New Delhi, June 3: Imagine a singer stepping into a recording studio in the morning and emerging at night with 21 fully recorded songs. This is not a fictional tale but a remarkable event that took place on February 8, 1981, in Bengaluru. The legendary singer Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (SPB or Balu) achieved this feat while recording Kannada songs for composer Upendra Kumar. He also set an unparalleled record by recording 19 Tamil and 16 Hindi songs in a single day.
Born on June 4, 1946, in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, Balasubrahmanyam hailed from a Telugu Brahmin family. His father, S. P. Sambamurthy, was a ‘Harikatha’ artist who wished for his son to become an engineer. Respecting his father’s wishes, Balasubrahmanyam began his engineering studies. However, due to a bout of typhoid, he left his studies and moved to Madras (Chennai).
In 1969, the legendary Tamil actor M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) awaited Balasubrahmanyam for the recording of the song “Aayiram Nilavae Vaa” from his film “Adimai Pen.” Just before the recording, Balasubrahmanyam fell ill. Remarkably, MGR halted the film’s recording for nearly a month, allowing Balasubrahmanyam to recover and sing the song. This decision showcased the magic of Balasubrahmanyam’s talent, as the song became a milestone upon its release.
Balasubrahmanyam launched his career on December 15, 1966, with the song “Emiye Vinta Moham” from the Telugu film “Sri Sri Sri Marayada Ramanna.” Despite lacking formal classical training, he was entrusted with singing for the film “Shankarabharanam,” directed by K. Vishwanath, which was based on pure Carnatic music. Many classical music stalwarts were skeptical. However, under the guidance of composer K. V. Mahadevan, Balasubrahmanyam delivered complex compositions like “Omkaara Naadhanu” with such melodic ease that he won his first National Film Award for Best Playback Singer.
In 1981, Balasubrahmanyam made his Hindi cinema debut with K. Balachander’s film “Ek Duuje Ke Liye.” The song “Tere Mere Beech Mein, Kaisa Hai Yeh Bandhan Anjaana” earned him a second National Award. Following this, he became the official voice of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, lending his voice to iconic songs like “Dil Deewana” from “Maine Pyar Kiya” (1989) and the timeless duet “Didi Tera Devar Deewana” with Lata Mangeshkar in “Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!” (1994).
In the dubbing world, he became the Telugu voice for Kamal Haasan. He brought to life seven of Haasan’s ten characters in the film “Dasavathaaram” (2008) with his vocal versatility. Additionally, he dubbed for Hollywood actor Ben Kingsley in the Telugu version of the film “Gandhi.”
In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri in 2001, the Padma Bhushan in 2011, and the posthumous Padma Vibhushan in 2021. The Andhra Pradesh government awarded him a record 25 Nandi Awards.
SP Balasubrahmanyam breathed his last on September 5, 2020, at MGM Hospital in Chennai. To honor his enduring legacy, a bronze statue was unveiled on December 15, 2025, at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad, in the presence of the nation’s luminaries.
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