SM Subbaiah Naidu

S. M (Subbarayulu Naidu/ Munuswami Naidu) Subbaiah Naidu (SMS) is a South Indian Music Director, Composer, Conductor, and Orchestrator. He was one of the oldest Music Directors. He worked as an in-house music composer for Jupiter Pictures. He is the brother of S.M. Sriramulu Naidu, who owned the Pakshiraja Films and a film director. SMS had scored music for many of the films produced by the Pakshiraja Films.

His all-purpose assistant, M.S.Viswanathan at Jupiter Pictures later became the musician of Tamil films. As his assistant, M. S. Viswanathan practiced composing tunes when SMS was not around. When MGR was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.S. Viswanathan had organised a programme to honour his "master" SMS. SMS was a very close friend of MGR.

He is fondly known as "Sangeethaiya" in the south Indian film industries. He somehow had never changed his trend of composing much from the beginning days. He is well versed in the Indian music but never showed interest in foreign tunes and music.

Trivia:
In 1947, SMS was the first music composer in Tamil film industry who had introduced playback singing for Rajakumari. Thiruchi Loganathan sang "Kasinimel Nangal", a playback song for M. N. Nambiar. It is notable that it is MGR's first movie as a hero. In 1948 under SMS's composition, Kannadasan wrote his first song "Kalangathiru Manamey Un Kanavellan Nanavagum Oru Dinamey" for Kanniyin Kathali sung by K. V. Janaki. The film was released in 1949.

Courtesy : Internet resources.

Prepared by: Sreedevi Pillai