‘Let’s Celebrate His Life and His Music’: Watch AR Rahman’s Tribute Video to SPB

Academy Award-winning music director AR Rahman’s first film, Roja (1992), had the title track sung by singer SP Balasubrahmanyam. In the 1990s, Balasubrahmanyam was already a popular singer, but this particular song continues to top the list of his best.

Sing: “Kaadhal rojavae, deceive nee deceive? Kanneer vazhiyudhadi kannae.” (Rose of love, where, where are you? Tears drip, my dear).

This performance by SP Balasubrahmanyam squeezes the hearts of listeners, conveying the pain and grief the hero feels even when he disappears in Kashmir, away from his newly married wife. Many years later, AR Rahman remembers the same song to rekindle the memories of singer SP Balasubrahmanyam who passed away on Friday due to complications related to the coronavirus.

In a video made by the music director, AR Rahman says: “SP Balasubrahmanyam came into the studio and said how can this studio produce a movie song? I smiled at him. After the release of the film, he came to me and said that you proved that music can be made anywhere, that’s what we do with it. ”

The reminder video posted by the music director links those conversations and memories he shared with SP Balasubrahmanyam, along with the late singer’s theatrical performances. The video leaves fans with tears in their eyes, evoking nostalgic days with the music of SPB.

The video begins with music director AR Rahman asking singer SPB who is his first love, music or job or a woman during a show on stage. Balasubrahmanyam says music, but after a witty back and forth, he admits that his partner, who is somewhere in the audience, is his first love.

Sharing similar anecdotes, AR Rahman then takes us to the memory lane of his first interaction with the singer.

Speaking of his first interaction with the singer, AR Rahman says: “One of the performances I did in a big way was celebrating SPB’s birthday in 1982-1983 at the Music Academy, a congratulatory ceremony. I still remember that most of my life started that way and I played the keyboard for other musical directors where he played. (sic)”

It also reveals another aspect of SP Balasubrahmanyam, affectionately called SPB, that fans know less about. Fans knew that SPB recorded more than 20 songs in a single day, but AR Rahman says that SPB was a singer who learned the song in 15 minutes and sang it in 10 minutes and searched for other recordings. “I don’t think I’ve seen a singer like him so fast, so professional,” he says.

He continues: “SPB would never say no to anything, he is ready to experiment, be it musical direction, acting or singing. For each hero, you will have a personality for that hero. “

“I don’t know if any singer can be like him living a full life in music and a full personal life with kindness and modesty. He was loved by everyone, whether they were fans of Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada, he did it all. So, we must celebrate his music, we must celebrate his life and celebrate his personality ”, he adds.

The music director finally asks people to be kind to each other and respect when people are alive, such as parents, senior artists, or people who give unconditionally.