S. P. Sailaja

S. P. Sailaja Biography

S.P.Sailaja is a playback singer and classical dancer of South India. Yet she is known most as the younger sister of legendary singer S.P.Bala Subramaniyan. She was born in Nellore district of Andra Pradesh and has rendered her voice to about 5000 South Indian songs in the life span of 2 decades. Though she didn’t achieve big success as leading playback singers, she was able to find her position in the film field due to her talent, classical base and unique singing talent.

She debut through Ilayaraja’s Tamil song – Solai Kuyile of Siva ranjini. Her second movie as a singer was for the movie – Pranam Karede. She has given significant contributions to classic movies like Shankarabharanam and Mayuri as well. Her songs in the Malayalam movie ‘Kathodu Kathoram’ were well appreciated that time. It includes the title song and ‘Devaduthar paadi’ pictured on Saritha and Mammooty.

In addition to playback singing, she has worked as a dubbing artist and has given her voice to many heroines of south Indian movie world. Sridevi (Vasantha Kolila), Tabu (Ninne Pelladatha and Aavida Maa Aavide), Rekha (Guna) and Sonali Bandre (Murari) are those heroines for whom Sailaja has given her screen voice. She has proved herself as an excellent classical singer and has acted in the superhit Kamal Hasan-Jaya Prada dance drama – Salankai Oli. This movie was released first in Telugu with the name ‘Sagara sangamam’ (1983), later dubbed to other south Indian languages. Its Malayalam name was also ‘Sagara sangamam’. She did the role of a classical dancer and daughter of the heroine of the movie – Jaya Prada.  She has sung the songs Vedam and Naada Vinodam for its Malayalam version too. She has done many live concerts with her brother S.P.Bala Subramaniyam.

About her personal life – She is married to Subhalekha Sudhakar, a Telugu actor and has one son. Her last recorded song was in the year 2003, for the low budget Tamil movie Unnai Charanadainthaen, the movie for which her brother S.P composed a music track. The song was "Kalluri Vazhvil". Though the movie was not a big success, it earned two state awards. Her best Malayalam songs include Paadaam namukku paadam (Yuvaganolsavam), Oru vaakkilum (Poocha Sanyasi), Ambili Manavatti azhakulla manavaatti (Ee naadu), Kalakalam Kili Paadum (Shravana Sandhya) and Aalippazham perukkaan (My dear Kuttichaathan) along with Janaki.

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Updated: July 09, 2018