Nostalgic: SPB sings for Kamal Haasan

The packed audience at Shilpakala Vedika saw emotions and nostalgia looming over their words with each of them going back to an era gone by and sharing stories of the time. “I had asked Balachander to give me a chance to work under him several times.

He refused right out saying that I am a big director! While that wish remains to be fulfilled even today, thanks to Kamal Haasan, I fulfilled a dream that I couldn’t imagine – that of being a costar. It is the best thing ever for me,” said director K Viswanath, speaking of his respect and devotion for Balachander. He added, “I want to be associated with Kamal as long as possible. It is great to be able to work with an actor like him who is very sensitive and dedicated to his work.

Similar emotions were expressed by singer SP Balasubrahmanyam who urged the star to stay closer to him. “I don’t know when such an opportunity will come again; so don’t move far away! Kamal is like a brother to me. At this juncture, I can’t miss talking about Balachander who was the first one to make me act in a Tamil film. It was through him that I even scored music for a film.”

In the flow of emotional dialogue, the singer rewrote the lyrics of popular songs like ‘Kurralloy Kurrallu’ (from Andamaina Anubhavam) and ‘Tere Mere Beech Mein’ (Ek Duuje Ke Liye) and dedicated them to Kamal and Balachander. As he crooned, Kamal joined in much to the delight of fans present at the venue.