the evenings. I owe every-thing to my parents and grandmother who have given me a lot of time and support. I’m now looking forward to training in Hindustani classical music,” says Srikanth, whose artistry has made him a household name in Tamil Nadu.
Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)
Aryan Khanna
When Paris-based Cyrille Larrieu, currently a film direction student at the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, decided to make a film titled A Very Very Bright Day, one of his first challenges was to find a child actor who could pass off as Indo-French. After a search of several months, he met Aryan Khanna (11), one of the two children of Nikhil Khanna, a city-based entrep-reneur and his American-born wife Irina.
With the film’s shooting by an all-French crew attracting considerable media attention in Pune, Aryan is now the toast of the town. At the Vibgyor School where he is a class VI student, his friends and teachers are anxiously awaiting the release of A Very Very Bright Day, because the buzz is that it may bag quite a few awards at film festivals around the world.
Describing the eight-day experience of shooting with a French crew in summer last May, Nikhil says he was able to take all cues perfectly even though the crew wasn’t too comfortable with English. “This was remarkable considering that Aryan’s character called for a very high emotional quotient,” he says.
The movie narrates the life of one Mr. Chance who is dying. In his last moments, retracing his childhood and youth, he hallucinates that he’s in a mansion surrounded by friends and family. When he faces the reality of being alone, poor and dying, he decides to reconcile with his childhood so he can die peacefully.
“There were many scenes in which I had to interact with a professional actor who was playing the role of Mr. Chance. Some of the scenes required long dialogues, poetry and a lot of emoting. I suppose I did well because the crew came and congratulated me after several shots,” says Aryan who has been modelling for print and television commercials since he was four months old.
Aryan’s successful portrayal of the young Mr. Chance in this French film is particularly commendable because until a few years ago, he was shy and tongue-tied and rarely, if ever, spoke with anyone, including his classmates. “We were very worried during those years. Aryan is still a shy child but opens up miraculously in front of a camera,” says Irina.
So does this mean that Aryan is all set to make a career in acting? He ponders the question and says, “I like to act but I am confused about whether I should become an actor or cricketer. I am equally passionate about cricket.”
Hardly a dilemma. The young actor has plenty of time to make up his mind.
Huned Contractor (Pune)