When Sankarabharanam, the iconic Telugu musical drama, hit screens in 1980, a young MJ Shriram never imagined that the film would inadvertently lay the foundations for his musical career. The K Viswanath-directorial, which is revered for its music by composer KV Mahadevan, left Shriram intrigued.
“To my surprise, I could sing the songs with effortless ease. The songs had one factor in common: they were all sung by SP Balasubrahmanyam sir. Though my mother had spotted my singing talent, I had not undergone any formal training in music, and whatever I had learned was through kelvi gnanam. ”
And thus began Shriram’s lifelong association with the legendary singer. His brainchild, Mind, Body and Soul concert, which recently completed 750 shows, is testimony to that. The show is a tribute to two music doyens of Tamil cinema, Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja and singer SP Balasubrahmanyam.
“Our first show was held in 2009. It came across as an unconventional idea performing retro Tamil numbers against a restobar setup. But before we knew it, we had our steady patrons who trooped in in large numbers to just listen to some good Tamil music. We perform every Thursday at the Black and White Restobar at The Residency. Each show consists of at least 40 songs by the duo, and many consider the show a perfect way to bid adieu to their mid-week blues. Through the show, I also introduce the audience to the lesser-known songs and facets of the duo. The 750th show was attended by composer Gangai Amaren, singer SP Sailaja, and actor Santhanabharathi, to name a few. In fact, SPB sir himself had graced one of the milestone shows,” says Shriram.
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The icing on the cake is that this SPB ‘devotee’, as he likes to call himself, also sounds just like his ‘god’. “When people talk about the uncanny resemblance in our voices, all I say is that it is a blessing to sound like him.”
Meanwhile, Shriram, who has been part of films like Velaiilla pattadhari, Sarkar, Coffee with kadhal, and Gaurdian, is awaiting the release of Keerthy Suresh’s Revolver Rita, a film helmed by director Vetri Maaran’s protege Varsha, and yet another film revolving around an app.
sangeetha.p@newindianexpress.com
@psangeetha2112