She has a euphonious voice that can captivate anyone, including the tone-deaf, when it is at full play at the hands of music directors and composers who can play around with the full range of melodies. When the situation demands, she can coo like a dove and chirp like a nightingale to wow composers.
Many extremely popular heroines in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam cinema owe the accolades for the sweetness of their dialogue delivery to Sailaja, who also lends voice to films. Such is the versatility of SP Sailaja, one of the greatest singers and voice artists in India’s filmdom today. Apart from recording over 6,000 songs to date, she has acted in Kamal Hassan’s superhit film Sagara Sangamam. She is also a classical dancer.
Some of the chartbusters in south Indian cinema that reflect her accomplishments as a singer include Kammani, Botany, KinnerasaniVachindamma,Ve Vela Gopemmela, and many more.
The self-made singer, in her conversation with The Pioneer’s K. Ramya Sree, talks about music, life, losing her brother and eminent singer-actor SP Balasubramaniam, family, and more.
Philosophy of life…
Live this moment. It is not worth — worrying about the past and worrying about the future. I believe in the present moment. Whatever comes, just face it. That’s life. There will be ups and downs, and you have to face them. That’s my philosophy of life. I am not like any coward who would take extreme steps. Enjoyevery moment of life, even those when you are sipping a cup of coffee.
 First song…
I was hardly 13 years old when I sang for the first time. I was so ignorant at that moment. I was singing the song along with my sister. I used to sing in competitions and shows. I was quite comfortable singing in front of the microphone. The music director happened to be my Anna’s best friend. We were all comfortable in our zones.
I didnot have any butterflies in my stomach. It was a very simple song that we sang in just one hour. After realising that I had sung for a movie that has only one song, which my sister and I sang, everyone called and congratulated me. Then I realised I had sung correctly, and I was happy.
Balu Anna’s final words to me…
I couldnot tie the rakhi one last time. It was a trying time for all music lovers, families, and fans. That phase was very difficult to overcome. That day, when I called him, I asked him if I could tie him a rakhi; he told me to come the next day, and I said okay, that’s when he went to the hospital. He didnot speak anything after that. My last words to him were: “The entire world is waiting for you” and he said: “Even I am waiting to come out”.
That was his last word to me. I was hoping that he would come back. And then, it happened. I couldnot accept the fact that he was no longer alive.It took me some time to digest the facts and understand the situation. The whole year was very difficult. I still have his phone number and the phone on which only he calls, and it is difficult even today when someone else calls that number.
Husband is more outgoing…
My husband, Subhalekha Sudhakar garu, is very outgoing. He is very friendly with everybody; even in the first meeting, people feel that he has been their friend for a long time. I am a little bit conservative in that matter. I am choosy. I have little time, so I want to spend that time with my family and friends, practise music, and take care of my house. I have a very little social life. It is very intimate.
Definition of music…
Music is my life. I sing every day. I love music, listening to music, and learning so many things from it. Music is my spirit; I can even feel the presence of God while singing. It is also a form of meditation to me. Music is very important to me when shooting.
Bonding with SP Charan…
Charan and I have a great and healthy relationship. Now he is very mature, and he is singing and practising very well. He is doing a lot of shooting, and I am very happy with him.
Focused on private albums…
I amfocused on stage shows and albums these days.People are now calling me for private albums. But we need to accept the reality. There are so many upcoming singers; they have to sing now to survive. I had my piece of cake. I had everything — lots of songs to my credit, a good name, and fame. I had my time. Let the youngsters sing now. If someone asks me to sing, I will gladly oblige.
Family time…
We all love cricket andwatchingmatches. He loves sports. If there’s a good movie on, we all sit down and watch it. We enjoy eating at night. We will have one meal together for sure. We go on an outing. Ours is like any normal Indian family.
Biggest strength…
I am patient by nature. May be it comes from my mother. She always laughs, and she always used to say: “Laugh at everything; don’t worry about anything; things will change.” That’s my motto.
Tryst with Sagara Sangamam…
Acting is a time-consuming job. Even for SagaraSangamam, I had strictly said no. I didnot want to act. Recording and singing are much more comfortable for me than acting. However, K Vishwanath sir approached my father, who later convinced me to take up the role. I felt acting was easy, but dancing was tough.
I learned Bhratanatyam, but in the movie it was more of Kathak and Kuchipudi. So, I did a lot of practice, and it was a tough job for me. Looking back now, that feels like so much recognition. I sang beautiful songs in that movie. I feel that was a boon for me.
Biggest high in life…
I havenot faced any insults so far. Even if someone had done it, I might have ignored it. Speaking of the biggest high in my career, my brother Balu sir used to feel that I should get a national award for Sagarasangamam. However, bad luck, have no regrets. The other one was when we had a show in Hyderabad.
The preparations were so high, I was given Asha Bhosle songs. BaluAnna kept telling me that I should sing well, so much so that at one point I felt like not singing at all. However, the show came out so well that, on the stage, he kissed and blessed me. It was the highest moment for me. Getting appreciation from him is very difficult when it comes to family. So, we were always on our toes. That was the greatest moment of my life, which I will always cherish.
