Golden Voice of a Glorious Era - P.B. Srinivos
Suneeta Donepudi
Hi All,
Found this very informative article on P.B.Srinivos.
You can find this article along with his picture at
http://www.webpage.com/hindu/daily/971003/09/09030705.htm
Enjoy!
Suneeta
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Golden Voice of a Glorious Era
Playback singer P.B.Srinivos is known for his distinct tone and
versatile voice. M.L.Narasimham writes on his long music career.
Chennai recently witnessed two playback singers, K.J.Yesudass and
S.P.Balasubramaniyam, performing together on stage for the first
time. A highlight of the show was the honouring of a veteran in the
field by the two singers. It was none other than playback singer
P.B.Srinivos, a melodious voice of the Sixties. At the request of
the audience, Srinivos rendered his evergreen hit "Kaalangalil Aval
Vasantham" from the film, "Paavamannippu". Age might have taken
its toll on the veteran, but his voice is still intact as
mellifluous as it was in the Sixties. The thunderous applause from
the 15,000-strong audience was ample proof of this. A visibly moved
Srinivos said, "I have never seen such a gala musical nite in my
life."
Why did he choose to sing this particular song? "My career in the
Tamil film field picked up after the release of "Paavamannippu" in
1961,"recalls Srinivos. But there is more to it, as M.S.Viswanathan
of the Viswanathan-Ramamurthy music troupe, puts it: "At that time
there were certain wrong notions that only T.M.Soundararajan should
sing for`Sivaji' Ganesan and M.G.Ramachandran and only A.M.Raja's
voice suited Gemini Ganesan's. I wanted to break that. So I selected
Srinivos to render a song for Gemini Ganesan in "Paavamannippu".
Though he had sung for me before, this was the first time he was
singing for a leading actor. In fact, "Paavamannippu" was co-produced
by me. So it was not difficult for me to experiment. After
"Kaalangalil Aval Vasantham" became a hit I made Srinivos sing for
M.G.Ramachandran and "Sivaji" Ganesan too. In fact, when he sang the
number, "Penn Ondru Kandaen" ("Padithal Mattum Poduma") along with
T.M.Soundararajan, Sivaji insisted that he would render lip movement
to Srinivos's lines. Similarly, even in the Telugu field, there was a
feeling that only Ghantasala's voice suited A.Nageswara Rao and
N.T.Rama Rao's. In "Vazhkai Padagu", Srinivos rendered the song
"Chinna Chinna Kannanukku" so well that we retained his voice for the
Telugu version "Aada Brathuku" in which N.T.Rama Rao played the lead.
But the distributors protested that the audience would not accept a
new voice for NTR. But S.S.Vasan, the film's producer firmly told
them that the decision was entirely with his music directors. Srinivos
rendered the number "Bujji Bujji Paapai" which became an instant hit."
Much before this, S.Rajeswara Rao made Srinivos sing the popular
number, "Bhayamela O Manasa" for the film "Bhale Ramudu" (1956).
Srinivos had sung for the film's Tamil version, "Prema Pasam" starring
`Gemini' Ganesh and Savithri. "Many asked me why I had opted for a
new voice when Ghantasala was there. But I felt a new voice would
enrich the scene. I knew Srinivos from his Gemini Studios days. I
liked his base voice. It has a smooth flow, a refreshing change from
Ghantasala's. He later sang some of the best songs for me which
include the very popular "Manasuloni Korika" from "Bhishma" (1962)
starring Rama Rao and Anjali Devi", says Rajeswara Rao.
Recalling his early days, Srinivos says "Though I made my debut in the
South with R.Nagendra Rao's trilingual, "Jathaka Phala" (Kannada),
"Jathaka Phalam" (Telugu) and "Jathagam" (Tamil) in 1953 under the
music direction of R.Govardhan and R.Sudarsanam, it was Narasu Studio's
"Bhale Ramudu" and "Prema Pasam" that got me recognition, followed by
Anjali Pictures' "Adutha Veettu Penn," for which I sang five songs and
all of them proved to be hits. But, it was with "Paavamannippu" that
my career picked up".
However, Srinivos' first song was for a Hindi film, "Mr.Sampath",
produced by S.S.Vasan in 1952. "From the beginning, I was interested
in music and my father, Phanindra Swamy, told me that if I wanted to
become a playback singer, I must first concentrate on my studies. So I
completed B.Com. in my native place, Kakinada, and came to Chennai and
joined the Law College. But even before I completed the first year,
the urge to enter the cinema field forced me to make regular visits to
the Gemini Studios, where our family friend, Emani Sankara Sastry, was
the head of the music department. He took me under his care and because
I had good knowledge of Hindi, it became easy for me to sing the Hindi
numbers."
