Updated: September 25, 2020 7:01:15 pm
SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away on Friday.
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam, legendary playing singer, songwriter, actor, producer and musician whose evocative voice and the seriousness in it could elevate a simple piece of music to absolute sublimity, died on friday afternoon following a cardiorespiratory arrest at MGM Healthcare in Chennai. She was 74 years old.
Balasubrahmanyam, affectionately called SPB and Balu by his friends and fans, was admitted to the hospital on August 5 after he tested positive for COVID 19. He was later transferred to the ICU after he developed severe pneumonia due to further complications. He is survived by his wife Savithri, son SP Charan and daughter Pallavi. Outside the hospital, an emotional Charan told reporters: “SPB belongs to everyone. He will live in his songs. “
The news of The death of the musician made legions of fans cry.. Candlelight vigils were recently held outside the hospital to pray for the musician’s health.
SP Balasubrahmanyam was also a well-known voice-over artist. (Express file photo)
Widely regarded as one of the best playing male singers, SP Balasubrahmanyam in his 50-year career transcended language barriers by singing in 16 of them, including Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil, among others. He found success in the Hindi film industry and much more than success in South Indian film music – a cult status as an artist who received genuine affection from the people. From MG Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan to Kamal Hassan, Mohan and a host of actors today, SPB’s voice was a fixture for all of them. That he held the Guinness Book of the World Record for singing the most songs (40,000 songs) was just another feather in his cap. In all of them, that soft, velvety voice joyfully stood out as one of a kind: it was unpretentious and yet grand. And that’s where the magic lies.
And to think that his voice was once rejected. During the musical creation process of Rati Agnihotri by filmmaker K Balachander and protagonist of Kamal Hassan Ek Duje Ke Liye (1981) – Hindi remake of the director’s Telugu film Maro charitra – the Laxmikant-Pyarelal composers were upset. They felt that Balasubrahmanyam, the “Madrasi” singer they were asked to work with, could not accurately pronounce the words of Anand Bakshi’s Hindustani lyrics. Balachander’s condition was clear: SPB was to sing for Kamal Hassan, as the character, Vasu, was supposed to be not good at Hindi and pronunciation would not be a problem. The composer duo relented.
SP Balasubrahmanyam’s soft baritone songs, many of which were duets with Lata Mangeshkar, captured the nation’s attention. The mixture of his characteristic sincerity and delicate youth combined with a soft timbre made Balasubrahmanyam a national phenomenon. It’s hard to forget him singing ‘I don’t know what you say’ in the title song. The following year, SPB received the National Award for Best Male Reproduction Singer for the film’s famous lament in the Shivranjini raga, fueled by pathos: Tere mein haya mein. Even Lakshmikant Pyarelal turned a corner. He was cast as the voice of Salman Khan in Sooraj Barjatya’s famous project Maine Pyaar Kiya (1989). The voice fit Khan like a glove. Balasubrahmanyam continued to be Khan’s voice throughout the 1990s on his later hits such as Andaz Apna Apna (1994) and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994), among others.
Balasubrahmanyam was born in the village of Konetampet located in present-day Tiruvallur in a Telugu family. His interest in music started early. Brilliant academically, SPB wanted to become an engineer and even accepted admission to Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh. While going to college on his cycle, he would often hear a Mohammad Rafi record playing in a store. The song was Deewana huya baadal, the melodious OP Nayyar song immortalized by Rafi. “I could hear the expression, the romance and the smile of Rafi Sahab in that song. I would cry. It wasn’t sadness or pathos, but something else … he felt closer to pity. It just stayed with me, ”Subrahmanyam said in a conversation with singer Sonu Nigam on the sets of the SaReGaMa show.
SP Balasubrahmanyam had to drop out of university due to an outbreak of typhoid fever. Even years later, he regretted not having completed his career. Not many musicians with this kind of success would want to go back to school. Balasubrahmanyam did it, and that made it special.
At this point, SPB was also the leader of a music group that had him as a vocalist and his friend Ilaiyaraaja on the harmonium, in addition to a few other members. They would perform in small towns and cities, participate in competitions, and visit composers to work. Finally, Balasubrahmanyam made his singing debut in 1966 with the film Telugu. Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna, which was scored by his mentor, SP Kodandapani, who also discovered his talent. He soon began recording songs in Tamil and Kannada and was very successful. Your song Aayiram Nilave Vaa, photographed at MGR and J Jayalalitha in the 1969 film Adimai Penn, it was a success. But the story goes that Balasubrahmanyam fell ill with malaria after the trials. MGR waited until he recovered and no one else made the song because the singer would have already told his friends and did not want him to be disappointed.
SP Balasubrahmanyam: Rare photos of the singer and actor
But what made SP Balasubrahmanyam a force to be reckoned with was Sankarabharanam, the Telugu music drama, which remains one of the best films ever made on the theme of classical music. The iconic singer M Balamuralikrishna was the best choice to sing the complex classical compositions of Carnatic. But composer K Mahadevan settled on Balasubrahmanyam, who eventually won his first National Award for songs.
In Tamil industry, he worked extensively with his old friend Ilaiyaraaja, MS Viswanathan and later AR Rahman. The collaboration between him and Rahman for the song. Thanga thamarai in the film Minsara kanavu It won the singer another National Award, the first for a Tamil song. There was also the main song of Roja where the two collaborated. The tender romanticism combined with the powerful voice in this song by Rahman of Balasubrahmanyam is likely to remain one of the singer’s finest hours.
SP Balasubrahmanyam was also a well known voice-over artist and nicknamed Kamal Hassan, Rajinikanth, Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, among others, in various language versions of his films. He also acted in some movies like K Balachandar’s Manathil Uruthi Vendum (1987) and director Vasanth’s debut Keladi kanmani (1990).
Read | SPB: A voice that nurtured millions of hearts | Films in which SPB acted as an actor
In 1997, there was a rare Lata Mangeshkar live concert entitled “Lata An Era In An Evening”. It was significant because it was televised and featured a who’s who from the film industry. For one of her segments, Mangeshkar invited Balasubrhamanyam on stage to sing with her and said, “Inka upkaar rahega mujh par ki ye aaye. (It is her benevolence that she has come looking for me. “Balasubrahmanyam gave Mangeshkar a big smile and said,” Jab bhagwaan bulaate hai toh aana hi padta hai (when god calls, you have to introduce yourself), “before breaking into her
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For the latest entertainment news, download the Indian Express app.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
.
