SP Balasubrahmanyam, with his unbelievable transformations, lent his voice to several heroes and comedians of the '70s and '80s period in Tollywood. Be it an emotional, heart-wrenching song such as 'Aagadhu Aagadhu' for Akkineni Nageswara Rao in Premabhishekam or a comedy romantic track such as the 'Muthyalu Vasthava' song for Allu Ramalingaiah in Manushulanta Okkate, Balu brought in several variations in his rendering.
He modulated his voice in such a way that it would be in sync with the character’s voice. Kanaka Durga, an ardent fan of singer Balu, says that in some of the songs, it's really difficult to believe that it's SPB’s voice, as we cannot find any difference when the song appears in the middle of a scene. It's in almost the same voice as that of the character.
In several old films, be it a mythological movie or a movie on a social issue, there would be a comedy track. The comedians would also have duets together, presented in a funny manner. Balu would adapt to the tone and voice of the comedian and sing the song like the character would have.
Here are some memorable Balu songs where the variations in his voice come to the fore.
‘Muthyalu Vasthava, Adigindi Isthaava?’: This song is from Manushulanta Okkate which was released in 1976. The movie has N Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) and Jamuna in lead roles.
This song was a popular hit back then and even today's generation would know the tune and lyric. And this duet comedy song was sung by SPB along with P Susheela. Balu's voice was apt for this comic and romantic track acted by the popular pair of Allu Ramalingaiah and Rama Prabha.
‘Mangamma Nuvvu Uthukuthunte Andam’: This song is from Zamindaru Gari Ammayi which was released in 1975. It was a woman-centric movie in which Sharada and Ranganath acted in the lead roles. This was the debut movie of legendary director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao.
The movie tanked at the box-office, but this song sung by Balu became more popular than the film. Although a somewhat sleazy number between popular comedian Raja Babu and Rama Prabha, it is still high on entertainment value.
'Aadinchu Aadinchu Joruga': This song is from Manavoori Katha which was released in 1976. The movie has Krishna Ghattamaneni and Jayapradha in the lead roles.
The popular song was sung by Balu and B Vasantha. In this song, Balu speaks in a rural dialect, with dialogues in between. His voice suits Allu Ramalingaiah's voice in the movie perfectly.
'Orabba Vesukunna Killi': This popular song from the NTR movie Yugandhar released in 1979. The movie has NTR and Jayasudha in the lead roles, and is the remake of Amitabh Bachchan’s Don in Telugu.
The song is a remake of 'Ye Khaike Pan Banaraswala', a popular Bollywood song. Balu sang this song impeccably, capturing even nuances such as the sound of chewing paan. The dialogues that were delivered were also similar to that of NTR's voice and tone.
'Raja o Raja, o Bala Raja': This song is from the movie Chilaka Joshyam, which was released in 1983. The movie has Radikaa and Chandra Mohan in the lead roles.
The song was a popular number for record dance performances, and was sung by Balu and S Janaki together. This song has Allu Ramalingaiah enacting it.
'Aanati aa Sneham Ananda Geetham': This song is from the movie Anubandham, which was released in 1984. In this movie, Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) and Radikaa acted in the lead roles.
This is one of the friendship songs between ANR and his friend. The song was sung in a suitably mature voice, as required by the character. In this song, Balu also mimics ANR's tone, to convey some dialogues. He also includes laughter in the song.
'Aagadhu Aagadhu': This song is from the movie Premabhishekam which released in 1981. The movie has ANR, Sridevi and Jayasudha in the lead roles. It's one of the greatest love stories from that time and has songs of every emotion. 'Aagadhu Aagadhu' is the climax song. Balu performed the song with so much authenticity that he almost sounds like the character himself.
SPB passed away in Chennai on Friday, September 25, after battling the after-effects of COVID-19. He was 74.