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Sunil Khilnani explores the life of south Indian singer MS Subbulakshmi.

Subbulakshmi\\u2019s singing voice, striking from the start, would ultimately range three octaves. A perfectionist, she had the capacity to range across genres but narrowed over the years to what another connoisseur of her music has called a \\u2018provokingly small\\u2019 repertoire. In time, the ambitions of those who loved and profited from her combined with her gift to take her from the concert stage to film to the All-India Radio to near-official status as an icon of independent India.

But, as Professor Khilnani says, \\u201cwhat was required of Subbulakshmi, in moving from South Indian musical celebrity to national cultural symbol, is deeply uncomfortable when considered through the prism of contemporary feminism.\\u201d

Producer: Martin Williams