Favorite Playback Singers

 It's not much difficult for me in selection of a favorite Playback Singer in Hindi and Telugu because there are very few such Singers who are unique in their respective singing talent &  have no substitutes and, therefore,never replaceable.

Telugu Playback Singers

 Ghantasala

I need not tell the Telugu audience who it could be and it's ever famous Ghantasala. 

Ghantasala Venkateshwar Rao , known to be, Ghantasala, born in 1922 was a Legendary Indian playback singer and music composer of Telugu films. He was a recipient of the Padmashree award, India's fourth highest civilian award. He composed and sang the Bhagavad Gita just before his death in 1974. The Melody King Ghantasala continues to hold sway over millions of music lovers, crossing generation barriers, with the mellifluous magic spell of his golden voice.

Few of Ghantasala songs, apart from Bhagavadgeeta & Pushpavilapam, I most like are: Shiva Shankari (movie: Jagadekaveeruni Katha, music: Pendyala, lyricist: Pingali), Raagamayi Raave (movie: Jayabheri, music: Pendyala), Mattu vadalara niddura (movie: Shri Krishna Pandaviyam, music: T V Raju, lyricist: Kosaraju), Bommanu chesi (movie: Devatha, music: SP Kodandapani, lyricist:SriSri ), Nee sukhame ne koruthunna (movie: Murali Krishna, music: Master Venu, Lyricist: Athreya )

 S.P.Balasubramanyam

After Ghantasala, the only well known famous singer in Telugu film industry (barring female singers) was/is S.P.Balasubramanyam, most referred to as S.P.Balu. Like Ghantasala, he's also not only Playback singer but also actor, music director & film producer. He has won the Guinness World Record for recording the highest number of songs. He won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer six times and the Nandi Awards in Telugu cinema 25 times from theGovernment of Andhra Pradesh.

Few of Balasubramanyam songs I most like are: Shivaranjani Navaragini (movie: Toorpu Padamara music: Ramesh Naidu lyricist: Lokesh), E divilo virisina paarijatamo (movie: Kanne Vayasu music: Satyam lyricist: Dasharathi), Omkara naadalu (movie: Shankarabharanam music: K V Mahadevan lyricist: Veturi)

There are few other singers include Ramakrishna, P B Srinivas, Pitapuram Nageshwar Rao whose tones only were well fit to certain characters or roles in the movies. For example, Ramakrishna's tone was very much suitable for ANR & not for others. P B Srinivas sang some good songs for Jaggaiah and Pithapiram's best suited with Ralangi, S V Ranga Rao. Ramakrishna (after Ghantasala & SP Balasubramanyam) was well known singer to Telugu audience. He sang Shri Krishna Rayabaram poems (శ్రీకృష్ణరాయబార పద్యాలు) in a very good note /tone in the movie Daana Veera Shoora Karna, acted,produced & directed by Shri N T Rama Rao and always be remembered for this good work.

  P.Susheela

Coming to female singers there are again two famous & my most favorite singers: P Susheela & S Janaki. 

P. Susheela is a legendary Indian playback singer associated with the  Telugu Cinema over six decades. She is the recipient of five National Awards for Female Playback and numerous state awards.

 S.Janaki

S Janaki is a versatile Indian Playback singer. Janaki had sung nearly 18,000 songs, encompassing most of the languages of South India, during a career that has lasted over 50 years. She confirmed in a speech while receiving the second highest civilian award of Karnataka state, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award, that the highest number of songs that she sang was in Kannada. She was very active in Telugu and Tamil film industries too. She has won four National Film Awards and 31 different State Film Awards. Her association with singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and composer Ilaiyaraaja is among the most popular musical combinations in South India.Susheela is widely acclaimed as a singer and is well known for her mellifluous vocal performances for 40,000 film songs across South Indian languages.

She is known as The Nightingale of the South. She is a recipient of a Honorary doctorate from the University of Mysore and the Kalaimamani award from Tamil Nadu State Government.

In 2013, she refused the offer of a Padma Bhushan award by the Government of India, saying that it had come too late and that South Indian artists were not given their due recognition. 

