Sripathi Panditharadhyula Charan is an
Indian film playback singer, actor, producer and director known for his works in
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...
and
Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...
.
He is the son of legendary singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wi ...
. He first worked as a playback singer in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
and
Telugu. He ventured into acting with the 2003
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
film ''Hudugigagi'' and is best known for his performance in the 2008 film ''
Saroja''. He has established a film production company called Capital Film Works, and produced several
Tamil films
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...
, including the cult hit ''
Chennai 600028
''Chennai 600028'' is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu in his directorial debut. It stars Shiva, Jai, Premji, Aravind Akash, Nithin Sathya and newcomers Ajay Raj, Ranjith, Vijay Vasanth, Pr ...
'' in 2007 and the
National Film Award
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directora ...
-winning ''
Aaranya Kaandam
''Aaranya Kaandam'' (; English title: ''Anima and Persona'') is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film written and directed by newcomer Thiagarajan Kumararaja. It is supposedly the first neo-noir film in Tamil cinema. The story takes ...
'' in 2012.
He is filming a new webseries in Tamil language under his home banner Capital Film Works named ''Adhigaram'' which would mark his debut as a director in the Tamil film industry. ''Adhigaram'' is an intense political thriller which touches upon sensitive issues. The release date is yet to be revealed by the crew in accordance to the pandemic situations.
Early life
Charan is the son of the late legendary singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wi ...
and his wife Savitri. Charan, was born and raised in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
. Charan, has 1 Elder Sister : Pallavi. She is a singer. He Studied in Asan Memorial CBSE School, Chennai in which the popular Tamil actor
Ajithkumar also studied with him and was a school friend of him. He received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from
Pace University
Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...
in
New York, USA in 1994 and completed a two-year course in Film and Television.
Career
Director
SP Charan's Adhigaram has 10 episodes, and will be an intense political thriller. Abhirami Venkatachalam has been roped in to play one of the leads in the series. Cable Shankar has penned the script and dialogue for this web series.” Athulya Ravi will also be a part of the project. The series also features actors like Vellai Pookal Dev, Ilavarasu, AL Alagappan, John Vijay and Vinodhini in important roles. SP Charan will be producing
it under his home banner Capital Film Works.Adhigaram will feature music by Deena Devarajan with cinematography by Rajesh Yadav and editing by National Award winner Praveen K. L. The technical crew of Adhigaram also includes names like Manigi, who has come on board as the additional screenwriter and dialogue writer, followed by art direction by Remiyan, action sequences by Stunt Silva, costume designs by Sofiya Jenifer and C. Murugesh Babu serving as the script supervisor. Details on when Adhigaram will begin streaming is yet to made known with the production house expected to reveal in the days ahead.
Actor
Charan first acted with his father in a film called ''Maha Yedabidangi'', directed by
K. S. L. Swamy, but the film was not released. Balachander's son Kailasam approached him to act in the television serial ''Oonjal'', produced by
K. Balachander and directed by Sundar K. Vijayan.
It was followed by Radan's ''Annamalai''. He also starred in a TV serial named ''Bommaigal'' in Tamil and ''
Akka Chellulu'' in Telugu.
His first release was the Kannada film ''Hudugigagi'' in 2003, directed by B. Manjunath. In 2008, he played one of the lead roles in
Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian filmmaker, actor and playback singer in Tamil films. After completing his education, he began pursuing an acting career, with his firs ...
's ''
Saroja''. On his performance, Sify wrote: "S.P.B Charan as Jagapathy Babu suits the role and is fantastic". He acted in ''
Va'', in which he played Shiva's prospective brother-in-law.
He acted in two Tamil films ''
Vanavarayan Vallavarayan'' and ''
Vizhithiru
''Vizhithiru'' ( en, Stay awake) is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Meera Kathiravan, who debuted with '' Aval Peyar Thamizharasi''. The film which began production in 2012 after numerous delays released ...
''.
Producer
Charan established the film production company Capital Film Works, in 2002. Their first production was the film ''Unnai Charanadainthen'', in which Charan played the lead role, alongside his friend
Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian filmmaker, actor and playback singer in Tamil films. After completing his education, he began pursuing an acting career, with his firs ...
.
The film, which notably featured musical score by Charan's father, Balasubrahmanyam, received four
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...
.
Charan revealed that he decided to produce the film after hearing Samuthirakani's narration.
He further produced the
Jayam Ravi
Mohan Ravi (born 10 September 1980), better known by his stage name Jayam Ravi, is an Indian actor who works in the Tamil film industry. He has won a Filmfare Award and three SIIMA Awards. The son of veteran film editor A. Mohan, Ravi made his ...
-starrer ''
Mazhai
''Mazhai'' () is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language romantic action film directed by Rajkumar. It is a remake of the 2004 Telugu film '' Varsham'', and stars Jayam Ravi and Shriya, while Vadivelu, Rahul Dev, and Kalabhavan Mani play supporting roles ...
'' (2005), a remake of the Telugu film ''
Varsham'', which was not well received.
His next production was Venkat Prabhu's directorial debut ''
Chennai 600028
''Chennai 600028'' is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu in his directorial debut. It stars Shiva, Jai, Premji, Aravind Akash, Nithin Sathya and newcomers Ajay Raj, Ranjith, Vijay Vasanth, Pr ...
