Nostalgia is a tricky emotion. It could act as a vehicle to tap into your forgotten past or could be used as a weapon to make you go weak at the knees. It was a bit of both for fans of Kamal Haasan and SP Balasubrahmanyam, who turned up in large numbers at Kamaraj Arangam for ‘Naanum Kamalum’, a musical celebration of the Kamal-SPB pair, organised by Abbas Cultural. What is the big deal, you ask. This year’s ‘Naanum Kamalum’ served a distinct purpose, as Kamal Haasan completed 60 years in the film industry.
Written in the stars
When SPB watched an adorable kid crooning ‘Ammavum Neeye’ in Kalathur Kannamma , it never crossed his mind that he would be lending his voice for the same child who, later, would be regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. “The number 60 is the marking of a new beginning. I don’t know about others, but my thambi [Kamal] has never missed my call. What takes a song from good to great is the marriage between the singer and the actor. I am fortunate that I have sung maximum songs for him,” said SP Balasubrahmayam, to roaring applause from the audience.
He was being modest. For, you cannot separate SPB from Kamal’s movies. That was evident at the reception for his rendition of ‘Pudhu Maapillaikku’ from Apoorva Sagodharargal . If you recall the chorus portion, which goes ‘Babbabbaa babbabbarae’, you would be surprised to know that it was sung by SPB.
“We had a three-track system in those days and it was quite difficult to record songs then. There’s a slight variation in each voice in the chorus and that’s how I recorded it, he said, adding, “No other star would have risked their career to make a movie like Apoorva Sagodharargal . But Kamal did, which was carefully aided by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao.” Another song that had a complex composition was ‘Siriya Paravai Sirakai Virikka’ from Andha Oru Nimidam . “You might think that Ilaiyaraaja must have brainstormed for this song. Let me tell you that he finished the entire orchestration in half an hour,” he added.
Healing power of music
One could argue that SPB is a master improviser and is most unpredictable when he is on stage. He takes a brief pause in the middle of the song, when he is not supposed to. He intermixes Telugu lyrics for a Tamil song and gives a whole new spin. He affectionately glances at musicians when the tracks go downhill, and corrects notes in the air. He also mimics legendary composers like MS Viswanathan. All of which is to say that fans who look forward to the quintessential SPB-ness were not disappointed either.
Over the years, Kamal has made his virtual presence felt in ‘Naanum Kamalum’ in the form of video messages. This year, though, SPB asked the actor to squeeze in some time for the musical night. “I spoke to him and he said, ‘If it were on November 6 or 7, I would have come anna.’ Moreover, he is not in town and is currently shooting for Indian 2 . Which is why he couldn’t make it,” he said. The crowd was a mix of Kamal and SPB fans. Throughout the three-hour programme, an enthusiastic fan was live-streaming it for his friend living abroad. That, perhaps, tells a lot about what this legendary combination means to Tamil cinema.