In Hindi my favorite male singers will remain the three (call them trimurthi ) all the time  and they are: Kishore Kumar, Mohd.Rafi and Mukesh who need no introduction at all. It is customary to write a few lines about them in the honor of the recognition.

 Kishore Kumar

Kishore Kumar was not only a playback singer but also an actor, lyricist, composer, producer, director, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the most successful playback singers of the Hindi film industry. Apart from Hindi, he sang in many Indian languages including Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Malayalam, Odiya & Urdu. He won 8 Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer and holds the record for winning the most Filmfare Awards in that category. 

In the 1970s and 1980s, Kumar sang for Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Dev Anand, Shashi Kapoor and for many Hindi film Heroes. He sang many Hit songs working with music composers - S D Burman and R D Burman (Burmans duo); also worked with the famous music composers Lakshmikant Pyarelal, Khayyam, Rajesh Roshan, Bappi Lahiri and sang many super hit songs. 

Kishore Kumar produced and directed some movies in the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as Badhti Ka Naam Daadhi (1978), Zindagi (1981) and Door Wadiyon Mein Kahin (1980). 

Kishore songs which had won him filmfare awards are :Roop tera mastana (movie: Aradhana, music: S D Burman, lyricist: Anand Bakshi), Dil Aisa Kisine mera (movie: Amanush, music: Shyamal Mithra, lyricist:Indivaar), Khaike paan banaraswala (movie: Don, music: Kalyanji Anandji, lyricist: Anjaan), Hazar Rahen Mudke Dekhen (movie: Thodi si bewafai, music: Khayyam, lyricist: Gulzar), Pag Ghunguroo Baandh (movie: Namak Halaal, music: Bappi Lahiri lyricist: Anjaan), Agar Tum Na Hote (movie: Agar Tum Na Hote, music: R D Burman, lyricist:Gulshan Bawra), Mazile Apni Jagah Hai (movie: Sharabi, music: Bappi Lahiri, lyricist: Anjaan), Saagar Kinare (movie: Saagar, music: R D Burman, lyricist: Javed Akthar)

 Mohd.Rafi

Mohd Rafi was an Indian playback singer and one of the most popular singers of the Hindi film industry. Rafi was notable for his versatility, his songs ranged from classical numbers to patriotic songs, sad lamentations to highly romantic numbers, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans. He was known for his ability to mould his voice to the persona of the actor, lip-synching the song. Between 1950 and 1970, Rafi was the most sought after singer in the Hindi film industry. He received six Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India.

He worked in association with famous music directors Naushad Ali, S D Burman, Shanker Jaikishan, Ravi, Madan Mohan, O P Nayyar, Lakshmikant Pyarelal & others and sang many super hit songs. In the song Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar Kya Karein (movie: Amar Akbar Anthony), Rafi sang with Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh,the most legendary singers in Bollywood - all in one song. This was probably the only time that all of them rendered their voices for one song.

In 1977, he won both Filmfare Award and the National Award for the song "Kya Hua Tera Wada" from the movie Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, composed by R.D. Burman. His other filmfare award winning songs are: Chaudhvin ka chaand ho (movie: Chaudhvin Ka Chaand, music: Ravi, lyricist: Shakeel Badayuni), Teri pyari pyari surat ko(movie: Sasural, music: Shanker Jaikishan, lyricist: Hasrat Jaipuri), Chaunga mai tujhe (movie: Dosti, music: Lakshmikant Pyarelal, lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri), Bharon phool barsao(movie: Suraj, music: Shanker Jaikishan, lyricist: Hasrat Jaipuri), Dilke Jharonke mein(movie: Brahmachari, music: Shanker Jaikishan, lyricist: Hasrat Jaipuri).

Mukesh

Mukesh Chand Mathur, well known by Mukesh was a famous playback singer. Along with Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, he was one of the most popular singers of his era. In 1974, Mukesh received National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song Kai Baar Yuhi Dekha Hai from Rajnigandha (1974), and Filmfare Awards for the songs Sab Kuch Seekha Humne in the movie Anari (1959) music: Shanker Jaikishan, lyricist: Shailendra, Sabse Bada Naadan Wahi Hai in Pehchaan (1970), music: Shanker Jaikishan lyricist: Varma Malik, Jai Bolo Beimaan Ki in Beimaan

 Mukesh

(1972) music: Shanker Jaikishan, lyricist: Varma Malik and Kabhi Kabhie Mere Dil Mein, the title song of film Kabhie Kabhie (1976), music: Khayyam, lyricist: Sahir Ludhiyanvi. A total of around 1,300 songs were sung by him. 

