Ace comedian Santhanam has joined the list of actors who have turned playback singers in recent times.

Santhanam, who has been on top of the trade for the past 2-3 years thanks to Vadivelu’s continued boycott by the film industry and a bad phase for fellow comedian Vivek, has sung a full-length song in his upcoming film Nambiar which has Srikanth and Sunaina as the lead pair.

Ganesh, who had been working as an assistant director under S.S. Rajamouli, debuts as director with Nambiar. Vijay Anthony has scored the film’s music. Talking about the song by Santhanam, Ganesh says “Santhanam plays a parallel hero in the film; once the film hits the screens, you would understand as to why I used the words ‘parallel hero’.

“The script is full of comedy sans vulgarity. In fact, it has more to offer than mere comic sequences. It would be one of the films to be spoken about for Santhanam. The role he plays here would be very different than the ones he has essayed so far. When we were discussing as to who would be suitable to sing a song which comes at a very important juncture in the film, Vijay said that it would be better if Santhanam sings it.

“We thought Santhanam won’t agree to it but to our surprise, he agreed and came to record the song. He completed the entire recording in just about 15 minutes. Though Santhanam may not feature in the song, his voice would suit Srikanth very well in this sequence. The song has come out very well,” concludes Ganesh.

Srikanth says that he has found a close friend in Santhanam. “He has not only starred in the film but also sung a song for me. He believes that I can succeed as a solo-hero and I’m sure this film would fulfill his and my aspirations. I owe him a lot,” he said.