After listening to a "doha" rendered by Srinivos in "Mr.Sampath",
R.Nagendra Rao gave him a break in his trilingual. But to render
another Hindi song, Srinivos had to wait till AVM remade their Tamil
hit "Nanum Oru Penn" in Hindi as "Mai Bhi Ladkhi Hoon". "Chandra Se
Hoga Ho Pyara" which he sang along with Lata Mangeshkar, was a big hit.
Srinivos soon became a much sought after playback singer not only in
Tamil and Telugu, but also in Kannada and Malayalam. "For Sathyan and
Prem Nazir, I sang more than 100 songs." Some of the Malayalam songs
that won him fame are from "Mamalugaluku Appurathu", "Kattu Tulasi;;
and "Ini Oru Janamam Undo". He even made a guest apperance in a
Malayalam movie, "Kavya Mela" along with K.J.Yesudass, M.B.Srinivasan
and Dakshina Murthy. His latest screen appearance was in the Tamil hit,
"Kalamellam Kathal Vazhga".
Srinivos' success, apart from Tamil films, was in the Kannada field as
well. The reason behind his occupying a prime position in Kannada film
playback singing was his voice that had become synonymous with the
legendary Rajkumar. "I first sang for him in "Ohileswara" (1956). Then
came "Bhakta Kanakadasa" (1960) which was a turning point for both of
us. After this film our combination clicked in a big way and I sang in
over 200 films for him which include, "Tukaram", "Srikrishnadevaraya",
"Ranadheera Kanterava" and "Manthralaya Mahathme". Rajkumar himself
is a good singer apart from being a great artiste".
Though Srinivos has rendered less number of songs in Telugu when
compared to Tamil and Kannada films, most of his renderings are popular
even today. "Among the Telugu songs, I consider `Bujji Bujji Pappai"
("Aada Brathuku"), `Vennela reyi" ("Preminchi Choodu"), `Oho Chittemma
Chinnamma' ("Asadhyudu"), `Oho Gulabi Bala' ("Manchi Manishi"), `Aanati
Chelimi Oka Kala' ("Pelli Roju"), `Andala O Chilaka' ("Letha Manasulu")
and `Manasuloni Korika' (Bheeshma).
Says M.S.Viswanathan, "In Tamil films, Srinivos has given many hits
with me, K.V.Mahadevan and V.Kumar. In fact, all my compositions with
him have proved hits. His strong point is the swaragnana. He can sing a
song as soon as he hears the tune and the lyric. Modest and disciplined,
he has a distinct tone and a peculiar voice which blends easily be it
pathos, comedy or romance. He can sing an `Anubhavam Pudimai', `Nilave
Ennidam', `Yar Yar Yar Aval Yaro' and `Mayakkama Kalakkama' to
`Viswanathan Velai Vendum' with ease. Such is his range.
But a modest Srinivos says, "A song becomes popular only when it has a
well conceived scene and a strong picturisation. Otherwise however good
the singer, the lyric and the tune, it does not help".
According to S.Rajeswara Rao, Srinivos is a very good ghazal singer too,
"perhaps the best from the South". HMV brought out a cassette of
ghazals sung by him.
A multi-linguist, proficient in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Urdu,
Malayalam, Sanskrit and Englsh, Srinivos has written poems too. His
collection "Pranavam" has poems in eight languages. Another work,
"Time God", tracks the essence of Hindu philosophy. When Neil Armstrong
set foot on the moon, he wrote a lyric, "Man to Moon", recorded it
along with S.Janaki and sent it to the then U.S. President, Richard
Nixon. Later, he wrote a sequel to it, "Moon to God". One of his best
works is the "Diamond Key" or "Srinivasa Virtha", a method he has
evolved to identify the swarams for each of the 72 melakartha ragas.
Srinivos provided musical score for a mythological film "Mahasadhvi"
(Kannada) directed by Ravi.
What does he think about the present state of music? "There is `vegam'
(speed) but no `raagam' (rhythm). I do not blame the composer alone for
this. It is as much the fault of the audience as it is of the music
composer. Today's music directors are talented. But they are going
according to the trend. Music directors such as M.S.Viswanathan never
compromised on the melody aspect. Then the first letter in music
represented only melody. But today without that, it makes one sick. I
say all this with a sense of anguish. Naushad used to say that our rich
Indian music has all the resources, including the western rhythm for a
good score. Then why borrow? Perhaps it depends on the virtuosity and
imagination of the composer to make use of it."