Mukesh sang many memorable songs for Kalyanji Anandji music director duo.He sang more songs with them than any other composer. From Naina hai jadoo bhare movie: Bedard Zamana Kya Jane (1958) composed by Kalyanji alone as Kalyanji Virji Shah and Main hoon mast madari  movie: Madari (1959) as the first Kalyanji-Anandji-Mukesh combo  to Chahe aaj mujhe napasand karo movie: Darinda (1977), the Kalyanji Anandji & Mukesh combination gave numerous popular songs like Chhalia mera naam, Mere toote hue dil se, Dum dum diga diga movie: Chalia(1959), Mujhko iss raat ki tanhai mein movie: Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960), Hum chhod chale hain mehfil ko movie: Ji Chahta Hai, Humne tumko pyar kiya hai jitna movie:Dulha Dulhan, Chal mere dil lehraake chal movie:  Ishara and Dheere se chalo movie: Johar Mehmood in Goa, Main to ek khwab hoon and Chand si mehbooba ho movie: Himalay ki God Mein(1965), Waqt kartaa jo wafaa movie:  Dil Ne Pukara, Deewanon se yeh mat poocho movie: Upkar, Khush raho har khushi hai movie: Suhaag Raat and  Humsafar ab yeh safar kat jaayega movie: Juari, Chandi ki deewaar and  Le chal le chal mere jeevan saathi movie: Vishwas (1969), Koi jab tumhara hriday tod de movie: Purab Aur Paschim, Darpan ko dekha movie: Upaasna,  Jo tumko ho pasand movie: Safar and  Mujhe nahin poochni tumse beeti baatein movie: Anjaan Raahein (1970).

 Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar is an Indian playback singer, and occasional music-composer who is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages, though primarily in Marathi and Hindi. She is the elder sister of singers Asha Bhosle, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar. She is the second vocalist, after M. S. Subbulakshmi, to have ever been awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. 

Lata Mangeshkar sang songs composed by various music directors including Anil Biswas, Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad Ali, S. D. Burman, Pandit Amarnath Husan Lal Bhagat Ram,  C. Ramchandra, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury, Khayyam, Ravi, Sajjad Hussain, Roshan, Kalyanji-Anandji,Vasant Desai, Sudhir Phadke, Hansraj Behl, Madan Mohan, and Usha Khanna. 

She has won several awards and honours, including Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award), Padma Bhushan (1969), Padma Vibhushan (1999), Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1989), Maharashtra Bhushan Award (1997), NTR National Award (1999), Bharat Ratna (2001), ANR National Award (2009), three National Film Awards, and 12 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. She has also won four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards. In 1969, she made the unusual gesture of giving up the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award, in order to promote fresh talent. She was later awarded Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.

On 27 January 1963, against the backdrop of the Sino-Indian War, Mangeshkar sang the patriotic song Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo in the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India. The song, composed by C. Ramchandra and written by Kavi Pradeep, is said to have brought the Prime Minister to tears

Some of her famous songs which I most like are: Aajare Pardeshi  movie: Madhumati (1958), music: Salil Chowdhury lyricist: Shailendra ; Tu Jaha Jaha Chalegaa movie: Mera Saaya(1966), music: Madan Mohan; Chalte Chalte movie: Pakeezah (1972), music:Ghulam Mohammad, lyricist: Khaifi Azmi, Milti hain zindagi mein movie: Ankhen(1968), music:Ravi, lyricist:Sahir Ludhianvi; Mere naina saawan baado movie:Mehabooba, music: R D Burman, lyricist: Anand Bakshi. 

The other singer, the most remembered for his some good songs in Gurah (1963), Hamraaz (1967), Kismat(1968),  Nikaah (1982) is Mahendra Kapoor.