Some of his best songs were marked by a lush, grown, amiably exaggerated crooning that was uniquely his own. In the ’90s, the blustering Salman Khan was another entity altogether. Roll of honour: Songs that won him Nat’l Awardsġ979: “Omkaara Nadhaanu” from Sankarabharanam (Telugu)ġ981: “Tere Mere Beech Mein” from Ek Duuje Ke Liye (HINDI)ġ983: “Vedam Anuvanuvuna” from Saagara Sangamam (Telugu)ġ988: “Cheppaalani Undi” from Rudraveena (Telugu)ġ995: “Umandu Ghumandu Ghana Gar Je Badara” from Sangeetha Sagara Ganayogi Panchakshara Gavai Kannada)ġ996: “Thanga Thamarai” from Minsaara Kanavu (Tamil) On Friday morning, Salman tweeted in gratitude: “Thank u for every song u sang for me n made me special with your dil dewana hero prem.” He was eventually edged out by the likes of Udit Narayan and Kamaal Khan, though hardly replaced.ĪLSO READ | 'SP Balasubrahmanyam's voice was key in etching identity of many an actor' Yet, to an entire generation and half, he was the aural keystone of the superstar’s rise. SPB had a venerable Hindi career beyond Salman: 100 Days, Roja, Junoon, Gardish. For any ‘90s kid, it’s an entire childhood caught in song. SPB’s words roll out in a wave, lurching, twisting and jumping all over the rhyme scheme.

The lapsing beauty of Yeh Raat Aur Yeh Doori, with Salman in a nightsuit and cap, beating a dholak under Raveena Tandon’s window, urging her to share a glimpse, is as unique as it is antiquated. An opposite magic happened in Andaz Apna Apna (1994). SPB drops in last, brilliantly adopting the cascading melancholy into his broader singing style (also the image of Salman, broken and bereft in a bar, is charmingly nostalgic). In the forlorn Jiye To Jiye Kaise, Kumar Sanu and Anuradha Paudwal take lead in setting up its tragic tone. Equally iconic was the album of Saajan (1991), noted for its soft melodies and bruising lyrics. Somebody from here, in a Hindi album, with no South Indian hero or director in the film,” Gautam Menon told us. “I used to feel happy to see his name across all the songs of Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.! on the cover of the CDs, cassettes.

His duet with Lata Mangeshkar, Didi Tera Devar Deewana, from Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.!, became a keynote of the decade. Through the ’90s, SPB emerged as the near-permanent voice of Salman on screen. Aaja Shaam Hone Aayee, Dil Deewana and Mere Rang Mein Rangne Waali were all spectacular, though also note his additions to the ‘Antakshari’ scene, firmly recreating old hits from Prem Nagar, Dus Numbari and Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani. He voiced all the male tracks in Maine Pyaar Kiya (1989), 10 out of 11 in an album that closed the ’80s and introduced a new romanticism in our movies. Hindi cinema truly embraced SPB once the Salman phenomenon got rolling. ALSO READ | Humble to a fault and hungry for real conversations, he was my Balu sir

Ek duuje ke liya