SP Balasubrahmanyam

June 4, 1946 – September 25, 2020

He effortlessly captured emotions in his songs

or

His melodious voice took numbers to another level

BQ: Apart from six National Awards, Balu went on to receive honours such as Padma Bhushan. Yet he remained grounded and humility defined his persona

Nonika Singh

Sometime all you can do is pray. So for nearly two months, his admirers prayed for his recovery, but Covid-19 finally consumed the versatile and gifted singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, also lovingly called Balu or SPB.

Singers come and go… but Balasubrahmanyam was not just a phenomenon but an institution unto himself. With more than 40,000 songs under his belt, his discography runs like a book of records. A powerhouse in the South with a host of achievements, the rest of India woke up to his voice in 1981 with Kamal Haasan-starrer “Ek Duuje Ke Liye”. He won the National Award for best male playback singer for the song “Tere mere beech main”.

Music composer Laxmikant may have been hesitant about signing him for Ek Duuje Ke Liye, but later Bollywood welcomed him more than once. His inimitable singing resonated in Salman Khan’s launch vehicle “Maine Pyar Kiya” and continued to do so in many a Salman film, including the blockbuster “Hum Aapke Hain Koun”.

If in Tamil film industry his creative partnership with music maestro Ilaiyaraaja firmed up his position, in Hindi film industry he became the voice of Salman Khan. With duets like “Didi tera devar deewana”, his popularity soared even higher. For someone who knew AR Rahman as a toddler, he would go on to sing in his film “Roja” too. Bollywood, from which he took a 15-year break, saw him return with Shah Rukh Khan’s “Chennai Express”.

Born on June 4, 1946, at Konetampet in present-day Tamil Nadu, he inherited musical talent from his father SP Sambamurthy, an exponent of ‘Harikatha’.

From an amateur singer who caught the attention of late music composer SP Kodandapani and was given an opportunity to sing in the 1966 Telugu film “Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna”, he transformed into a legend.

Apart from six National Awards, he went on to receive honours such as Padma Bhushan. Yet he remained grounded and humility defined his persona even when he touched the pinnacle of success.

Though best known for his ability to lend an emotional feel to songs, he elevated even regular numbers to another level.

The felicity for different languages came naturally to him. Believing that every singer is an actor, Balu also played character roles in 45 films. In a career spanning five decades, music remained his first love and his songs invariably rang true.