Page 75 - Kerala calling OCTOBER 2020

camera, he was a bundle of energy
and disarming sweetness that you
couldn’t help falling in love with his
personality.

A Padma Bhushan awardee,
recipient of six National Awards
and numerous other accolades, SPB
started his music career in Telugu,
his mother tongue. He made his
debut with the 1967 film Sri Sri
Maryada Ramanna singing a duet
with P Susheela. Within a couple
of years, he started singing Tamil
songs, first for MGR’s Adimai Penn
following it up with some other
superstar films featuring Sivaji He burst into Bollywood with a dancing with him to a dynamic
Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan. It volley of romantic numbers, love A. R. Rahman number oozing
was just the beginning as he went anthems that remain popular. While charm, a feat only SPB can achieve.
on to record a whopping 40,000 plus he bagged his second National The singer was also a voice actor,
songs in a career spanning over half a Award for his first Hindi film ‘Ek who lent his voice in Telugu for over
century, most of them Tamil, Telugu, Duuje Ke Liye’, he sang nearly all 100 Kamal Hassan films.
Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam. early hits of Salman Khan including
‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’, ‘Hum Aapke The stages and studios will miss
He collaborated with an array Hain Kaun’, ‘Love’ and ‘Saajan’. S.P Balasubramaniam, but the
of brilliant composers like M. S. vocalist leaves behind an incredible
Viswanathan, K. V. Mahadevan, He also rendered several popular discography cutting across genres
Ilaiyaraaja and A. R. Rahman over numbers in Telugu and Kannada and languages. Coming generations
the years leaving behind a treasure is also one singer who picked will continue to relish SPB songs that
trove of immortal tracks. National Awards for his songs in four throb with life as he could infuse
languages that include Tamil, Telugu, something very personal in each of
He along with Ilaiyaraaja created Kannada and Hindi. them.
a long playlist of soulful songs
including Nilaave Vaa Sellathey Not a formally trained singer, SPB There was godliness in
Vaa, Ilaiya Nilaa Pozhikirathe, was also the first singer to introduce his music yet SPB was no
Sundari and Keladi Kanmani. For the intricacies and nuances of celestial singer
the next generation he was the classical music to masses. For
one who delivered A.R Rahman many of his fans, he is still the
chartbusters like Kaadhal Rojave, Sankarabharanam singer who
Thanga Thamarai Magale, Azhagana rendered Carnatic music with
Ratchashiyae and Anjali Anjali. unimaginable ease and later made it The vocalist leaves behind
a staple in mainstream cinema. He an incredible discography
His voice perfectly fit Kamal Hassan, sang every song in the 1980 - film cutting across genres and
a kind of honeyed baritone in that fetched him his first National languages
which he rendered several songs Award and later continued to deliver
so beautifully and evocatively. He classical hits in films like Sagara
was also the voice for Rajinikanth’s Sangamam and Rudraveena.
introduction numbers in a slew of
superhits like ‘Annamalai’, ‘Muthu’, He also acted in films, playing main He remained an epitome
‘Baasha’, ‘Arunachalam’ and some roles like the widower in Keladi of everything humane
others. Kannmanii and in Kadhalan we saw and down-to-earth
him as the father of Prabhudeva and
prd.kerala.gov.in/publication/keralacalling/OCTOBER 2020 75 KERALA CALLING