Krithika Nelson

Krithika Nelson (born 31 March 1985) is an Indian singer, songwriter, lyricist, and dubbing artist primarily recognized for her work in Tamil films and the independent music scene.
She has garnered critical acclaim as the voice of Princess Kundavai (portrayed by Trisha) and for penning the song ‘Sol’ in Ponniyin Selvan I and as the lyricist of the film Nitham Oru Vaanam.
==Early Life==
Krithika Nelson comes from a family of writers. She is the eldest child of writer Suresh D (of the duo Subha) and niece of the late writer-activist Anuradha Ramanan. From the early age of 4, Krithika started taking Carnatic music classes with encouragement from her mother. However, she started taking music seriously only during her pre-college days. In 2002, Krithika participated in and became the runner-up of the Sun TV reality singing competition Sapthaswarangal. 
She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Media from the MOP Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai in 2005, where she was the University topper and gold medalist.
==Career==
===As a Musician===
Krithika's first playback singing credit came with the song ‘Yedho Nadakuthu’ composed by Dharan Kumar in his debut film Parijatham'. She has since worked with many composers, including Vidyasagar in the film 1977 and as a chorus singer for D. Imman and Vijay Antony. She took a brief break to pursue other media projects, but remained an active member of the music group Rewind until 2014 before returning to playback singing in 2017 with ‘Kanaa’ in Adithya Varma.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, her focus shifted to independent music projects since she liked singing without boundaries. She has since released various independent singles as a singer-songwriter, including ‘Nee / Naan,’ ‘Pi Pi Dum Dum,’ ‘Anbe,’ and the Think Indie original ‘Nee Mattum’ (which she also directed).
===As a Dubbing Artist===
Krithika’s debut as a dubbing artist came with the voice role for Pia Bajpaiee in Ko, which she tried out “just as a joke.” She has since lent her voice to over 50 films in Tamil and Telugu. Her most notable performances include voicing Thulasi Nair in Kadal (her first collaboration with director Mani Ratnam), Aditi Rao Hydari in Kaatru Veliyidai and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, and Trisha in Ponniyin Selvan I and Ponniyin Selvan II'. In an interview, she mentioned finding “dubbing to be an extension of singing.” While dubbing for Adithya Varma, actor Vikram recommended that she pursue playback singing again, resulting in the song ‘Kanaa’ from the film. 
===As an Associate Director===
Krithika is an aspiring showrunner and looked for learning opportunities in production and direction. She consequently joined Madras Talkies as an associate director to Mani Ratnam for the Ponniyin Selvan film series. Her work included assisting the cast with the script, supervising music composition and song recordings, and coordinating with the lyricists. 
===As a Lyricist===
During the production of Ponniyin Selvan, Krithika penned the lyrics for ‘Sol’ as an initial draft. Director Mani Ratnam subsequently shared it with the film’s composer A. R. Rahman, and both instantly liked the composition. The song was recorded the same night and found its place in the PS-I album. Later in 2022, she expanded her lyrical prowess by writing the lyrics for the entire Nitham Oru Vaanam soundtrack, of which she also sang two numbers. 
Her most recent work as a lyricist was for the Coke Studio Tamil original ‘Urudhi.’
===As a Creative Director/Showrunner===
Krithika is credited as the Creative Director - Music on Coke Studio Tamil Season 1. She aspires to make TV soaps that convey diverse and rich stories. 
==Discography==
===Lyricist===
Year	Song Title 	Album 	Notes
2021	Nee / Naan 	 	Independent release
2021	Pi Pi Dum Dum	 	Independent release
2022	Anbe 	 	Independent release
2022	Sol 	Ponniyin Selvan I	Tamil film
2022	All songs 	Nitham Oru Vaanam	Tamil film
2023	Nee Mattum 	 	Think Indie original
2023	Urudhi 	 	Coke Studio Tamil original
TBD 	All songs 	Hitler 	Tamil film
===Singer===
Year	Song Title 	Album 	Composer 	Notes
2006	Yedho Nadakuthu 	Parijatham 	Dharan 	Tamil film
2009	Orey Oru 	1977 	Vidyasagar 	Tamil film
2010	Thenkoodu 	Vizhiyil Vizhunthaval	Pollack 	Tamil film