Considering the fact that he has sung so many songs, did he ever feel
he was sidelined? "Every artiste in this field faces turning points.
One has to adjust and move on. My job is to entertain the viewers
within the available opportunities. I hope I have fulfilled that.
Looking back, I feel contented. I sang to my heart's content.
Swamy Bale
In article <34394F...@lucent.com> san...@lucent.com writes:
>Suneeta Donepudi wrote:
>>
>> Hi All,
>> Found this very informative article on P.B.Srinivos.
>> You can find this article along with his picture at
>>
>> http://www.webpage.com/hindu/daily/971003/09/09030705.htm
>>
>> Enjoy!
>>
>> Suneeta
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Golden Voice of a Glorious Era
>
>
>A nice article. (Tho, his name is mispelt thru out the article,
>he is P.B Srinivas). Accepting the fact that the original article
>is from a prominent Tamil daily (Hindu), I should say, that PBS's
>contibution to Kannada music industry has been seriouly downplayed in
>the article.
>
>I consider him the messiah of Kannada film music.
>Before PBS became synonymous with RajKumar (Dr!), the kannada film
>music industry was highly contributed by Tamil/Telugu rejects/stalwarts.
>The stalwarts being Ghantasala, Souderrajan, etc. Though these singers
>were good, their kannada pronounciation was horrible. PBS is, I should
>say, the first original kannada singer whose kannada renditions is still
>unparalleled. I remember seeing a movie of RajKumar in which
>Ghanatasala had sung for him and it was so horrible. PBS was, in fact,
>the most prominent male singer in Kannada films for almost a decade
>(60s - 70s) till SPB replaced him. He was Kannada's both Rafi and
>Mukesh for his versatility and for his ability to emote in his songs.
>His hits in Kannada are still so evergreen and are being requested to
>be played in AIR/vividbharthi, even now. IMO, his Mukesh-style
>songs are the best among old kannada songs. I could list a couple
>of 'em:
>
>1. Panchama veda premada naada
>2. Badukidenu Badukidenu bhava yenage hingithu
>3. Baadi hoda baLLiyinda hoovu araLaballade
>4. Olavina priyalathe avalade chinthe, avala maathe madhura geethe
>5. Olumeya hoove, Nee hode yellige (His best, I guess).
>6. Narayanavanamaale varada naarada sangeetha lola (His
> superior classical singing ability is so much evident in this song).
>7. Tum nam Tum nam nan E manasu (Duet with SJanaki - this sing can be
> compared to "Churaliya hein" of Rafi-Asha and I can't say which
> song is better).
>
>And many more....
>
>
>Sanjeev
I miss PBS songs. Even though SP Balasubramaniam has sung more songs in
Kannada, but the quality goes to PBS. Besides film songs, his devotional
songs are melodious(sp?) too.
I like his songs from Nyayave Devaru
Aakashave Bilali Mele, Nanendu ninnavanu and
Baare Baare, Chendada cheluvina taare from Nagarahaavu.
Swamy
--
********************************************************************
Swamy S. Bale
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Vista/7663
Do your duty and leave the rest to the fate. You don't have any
control over the result of your actions.
********************************************************************
Balaji A.S. Murthy
In article <sbaleEH...@netcom.com>, sb...@netcom.com says...
>>> Found this very informative article on P.B.Srinivos.
>>> You can find this article along with his picture at
>>>
>>he is P.B Srinivas). Accepting the fact that the original article
>>is from a prominent Tamil daily (Hindu), I should say, that PBS's
>>contibution to Kannada music industry has been seriouly downplayed in
>>the article.
I am not sure if the article misspelt his name. In many HMV releases that I have
seen, it *is* spelt as P.B.Srinivos, which could be the spelling PBS himself
used. Regarding the second point, I agree with you. Indeed, such was his
presence in the Kannada film music that up until a little over a year ago, I
used to think (albeit erroneously) that PBS is a Kannadiga. I was politely
informed by a couple of nettors that he is actually a Telugu. But for all
practical purposes I think he was a Kannada singer more than any other.
Recently, HMV has released a four cassette commemorative volume called
'bangArada hUvugaLu'(equiv. of the Hindi "Golden Collection" releases), which is
a must buy for any Kannada film music fan.
- Balaji
Sanjeev Kumar
Vandana Venkatesan wrote:
>
> "The Hindu" is NOT a Tamil daily, the medium is English. Or did you
^^^^^
Oops, that should've read Tamilnadu. I wanted to say that "Hindu"
being a "regional" newspaper, in this article had more to say about
PBS's contribution to Tamil and Telugu, whereas I felt that his
Kannada songs were more outstanding and noticeable. I mean, he was
almost responsible for the growth of Kannada music industry in
the 60s and the 70s. He was definitely more successful in Kannada
than in Tamil/Telugu put together and that the original article
hadn't had much to talk about it.
