Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan pay tribute to S. P. Balasubrahmanyam; 'He brought joy to millions,' say the legends

A grand tribute event was recently held in Kerala to honour legendary singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. A 10-foot statue of the late singer was unveiled on March 31 at the V. T. Bhattathiripad Cultural Complex in Palakkad.

The statue was inaugurated by Oscar-winning music composer M. M. Keeravani on behalf of the Malayalam playback singers’ association ‘Samam’. Several prominent singers and members of SPB’s family attended the ceremony, including his son S. P. Charan. Popular singers such as Hariharan and K. S. Chithra also took part in the event. Later, a grand musical tribute titled “Sangeetha Megham” was held at the nearby ground, where more than 50 singers performed songs in memory of SPB.

The event is considered one of the biggest musical tributes held in Kerala for the iconic singer.

Rajinikanth recalls a special memory with SP Balasubrahmanyam

Superstar Rajinikanth and actor Kamal Haasan were also invited to attend the tribute event. However, both actors could not be present in person due to their schedules. Rather, they published emotive video clips commemorating SP Balasubrahmanyam and his offerings to music. In his video message, Rajinikanth spoke warmly about the singer’s talent and kind nature.

According to Nakkheeran, he said, “There is no one in India who does not know S.

P. Balasubrahmanyam. With his voice and talent, he brought happiness to millions of people.” The actor also shared a personal memory. “Once I was travelling from the United States to Chennai and had a transit in Mumbai. It was around 1.30 in the morning when SPB boarded the flight,” he recalled.

Rajinikanth praises SPB’s humility and dedication

Rajinikanth further explained how passengers on the flight recognised SPB and requested him to sing.

At that time, songs from the film Sankarabharanam were very popular. “People in the flight asked him to sing the Sankarabharanam song. After he sang it once, everyone kept asking for ‘once more’,” Rajinikanth said. According to him, SPB happily sang for nearly one and a half hours until the flight reached Chennai. “He never showed any tiredness and kept singing to make everyone happy.

That shows what a wonderful human being he was,” Rajinikanth said.

He also added that creating a statue in Palakkad is a beautiful way to ensure that the legendary singer will never be forgotten.

Kamal Haasan expresses deep emotional bond with SPB

Actor Kamal Haasan also shared an emotional video message during the event. He thanked the organisers and the people of Palakkad for honouring SP Balasubrahmanyam in such a grand way. “Only great human beings can become great artists. This tribute proves how much people love him,” Kamal Haasan said. He also spoke about the personal bond he shared with the singer. “Everyone knows how emotional I am about SPB. I always called him ‘Annaya’, and he would lovingly call me ‘Thammudu’,” he shared.

Kamal added that such gestures show the deep affection people still have for the legendary singer and his unforgettable music.