2017	Kanaa - Female 	Adithya Varma 	Radhan 	Tamil film
2021	Hey Bro 	LIFT 	Britto Michael	Tamil film
2021	Nee / Naan 	Nee Naan 	 	Independent release
2021	Pi Pi Dum Dum 	Pi Pi Dum Dum 	 	Independent release
2021	Sollu Mazhalaiye 	Sollu Mazhalaiye 	 	Independent release
2022	Anbe 	Anbe 	 	Independent release
2022	Oru Vezham 	Nitham Oru Vaanam 	Gopi Sundar 	Tamil film
2022	Paathi Nee Paathi Naa	Nitham Oru Vaanam 	Gopi Sundar 	Tamil film
2023	Nee Mattum 	Nee Mattum 	 	Think Indie original
2023	Vaa 	Story of Things 	Madley Blues 	Tamil web series
===Composer===
Year	Song Title 	Notes
2021	Nee / Naan 	Independent release
2021	Pi Pi Dum Dum 	Independent release
2021	Sollu Mazhalaiye	Independent release
2021	Anbe 	Independent release
2023	Nee Mattum 	Think Indie original
==Filmography==
===As a voice artist===
Year	Film 	Voiced For 	Role(s) 	Language(s)	Notes
2011	Ko 	Pia Bajpaiee 	Saraswathi 	Tamil 	
2011	Urumi 	Vidya Balan 	Makkom/Bhumika 	Malayalam 	Voiced for Tamil dub
2011	Mankatha 	Andrea Jeremiah 	Sabitha Prithviraj 	Tamil 	
2012	Businessman 	Ayesha Shiva 	Ayesha 	Telugu 	
2012	Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu 	Gabriela Bertante 	Smitha 	Telugu 	
2012	Sattam Oru Iruttarai 	Pia Bajpaiee 	Jess 	Tamil 	
2013	David 	Sheetal Menon 	Sussanah 	Tamil 	
2013	Kadal 	Thulasi Nair 	Beatrice 	Tamil 	
2013	Ameerin Aadhi-Bhagavan 	Neetu Chandra 	Rani Sampatha/ Karishma	Tamil 	Also voiced Telugu dub
2013	Thillu Mullu 	Isha Talwar 	Janani 	Tamil 	
2013	Ambikapathy 	Sonam Kapoor 	Zoya Haider 	Tamil 	Dubbed from Hindi
2013	Thagaraaru 	Shamna Kasim 	Meenakshi 	Tamil 	
2014	Oru Kanniyum Moonu Kalavaanikalum	Bindu Madhavi 	Malar 	Tamil 	
2015	Yennai Arindhaal 	Trisha 	Hemanika 	Tamil 	
2015	Trisha Illana Nayanthara 	Anandhi 	Ramya 	Tamil 	
2015	Bajirao Mastani 	Priyanka Chopra 	Kashibai 	Tamil 	Dubbed from Hindi
2016	Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran 	Nikki Galrani 	Archana 	Tamil 	
2016	Enakku Innoru Per Irukku 	Anandhi 	Hema Johnny 	Tamil 	
2016	Aranmanai 2 	Trisha 	Anitha 	Tamil 	
2016	Nayagi 	Trisha 	Gayathri 	Tamil 	Bilingual film
2017	Solo 	Neha Sharma 	Akshara 	Tamil 	Bilingual film
2017	Kaatru Veliyidai 	Aditi Rao Hydari 	Dr. Leela Abraham 	Tamil 	
2017	Spyder 	Rakul Preet Singh 	Shalini 	Tamil 	Bilingual film
2017	Rangoon 	Sana Makbul 	Natasha 	Tanik 	
2018	Chekka Chivantha Vaanam 	Aditi Rao Hydari 	Parvathi 	Tamil 	
2019	Simba 	Bhanu Sri Mehra 	Madhu 	Tamil 	
2019	Adithya Varma 	Banita Sandhu 	Meera Shetty 	Tamil 	
2019	90 ML 	Oviya 	Rita 	Tamil 	
2020	Vaanam Kottattum 	Madonna Sebastian 	Preetha George 	Tamil 	
2020	Addham 	Pavithrah Marimuthu	Swetha 	Telugu 	Web series
2021	Navarasa 	Sai Tamhankar 	Malli 	Tamil 	Web series
2022	Hey Sinamika 	Aditi Rao Hydari 	Mouna 	Tamil 	
2022	Ponniyil Selvan: I 	Trisha 	Kundavai 	Tamil 	
2022	Nitham Oru Vaanam 	Ritu Varma 	Subhadra (a) Subha 	Tamil 	
2023	Ponniyin Selvan: II 	Trisha 	Kundavai 	Tamil 	
2023	The Road 	Trisha 	TBD 	Tamil 	Filming
TBD 	Dhruva Natchathiram 	Ritu Varma 	TBD 	Tamil 	Completed
===As assistant director===
Year	Film 	Director 	Notes
2020	Putham Pudhu Kaalai	Suhasini Maniratnam	Segment: Coffee, Anyone?
2022	Ponniyin Selvan: I 	Mani Ratnam 	
2023	Ponniyin Selvan: II	Mani Ratnam 	
==Other Work==
Since graduating from college, Krithika has worked with Big 92.7 FM, Vijay TV’s Coffee with Anu - Season 2, Chennai Live 104.8 FM, and Sun Network’s Chutti TV. In 2009, she co-founded Shopo.in, an online marketplace for Indian urban designers and artists, to combat the challenges faced by the nation’s community of creators. It received funding from top angel investors and venture capitalists, and hosted over 1000 Indian artists and designers. The company was acquired by Snapdeal in 2012. 
She then began working as a content and growth marketing consultant for various media and marketing startups, which helped discover her calling in the media space. She continues to work a day job while managing her creative pursuits in the film industry. 
==Awards & Nominations==
* 2023: Won – JFW Movie Award for Best Lyricist – ‘Sol’ – Ponniyin Selvan I
* 2023: Nominated – JFW Movie Award for Best Dubbing Artist – Ponniyin Selvan I (for Trisha)
Category:1985 births
Category:Indian people
Category:Singers
Category:Songwriters
Category:Lyricists