Vasu Rao Reveals Why Some Heroes Avoided Balu’s Voice in Films

Music director Saluri Vasu Rao, who has worked on numerous films throughout his career, shared candid insights in a recent interview with iDream. Reflecting on his strong professional and personal bond with playback singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, widely known as Balu, Vasu Rao described Balu's exceptional versatility in tailoring his voice to match various characters, including comedians.

“Balu would modulate his voice to suit the artist perfectly. He even sang for comedians. But some heroes didn’t like that,” said Saluri Vasu Rao.

He claimed that due to this unique approach, certain actors requested that songs not be sung by Balu. “Some heroes said not to use Balu for playback. Previously, they had songs sung by Ghantasala Master, but later they preferred Ramakrishna instead. Among those actors were Sobhan Babu and Krishnam Raju,” Vasu Rao stated. As a result of this shift, singer Ramakrishna became extremely busy at one point. However, according to Vasu Rao, Ramakrishna was often not available as he focused more on concerts than on film projects.

He further said, “Actor Mohan Babu also showed a strong interest in having K. J. Yesudas sing for his films. There were occasions where he waited for Yesudas.”

Despite some actors disliking Balu’s involvement, Vasu Rao emphasized that most music directors still preferred to work with him. “Even though a few heroes did not want Balu to sing, all music directors leaned towards him. He had the rare ability to understand a song thoroughly and add the necessary elements while singing. It was a unique talent that only Balu possessed. That’s how he surged ahead,” Vasu Rao concluded.