SP Balasubrahmanyam: The Voice that Bolstered Salman Khan’s Lover Boy Image in the ’90s

As news of SP Balasubrahmanyam’s deteriorating health started pouring in on Thursday evening, his playfully uttered ‘Dhat Teri Ki’ in the interludes of ‘Aaja Shaam Hone Aayi’ turned into an earworm. Watching Maine Pyar Kia as a kid, I used to find that bit of the song cute and funny, especially because it was hard to imagine him enact Prem’s mischievous mood in his baritone. But that was the versatility of Balu sir, who lent his voice to several songs, irrespective of the mood, in more than one film starring Salman Khan. In those films, whatever may have been the scene, it was SPB’s voice that complemented Salman’s emotions on screen.

He literally did a countdown to ‘start the fun’ in ‘Yeh Mausam Ka Jaadu’ (Hum Aapke Hain Koun), and carried the same mood into ‘Dhiktana’ and ‘Wah Wah Ramji’ in duets with Lata Mangeshkar for the 1994 film. This was a time when one singer became the recognisable voice of the hero and sang all the songs for him. So when Prem (Salman) confessed his feelings for Nisha (Madhuri Dixit) in ‘Pehla Pehla Pyar Hai’, teased her in ‘Didi Tera Dewar Deewana’ or shed tears in ‘Mujhse Juda Hokar’, it was through SPB’s melodious renditions only.