BTW, he is really P.B.Srinivos (somebody pointed it out) as printed
on some HMV cassette!!
> mean to say that the head-quarters of the newspaper is located in
> Madras, hence the reporter may be a Tamilian? From the opening
> paragraph it seems that the article was written in the context of a
> concert held in Madras which explains why so little is mentioned of
> P.B.Srinivas' Kannada contribution.
The title of the article read "Golden Voice of a Glorious Era" which
I presume had a lot to mention about his achievements and not limited
to only certain specifics.
>I remember an article posted by Ashok Dhareshwar some time
> back which also talked about PBS's Kannada contribution. This would
> be a good time to repost it.
Thanks for mentioning this.
Sanjeev
Vandana Venkatesan
Sanjeev Kumar (san...@lucent.com) wrote:
=> Suneeta Donepudi wrote:
=> >
=> > Found this very informative article on P.B.Srinivos.
=> >
=>
=> A nice article. (Tho, his name is mispelt thru out the article,
=> he is P.B Srinivas). Accepting the fact that the original article
=> is from a prominent Tamil daily (Hindu), I should say, that PBS's
=> contibution to Kannada music industry has been seriouly downplayed in
=> the article.
"The Hindu" is NOT a Tamil daily, the medium is English. Or did you
mean to say that the head-quarters of the newspaper is located in Madras,
hence the reporter may be a Tamilian? From the opening paragraph it seems
that the article was written in the context of a concert held in Madras
which explains why so little is mentioned of P.B.Srinivas' Kannada
contribution.
Thanks for the bringing his Kannada contribution in focus and providing the
list of songs. I remember an article posted by Ashok Dhareshwar some time
back which also talked about PBS's Kannada contribution. This would be a
good time to repost it.
[..deleted..]
=>
=> And many more....
=>
=>
=> Sanjeev
Vandana vven...@pcocd2.intel.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Opinions expressed in this post are my own and not those of Intel.
###### Visit the CRY webpage @ http://www.cry.org ######
venkat pedibhotla
Sanjeev Kumar (san...@lucent.com) wrote:
: Vandana Venkatesan wrote:
: >
: > "The Hindu" is NOT a Tamil daily, the medium is English. Or did you
: ^^^^^
: Oops, that should've read Tamilnadu. I wanted to say that "Hindu"
: being a "regional" newspaper, in this article had more to say about
: PBS's contribution to Tamil and Telugu, whereas I felt that his
: Kannada songs were more outstanding and noticeable. I mean, he was
: almost responsible for the growth of Kannada music industry in
: the 60s and the 70s. He was definitely more successful in Kannada
: than in Tamil/Telugu put together and that the original article
: hadn't had much to talk about it.
: BTW, he is really P.B.Srinivos (somebody pointed it out) as printed
: on some HMV cassette!!
: > mean to say that the head-quarters of the newspaper is located in
: > Madras, hence the reporter may be a Tamilian? From the opening
: > paragraph it seems that the article was written in the context of a
: > concert held in Madras which explains why so little is mentioned of
: > P.B.Srinivas' Kannada contribution.
: The title of the article read "Golden Voice of a Glorious Era" which
: I presume had a lot to mention about his achievements and not limited
: to only certain specifics.
: >I remember an article posted by Ashok Dhareshwar some time
: > back which also talked about PBS's Kannada contribution. This would
: > be a good time to repost it.
: Thanks for mentioning this.
: Sanjeev
PBS has some fabulous songs to his credit in Telugu also. Infact he
sang all the songs in a Nageswar Rao movie 'Preminchi Chudu'(I guess
the only movie in which he sang all songs- for male voice).
Especially, this song 'Vennela Rayee' by PBS and Susheela is just
outstanding.
Venkat
Deviprasad Malladi
>PBS has some fabulous songs to his credit in Telugu also. Infact he
>.sang all the songs in a Nageswar Rao movie 'Preminchi Chudu'(I guess
>the only movie in which he sang all songs- for male voice).
>Especially, this song 'Vennela Rayee' by PBS and Susheela is just
>outstanding.
>Venkat
The title song was done by Ghantasala "Preminchu Chudu Pilla" for Jaggayya.
There was a song that Ghantasala and Suseela sang for
ANR, Jaggayya, rajasri and Kanchana. I for got the song.