'' (2007), considered a trend-setting film that featured 11 newcomers in the lead and became one of 2007's biggest commercial as well as critical successes.
In 2011, his sixth production ''
Aaranya Kaandam
''Aaranya Kaandam'' (; English title: ''Anima and Persona'') is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film written and directed by newcomer Thiagarajan Kumararaja. It is supposedly the first neo-noir film in Tamil cinema. The story takes ...
'', was released to critical acclaim and became noted for getting 52 cuts by the regional
Central Board of Film Certification
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...
. Although it did not achieve the expected box office success, Charan won a Swarna Kamal at the
59th National Film Awards as a producer of the film.
His next production will be ''Thirudan Police'', by another debutant, Caarthick Raju.
Playback singer
Charan began working as a playback singer in 1997 with "Deepangal pesum" from ''
Devathai
''Devathai'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language fantasy film written, directed and produced by Nassar. The film stars himself, Keerthi Reddy (in her Tamil film debut) and Vineeth, while the film's score and soundtrack are composed by Ilaiyaraaj ...
'', under
Ilaiyaraaja's direction. About being the son of an icon, he stated: "my voice sounds so much like appa, people might not want to use a similar voice. When SPB himself is rocking, why would composers need his clone?"
He has sung for composers
M. M. Keeravani,
A. R. Rahman and
Devi Sri Prasad. Charan's most popular songs include "Nagila Nagila" from ''
Alaipayuthey
''Alai Payuthey'' ( ) is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written, co-produced and directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Madhavan (in his Tamil debut) and Shalini. The film explores the tensions of married life between two young p ...
'', "Mellaga" from ''
Varsham'', "Nenu Nenuga Lene" from ''
Manmadhudu'', "I Love you Shailaja" from ''Mazhai'', "Please Sir" from ''Boys'', "Maaja Maaja" from ''Jillunu Oru Kadhal'', "Oru Nanban Irundhal" from ''Enakku 20 Unakku 18'', "O Shanti" from ''Vaaranam Aayiram'', "Nee Naan" from ''Mankatha''. In 2010, he recorded a song on the ''
Kadhal 2 Kalyanam
''Kadhal 2 Kalyanam'' () is an unreleased Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by newcomer Milind Rau that stars debutante Sathya, brother of Tamil actor Arya, and Divya Spandana, whilst, Jayashree, Nagendra Prasad, Kasthuri and Anuja I ...
'' soundtrack for
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja or Abdul Haliq (born 31 August 1979) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer-songwriter. He mainly scores music for Tamil films. Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of Wes ...
and recorded with his father for the first time in Tamil for the film ''
Aadukalam'',
for which they both won the
Vijay Award for Best Male Playback Singer.
He is also seen singing in many of the concerts and stage shows like Cultural Exchange Program for the World Peace arranged by Balasai Baba in 2013.
He also anchored TV shows and audio launch events like
Magadheera
''Magadheera'' () is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli and produced by Allu Aravind's Geetha Arts, on a story by V. Vijayendra Prasad. The film stars Ram Charan, Srihari, Kajal Aggarwal and Dev Gil ...
in Chennai. He has also seen performing at audio launch events
Iravin Nizhal
''Iravin Nizhal'' () is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language independent thriller film produced, written, co-edited and directed by R. Parthiban under the banner Akira Productions and Bioscope Film Framers. The film stars Radhakrishnan Parthiban, Brigid ...
in Chennai recently in July 2022.
Personal life
In 1996, he and childhood friends
Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian filmmaker, actor and playback singer in Tamil films. After completing his education, he began pursuing an acting career, with his firs ...
and
Premgi Amaren
Prem Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 26 February 1979), better known as Premgi, is an Indian playback singer, composer, songwriter, actor and comedian. The son of composer and director Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema and ...
set up a music band called Next Generation, which also had
Yugendran
Yugendran (born Yugendran Vasudevan on 20 December 1976) is an Indian actor and singer who has sung hundreds of songs in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. He is also an occasional music director and host.
Personal life
Yugendran is the son of the ...
and
Thaman
Ghantasala Sai Srinivas Thaman (born 16 November 1983), known professionally as Thaman S, earlier as S S Thaman, is an Indian music composer, professional drummer, and playback singer who predominantly works in Telugu films and Tamil films. Th ...
as members.
Charan underwent a notable weight loss in late 2010.
In response to speculation, he stated it was in response to becoming health-conscious.
Filmography
As Director
Television
Web Series
As Producer
As dubbing artist
Short film
Music videos
Show Presenter / Anchor
Discography
Playback singer
Tamil discography
List of Tamil songs sung by S. P. B. Charan.
Telugu discography
Hindi discography
Kannada discography
Independent songs
Awards
Live performance & shows
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charan, S. P.
Indian male film actors
Male actors in Tamil cinema
Male actors in Kannada cinema
Film producers from Chennai
Tamil film producers
Indian male playback singers
Tamil playback singers
Telugu playback singers
Television personalities from Tamil Nadu
Male actors from Chennai
Living people
Male actors in Telugu cinema
21st-century Indian male actors
Producers who won the Best Debut Feature Film of a Director National Film Award
1972 births