SP Balasubramanyam's death: Legendary singer's Bollywood connection

Legendary playback singer SP Balasubramanyam's death shook the nation as soon as the news went viral. Fans and people from the south, as well as Bollywood, are unable to come in terms with the fact that we have lost such an ace singer who has not only shined bright in the South but also has his impact in Bollywood.

Born on June 4, 1946, in a small village in Madras, SP Balasubramanyam was a multi-talented personality, apart from being a successful playback singer he was also a renowned dubbing artist, music director, actor and producer who predominantly worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi film industry.

A proud recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan along with Filmfare Awards and six Filmfare Awards South. He also received the NTR National Award for his contribution to the Indian Cinema.

Era of entertainment

SP Balasubramanyam has crooned over 1000 songs for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam films. He began his cinematic journey in 1966 with the Telugu film 'Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna' and then there was no looking back, he made an extraordinary contribution to music across many languages. SP Balasubramanyam had crooned popular Bollywood songs like 'Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali', 'Pehla Pehla Pyar Hai', 'Tere Mere Beech Mein' and 'Mere Jeevan Saathi' to name a few.

Apart from singing, SP Balasubramanyam had also played a few memorable roles in Tamil films like 'Keladi Kanmani', 'Sigaram', 'Kadhalan', 'Priyamaanavale', winning fans with his memorable acts in front of the camera. The veteran singer has entertained the audience of several generations. Not only the old but the youth also admire the singer. SP Balasubramaniam made his Bollywood comeback after 15 years as a playback singer for Shahrukh Khan in the title song of his 2013 release 'Chennai Express'.

In May 2020, SP Balasubramanyam crooned a song on humanity titled "Bharath Bhoomi" which was composed by Ilaiyaraaja as a tribute to the people such as police, army, doctors, nurses and janitors who have been significantly working amid COVID-19 pandemic. The video song was officially unveiled by Ilaiyaraaja through his official YouTube account on 30 May 2020 in both Tamil and Hindi languages.

Final Adieu

The veteran singer was tested positive for Covid-19. He was undergoing treatment at MGM hospital in Chennai and was admitted there on August 5 after he showed mild Covid-19 symptoms. However, in the last 24 hours, his condition had deteriorated further, warranting maximal life support. Hospital authorities had confirmed that the singer was on life support. SP Balasubramanyam reportedly had a mild fever on Wednesday and the hospital authorities had stated that the singer was in extremely critical condition. Our heartfelt condolences to the family and all the fans. It's indeed a huge loss!