Thiruvananthapuram, First Published Nov 13, 2021, 6:45 PM IST
EKJ Yesudas and SP Balasubrahmanyam (sp balasubrahmanyam) are a gift to the Indian music world. The relationship between the two is well known in the world of film and music. The SPB often said that it saw Yesudas as an elder brother. Yesudas has also said that SPB is not just his brother and there are no words to describe what it is. This bond between the two was evident in the songs they sang together. That is why the songs sung by the two greats are still the favorite songs of the audience.
The songs sung with SPB Yesudas became hits and super hits. Until the early 90s, the band produced several hit songs. The two first came together for the 1975 film ‘Thankathile Vairam’. The song ‘N Kathali’ composed by Shankar Ganesh in the film was sung by both of them. Yesudas sang for the central characters Sivakumar and SPB for Kamal Haasan.
Years later, those sweet sounds reached the audience through another duet. It was for the Tamil film Gauri Manohari. Iniyavan composed the music for the song which starts with ‘Aruvikoodu Jathiyillamal’.
The megahit of the SPB-Yesudas partnership was born in 1991. It was Dalapati’s song ‘Kattukuyile’ directed by Mani Ratnam with Rajinikanth and Mammootty in the lead roles. Ilayaraja composed the music for the song. This song is still one of the favorite songs of music lovers. The song was a meeting place for the epics of Indian cinema.
The song ‘Araro Ariraro’ from Sarath Kumar’s 1993 film Dasarathan was also composed by SPB and Yesudas. The music was composed by L Vaidyanathan. They also sang ‘Irand Kaikal’ from Sivaji Ganesan’s Trishul and ‘Swarnameeninte Chelothakannale’ from the 1979 film Prem Nazir-Jayan Sarpath.
When Fazil’s Harikrishnas dubbed in Tamil in 1998, Yesudas sang ‘Ponne Ponnambili’ Tamil song ‘Ponne Ponninmani’ with Yesudas in Malayalam. Yesudas has also sung a song composed by SPB. It was the song ‘Agaram Ippo Sigaram Aach’ from the 1992 film Sigaram.
It was 26 years after Dalapati that the two came together for another film song. It was for the song ‘Ayyasamy’ from the Malayalam and Tamil film Kinar. The last song sung by SP Balasubramaniam in Malayalam is also in this movie. Yesudas and SPB have also competed in M Jayachandran’s music. Probably the last time many Malayalees saw SPB on the big screen was through this song.
It has been 60 years since Yesudas made his debut as a playback singer. Many people come to congratulate that unique genius. SPB said goodbye to the songs sung and some memories left unattended in this awkward moment.
Last Updated Nov 13, 2021, 6:53 PM IST
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