S P Balasubramaniam
The playback singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, who sang over 40,000 songs in many languages, honoured posthumously with the Padma Vibhushan in 2021.
Sripathi Panditharadhyula Balasubrahmanyam stood among the giants of Indian film, and for decades the most sought-after playback singer in south Indian films. He was named for the Padma Vibhushan posthumously in 2021 in the field of art, from Tamil Nadu [1].
A singing contest
Balasubrahmanyam was born on 4 June 1946 in Konetampet, then in Andhra Pradesh [2]. As a young man he won first prize at a talent contest in Chennai, where the composer S. P. Kodandapani spotted him and gave him his first film song, in the Telugu Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna in 1966 [2]. His entry into Hindi films came with the hit Ek Duuje Ke Liye [2].
Forty thousand songs
He sang more than 40,000 songs for films, albums and television, in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and many other languages, including Tulu, Badaga, Sanskrit, Konkani, Bengali, Marathi and Punjabi [2].
Actor, composer and dubbing artist
He acted in more than 45 films, among them Thiruda Thiruda in Tamil and Pavithra Bandham in Telugu, and in television serials [2]. He composed music for 45 films [2]. As a dubbing artist he gave his voice to Ben Kingsley in Gandhi, to Anil Kapoor in Slumdog Millionaire and to Kamal Haasan in many films [2]. He produced the acclaimed Telugu film Subha Sankalpam and hosted music talent shows on television [2].
Through the S. P. Sambamurthy Foundation, named after his father, he supported charities and raised funds through stage shows [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2021: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2021: citation for S P Balasubramaniam — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
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