New Delhi: Popular Indian playback singer and Padma Bhushan awardee Usha Uthup’s husband, Jani Chacko Uthup, passed away at their residence in Kolkata early on Monday after suffering a massive cardiac arrest. The family announced that Jani, 78, had complained of discomfort while watching TV and was rushed to a nearby hospital, but sadly, he passed away upon arrival at the hospital.
The family added that his last rites will be performed in Kolkata on Tuesday. Jani Chacko Uthup was from the Manarcaud Painumkal family of Kottayam and was a renowned businessman associated with the tea plantation sector. He is survived by his wife (Usha), son (Sunny), and daughter (Anjali).
Jani was Usha Uthup’s second husband. She was previously married to Ramu, aka Ramoji, whom she left after meeting Jani back in 1969 at Trincas, a Kolkata nightclub where she was performing. While the real motive behind her separation from Ramoji is unknown, as per Vikas Kumar Jha’s 2022 book “The Queen of Pop: The Autobiography of Usha Uthup,” just a day after meeting Jani at the nightclub, Jani had dropped Usha home after one late-night show. Upon reaching home, Ramu saw them together and confronted her, following which she confessed her love for Jani in front of him. Soon after, the two parted ways, and Usha and Jani got married within a few days.
Usha Uthup Iyer, also known as the queen of pop in India, was born on November 8, 1947, into a Tamil Brahmin Iyer family in Mumbai. Despite not receiving any formal music education, Usha grew up in an atmosphere of music. Her parents used to listen to a wide range of Western classical, Hindustani, and Carnatic music, which piqued her initial interest in music.
Her ability to maintain rhythm and tempo by the lyrics landed her several small-time performances in her early years, eventually leading to her first big break in her later years during her time as a nightclub singer. She performed in various popular nightclubs like Nine Gems (Kolkata), Trincas (Kolkata), and Oberoi Hotels (Delhi) before the rising Bollywood sensation of the time, Dev Anand, spotted her talent for singing and offered her a chance to sing as a movie playback singer in the 1970 film “Bombay Talkies.” Her English pop song renditions for the silver screens popularized her to Indian audiences instantly and propelled her to stardom.
In her career spanning several decades, Usha Uthup Iyer has worked with many legendary music directors of the world, including R. D. Burman and Bappi Lahiri, such as “Mehbooba Mehbooba” and “Dum Maro Dum,” which became instant box office hits and gained her massive domestic acclaim, putting her on par with veteran classical singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle.
Her covers of English pop songs like “Jambalaya” and The Kingston Trio’s “Greenback Dollar,” “Love Story,” and “Scotch and Soda” were well received by international audiences as well, leading to her attracting massive crowds during her overseas performances. Her stage performances abroad were known for her lively stage presence and characteristic voice infused with fiery rhythm and a feisty tempo, creating a groovy atmosphere for all age groups in the crowd and making them sing and dance along to the toe-tapping beats.
She has also recorded many overseas music albums with renowned artists like Luis Banks and Tom Middleton. Her Hindi renditions of popular English songs like Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough,” titled “Chhupke Kaon Aya,” on the album “Tom Middleton: The Trip” (2004) and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” in Tom Middleton’s album “Cosmosonica: Tom Middleton Presents Crazy Covers Vol. 1” (2005) were critically acclaimed and well received at the time.
She has also appeared in several Malayalam and Hindi motion pictures like “Pothan Vava,” “Bow Barracks Forever,” “Bombay To Goa,” and “7 Khoon Maaf,” which brought her further awards and acclamations, establishing her name as an actress.
Over the years, she has received prestigious awards like the Mirchi Music Awards (2017) (Lifetime Achievement Award) and the Kalakar Awards (Best Playback Singer) for the film’s “Darling” (1999), “Chai Silpir Samman” (2002), “Kabhi Pa Liya To Kabhi Kho Diya” (2004), and “Ramba Mein Samba” (2013). In 2024, she was also awarded the Padma Bhushan by Indian President Draupadi Murmu.
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