Aamir & Ramu must rectify their mistakes: Hariharan

This Kerala-born, Tamilian singer has mastered the nuances of Marathi language very well, and even dares you to speak to him in his 'Karma bhasha'.
This is probably the reason why his rendition of Jeev Rangla in Marathi film Jogwa, got Hariharan the National Award. ""I've also enjoyed singing the Marathi number in Hello Jai Hind, which was Ilaiyaraaja's composition."" With this, Padma Shri Hariharan settles down to a relaxed rendezvous...
Of singing & acting
He has won awards consistently in regional films, but he has been absent from Bollywood. ""The USP of voice has changed in B'town today. Voice is used more as an element of sound, whereas singing and poetry have taken a back seat. Hence, the offers coming my way are limited,"" says he. But, if he ever got a song like Pungi, would he do it? ""Arre toh main pungi baja doonga na! It's fun, yet it's more of acting and not singing,"" says Hari, adding, ""but, Bollywood has its own importance, which can't be negated. And I'm looking forward to the song that I've rendered for Akshay Kumar in his forthcoming film Oh My God.""
The villain act
If he's happy with the way his singing career is going, Hari is quite excited about his acting stint in a Malayalam film. ""I have worked in three regional films earlier, and now I'm looking forward to my stint as a villain in a forthcoming Malayalam film. I'm playing a suave, well-dressed and 'decent' villain there,"" says he with a laugh. And will he also sing in this film? ""Nah! Villains don't sing,"" says he with yet another hearty laugh.
Make amends
And being a staunch protector of copyrights, what is his take about the copyright infringement accusations made against Aamir Khan's and Ram Gopal Varma's respective production houses? He replies without any hesitation: ""Whether it's Ramu or Aamir, they must rectify their mistakes! Whether it's paying compensation to the aggrieved party or apologising publically, they must make amends for the wrong done!""