After doing the rounds of music studios for two years, SPB decided to quit. They said it was not robust enough for an adult male nor child-like to playback for a child artiste. But almost every music director rejected SPB saying that his voice had not “matured”. When SPB resumed his engineering course at Madras (now Chennai), it gave him a chance to visit a number of music directors who worked in South Indian films. SPB then went on to sing thousands of songs with Janaki, and they would become a hit playback pair. That was probably the point when he started to seriously think of singing as a career. But Janaki encouraged him by saying that she too had very little training, yet that had not stopped her from making a career as a singer. SPB laughed and said he had no training in music. And those desirous of ‘Tum se milne ki tamanna hai’ will forever feel the void he has left.It was Janaki who first asked SPB why he did not sing in movies, especially when his performance was better than the person who had won the first prize that day. In a career spanning five decades, music remained his first love and his songs invariably rang true.īelonging to an era when listeners could easily identify the singer because of his USP, his is a voice that will echo forever. The crux, he felt, was whether you could transition from acting before the microphone to doing so in front of the camera. He played character roles in 45 films and believed that every singer is an actor. If his first song was in Telugu, the very next was in Kannada and he had the distinction of singing in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Tulu, Oriya, Assamese, Badaga, Sanskrit, English, Konkani, Bengali and Marathi.īesides, the singer-actor stepped up to be a dubbing artiste and even dubbed for Kamal Haasan in Telugu films. He captured the emotions of lyrics effortlessly and had a flair for languages. Though best known for his ability to lend emotional feel to his songs, he elevated even regular numbers to another level. As he said in an interview to a national daily, “I know what I don’t know,” the realisation that one can never fully plumb all the depths of music made him strive for perfection. His knowledge of his art deepened with each new song. Yet he remained grounded and humility defined his persona. From an amateur singer who caught the attention of late film music composer SP Kodandapani and was given an opportunity to sing in the 1966 Telugu film, ‘Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna’ he transformed into a legend.īesides receiving six National Awards, he went on to win various honours such as Padma Bhushan. Balu as he was lovingly called was blessed with a soft melodious voice. Bollywood, from which he took a 15-year-long hiatus, saw him return with Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Chennai Express’.īorn on June 4, 1946, in Konetampet in Tamil Nadu, music was in his blood as father SP Sambamurthy was a musician and exponent of ‘Harikatha’. With duets like ‘Didi tera devar diwana’, his popularity soared.įor someone who knew AR Rahman as a toddler, he would go on to sing in his ‘Roja’ too. If in Tamil film industry his creative partnership with music maestro Ilaiyaraaja firmed up his position, in Hindi films he became the voice of Salman. His inimitable singing prowess resonated in Salman Khan’s ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ and continued to do so in many of his other films. With more than 40,000 songs under his belt, 20 recorded in Kannada in a single day alone, his discography runs like a book of records.Ī powerhouse in the south with a host of laurels and achievements, including the National Award for the Telugu film ‘Sankarabharanam’ to his name, the rest of India woke up to his voice in 1981 with Kamal Haasan-starrer ‘Ek Duuje Ke Liye’ for which he won the National Award for the Best Male Playback singer for the song ‘Tere mere beech main’.Īlso read: Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam dies of CovidĬomposer Laxmikant may have been hesitant while signing him for ‘Ek Duuje Ke Liye’, but the Hindi film industry welcomed him more than once.
SPB was not just a phenomenon but an institution. So, for nearly two months, his admirers, well-wishers and industry friends prayed for his recovery. But Covid finally claimed the versatile singer SP Balasubhrahmanyam.
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