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On a musical high

By T.SARAVANAN
Source: The Hindu, November 18 2006

S.P. Balasubrahmanyam's fire and passion for singing are intact and refuse to fade, writes T.SARAVANAN

A singing legend... A director's delight ... Modesty personified... If all these describe one person, it would not be an overstatement to say he is playback singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam.

For a man who works round-the-clock, it was a relaxed schedule for a change when he recently came visiting Madurai to give away prizes to winners of the all India final of The Hindu-Young World Quiz 2006 competition.

A passion

Singing - which he started at 17 - remains a passion of the same intensity even today. His professional achievements and commitment are known to all as much as his singing which transcends all barriers.

"I have my limitations. With my physique and girth I have a lot of trouble treading a few steps, but on stage I never gasp for breath standing even for hours together, which remains a wonder even now for me," he politely gushes.

It is always a challenge to maintain the equilibrium, especially while singing for two top matinee idols like Rajni Kant and Kamal Hassan. Earlier, it was T. M. Soundararajan who did the job with élan satisfying the fans of thespians M.G.R. and Sivaji Ganesan.

Has he made any conscious attempt to differentiate his voice while singing for the top heroes? "I wish to say yes. But it would be too hypocritical of me. No. I never did that. I was a very keen follower of their acting styles. While singing for Rajni my throw of words would be strong and would be much animated. But for Kamal, it has to be flamboyant and romantic. I am also interested in dubbing. I had dubbed in Telugu almost for all heroes and others including Kamal, Anil Kapoor, Ben Kingsley and the list goes on," he says with no pretensions.

Singing in pairs

He also welcomes idea of singing pairs. "It helps a lot. When I paired along with the singing great S. Janaki, she gave me a lot of tips that helped me to improvise. In fact, when we sang along, many a times, we had a healthy competition, which provided a polished output ultimately. This augurs well for the industry on the whole. It provided a chance for the juniors to seek professional advice from the seniors whom they were partnering."

He believes knowledge of the local language helps a singer emote better while singing songs in that particular language. "When I met M.S. Viswanathan as a new comer, I did not know Tamil. He asked me to get myself equipped with the language and two years from then I had a good knowledge of Tamil. I befriended college mates and insisted them to speak in Tamil while conversing with me. It means sense to me. Without the basic knowledge of a language, a singer can only reproduce what the music director has for him."

Down memory lane

He fondly remembers the day when he met his beloved guide, music director Kothandapani, while competing at the music contest floated by Andhra Social Cultural Club in Chennai. "But for him I would be nothing. He gave me the much-awaited break and never failed to introduce me to other music directors. He was the one who noticed the spark in me and said "If you are disciplined and work hard I see a minimum of 40 years of career in you". And this is my 40th year in the industry," he says and stops to take a breath in reminiscence of his mentor.

He considers singing for the film `Sankaraparanam' as a big milestone in a chequered career. "As you know the movie is fully classical-based. For which, I had to learn Carnatic music from music director Pugazhenthi before making an attempt. But when I got the national award for my effort in that movie, it was the satisfying moment for me."

Other interests

What about his other interests? "I love photography. I read a lot and watch cricket and tennis, whenever I get free time," he says.

On his son S.P.B. Charan, he says: "He wants to become a producer. I neither see any passion for singing in him nor for acting in movies. But he loves to produce movies. Hence as a dutiful father I encourage him in all his endeavours."

After more than four decades of experience he is more than a satisfied man now.

"I have done what all I could do in music. I have no qualms though the learning experience continues. But what I treasure most is the love of fans, friends and family members," he signs off with due credit to his wife Savithiri Balasubrahmanyam for backing him at crucial periods in life.

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