For singer Amritha Rajan, the journey to Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana’ began with a Bengali song she recorded in her hotel room after an ‘Indian Idol’ shoot. She was not preparing for an audition or expecting a career-defining moment. She simply wanted to share a song she liked. The next day, however, brought an Instagram notification from A.R. Rahman that would mark the beginning of an unexpected journey.

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In an exclusive interview with Mathrubhumi English, Amritha spoke about how that little interaction eventually led to her playback debut with two Malayalam songs in ‘Ramayana’. She features on ‘Jai Jai Rama’ alongside Haricharan and ‘Jeevitha Ragame’ with Naresh Iyer. Both tracks are composed by Rahman, with lyrics by Vinayak Sasikumar.

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Recalling the first Instagram interaction, Amritha said she had returned to her hotel at around 1 am after an ‘Indian Idol’ shoot. A Bengali song was playing in her mind, and she wanted to dedicate it to those who speak the language. She picked up her ukulele, recorded herself singing and posted the video.

“I had only removed half my makeup. I was just in a very normal way, picking up my ukulele and singing this song. I recorded it and posted it. The next day, I saw Rahman sir had liked the video and followed me. I think that was the beginning,” she said.

The opportunity to meet the composer in person came soon after. On September 9, Amritha was invited to perform at an event marking the 50th memorial day of Rahman's father, R.K. Shekhar. The confirmation came at the last minute, as she already had performances scheduled before and after the event. She eventually made it to the programme, where she performed in front of Rahman, his family and several legendary musicians and directors.

Meeting Rahman was an emotional experience for the singer. She recalled being so overwhelmed that she struggled to find her words.

“I was kind of crying, little by little. I was just standing there. I didn't know what to say,” she said.

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When Rahman eventually asked her how she was, Amritha managed to reply, “I'm fine, sir. How are you?” The two then posed for a photograph.

But the evening had another surprise in store. Karthik, a member of Rahman's team, asked Amritha whether she was returning home that day. When she confirmed that she was, he told her that there was a song for her and asked if she could come to Chennai.

Amritha offered to record from Kochi or travel to Chennai, whichever was convenient for the team. When she learnt that the song was for ‘Ramayana’, her response was immediate.

“No, no I will come to Chennai,” she recalled saying.

The recording took place the following week. Rahman could not be present at the session as he had a show and had to travel to Mumbai that day. For Amritha, however, the opportunity itself was still sinking in. Asked how she felt about making her playback debut with a film of this scale, she had a simple answer: “I'm still processing.”

With ‘Jai Jai Rama’ and ‘Jeevitha Ragame’ now out, the singer has also been receiving messages from listeners celebrating the milestone. Some of the comments have stayed with her, particularly those that described the opportunity as a collective achievement.

“Most of the comments are like, ‘This is our win’. More than you, we have been wishing for this moment to happen,” she said, recalling what listeners had told her. “So I am grateful to see such comments. Thank you so much, everyone.”

Music, of course, has been part of Amritha's life long before ‘Indian Idol’ or ‘Ramayana’. She began learning Carnatic music in Class 1, although she initially saw it as part of her weekly routine. It was during her college years, while pursuing BPharm, that she began to understand how deeply she connected with singing.

She would often stay back in her college classrooms after lectures to sing, making use of the space and its acoustics. She eventually began recording videos and sharing them on social media, connecting with other music lovers along the way.

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Today, even as she finds herself part of a major film project, Amritha says she is not looking at the attention as something she needs to live up to or prove herself through. She wants to enjoy the process and continue learning.

“I don't have to prove anything. I just want to live my life. I just want to improve through this journey. I'm always here to learn new things and express myself. I'm not here to prove. I'm just here to experiment, explore, learn and live my life,” she said.

She also hopes her music can reach people in a meaningful way. “I hope that my music, my songs can heal millions,” she added.

For now, she is working towards releasing her original music. She has a couple of songs that have already been through music production and is looking for the right people to release them as music videos. She has also started writing new songs.

From a Bengali song recorded in a hotel room to two Malayalam tracks in ‘Ramayana’, Amritha's journey has taken an unexpected turn. But perhaps what stands out most is her approach to this new chapter: grateful for the opportunities, excited about what lies ahead and, above all, still keen to learn.