SPB the singer who drank-smoked- thrived on ice water and knew no Carnatic music

 

SPB broke all my notions  of a singer and that too of an accomplished one. It was an audio release at a Star hotel and after the function there was a cocktail party. SPB was in the hall where drinks were served. As he was a singer, I expected him to push off after exchanging pleasantries as alchol damaged their voice and the smoke from cigarettes in the hall was more harmful. Myself. Filmnews Anandan, Cinema Express Ramamurthy and Cinenews Selvam as usual settled in a corner table with our glasses..SPB walked to our table and greeted the others at the table. I was a newcomer and so got introduced. He then signaled for a drink and pulled up a chair. He pulled out a pack and lit a cigarette. Next shock was he told the bearer to put a few ice cubes with cold soda. This left me dumbfounded and speechless/ As the session progressed, SPB asked my friends - Your friend speaks very little?. I just managed to smile.

As a rule, I always avoided singers- music directors since  my knowledge of music was nil. All I could do was enjoying music that suited my taste. As in most cases of film music, the picturization elevated the popularity of the song and of course the actors who acted on screen. I usually assigned the interviews in that category to those who had a backdrop of music. As Screen was not a publication that was interested in the eating habits, dress sense and favorites, I felt someone who could ask about music was apt. I had M L Narasimhan who wrote on Telugu films for us to interview him. He was also personally close to the singer.

At another party hosted by my friends who were owners - Chiefs of music companies that bought the films audio rights, SPB and I met. He said that we kept meeting at such parties but have not met personally so far. I told him that I wanted to interview him but as my technical knowledge of music was zero, I kept away. He laughed and said that he too had no idea about Carnatic music or the so called raga- pallavi . He said that when he heard a fresh tune, he just asked the director what it was and made effort to study them. He said that he ran away when people came to book him for a kutcheri. I was stunned. Fresh out of college and working as a trainee, I had seen Sankarabharanam and went gaga over the songs and the film. I had this image of SPB of being like the Somayajulu in the film. I heard about SPB being chosen over Yesudas.

He never believed in putting his foot down on any issue or any job too low. I remember a singer making a snide remark when told that SPB was inside dubbing. " Dubbing ? that too he will not leave to others ?. Anyway what he sings is like dubbing only “he remarked. Music directors say that he always was open to corrections. He had a Malayalam connect apart from regarding Yesudas as his role model. Director- lyricist- music director Sreekumaran Thampi and he did Engineering together in College and their children too studied in the same school. He used to tell me that among all languages it was Malayalam that was difficult to pronounce. Even when a copyright issue cropped up between him and friend Illaiyaraja, SPB took the way of non confrontation.

Veteran journalist Girija Jinnaa who interviewed SPB when he got his national award and was a contributor to Screen magazine put out a FB post that I think was something which sums his outlook to life and also on how our STARS react.  The photograph is from FB page of Durai Selvaraj , son  of Cinenews Selvam. It was taken in London. Posted on Aug 20 wishing SPB a speedy recovery.

SPB infection -a warning ignored by TV sector

 The contracting of the virus by SPB at a TV show in Hyderabad should have send shock signals and started corrective measures. The whole thing was swept under the carpet as it did not suit the TV channel bosses. When the KBC promo shoot was on, we got visuals posted by Big B of men in PPE suits working . It send out a message that it is a matter of concern. Today by a rough count TV actors totaling around 40 and still counting are under treatment across South TV channels, The list of technicians who got it as usual is not available as they do not make news. Even the question raised in SPB issue was whether he got it from a singer from the show, but not towards the laxity of the channel.

 A shoot of a TV reality show in Hyderabad was the place from where SPB got the virus and many musicians who took part in the shoot had tested positive is a testimony to the flaws in the permissions granted. The plight of an ordinary actor who gets tested positive receives no support from the production company or team is evident from the plight of veteran actress Siva Parvathy. The shooting permission rules only specifies about the number of technicians on the sets and other standard procedures. It does not ask for a test report for COVID from those taking part in the shoot. The testing of singer Malavika and her declared positive has only brought this anomaly to light. Malavika says that her entire family stayed at home for past 5 months and that she was tested positive on August 8^th, Staying at home does not guarantee  immunity from the virus and if she had not taken the test, she would continue to be COVID free even now.  Her  defense that  she was not COVID 19 positive when she took part in the reality show shoot on July31st at Hyderabad with SPB does not hold water. She says that only after August 5^th (day SPB was tested positive) that she, her father-mother and husband- daughter took the test. On 8^th , she ,her parents and daughter  were tested positive and on 19^th, her father was admitted to the hospital. She says that many on the sets had tested positive. She said SPB messaged her -‘I was very tired; I have been shooting for 4 days continuously and don’t forget my age.’

The lax conditions in which the show shoot was conducted should have made the State Government to seal the studio and declare it as containment zone. Nothing of this happened. A shop or market which has been the place from where the virus was contracted is shut down. A house from where a person tests positive is pasted with a warning notice. No shooting houses or locations have ever been subjected to this. We saw the news clip of a family being shut inside a house with tin sheets barricaded against their doors and windows , as one of the family was tested positive. Markets are shut down when a positive case is reported. Why the double standards for the TV sector?

The scenario in Kerala is grave with almost every day, the channels showing that an actor has been replaced due to being afflicted by Covid 19. We saw the making of the promos of Bigg Boss Tamil with Kamal Haasan. Did they show the technicians working on the shoot and behind the camera showing the SOP being followed? Contestants are quarantined at a city hotel and the whole exercise has boiled down to catch visuals to reveal who these people are as the Channel has kept it a secret.

If the State Government does not take tough steps in monitoring the TV sector which uses shooting bungalows, channel’s studios and public places, the outcome could be very disastrous.  Media is eager to show leaked visuals from the start of a shoot of a Ajith film after post lockdown and in the same breath shows common men walking on the street without mask and blaming the police for not enforcing the law. Time to wake up.

We reported this on August 21 in our blog.