<p>People who knew S P Balasubrahmanyam closely vouch for his people skills. He remained free from controversy till 2017, when his close friend Ilaiyaraaja slapped a copyright infringement case against him.</p>.<p>Balu had been singing Ilaiyaraaja songs to much applause across the world, and the composer wanted to collect royalties on concert collections.<br /> </p>.<p>That battle badly disrupted Balu’s overseas tours, but he did not speak bitterly against his old friend. The two had performed together even before Ilaiyaraaja became a celebrity composer.</p>.<p>In 2019, Ilaiyaraaja did a show in Chennai to mark his 76th birthday. Several big names came on stage. SPB and Yesudas were there, and sang a number they had originally sung for the Manirathnam film Thalapathi (1991).</p>.<p>Yesudas, looking saintly in a flowing white beard, stood in the middle and held up the hands of the two adversaries in a gesture of victory, describing them as his two younger brothers. For the huge crowd of fans, it signalled the end of their acrimonious battle.</p>
<p>People who knew S P Balasubrahmanyam closely vouch for his people skills. He remained free from controversy till 2017, when his close friend Ilaiyaraaja slapped a copyright infringement case against him.</p>.<p>Balu had been singing Ilaiyaraaja songs to much applause across the world, and the composer wanted to collect royalties on concert collections.<br /> </p>.<p>That battle badly disrupted Balu’s overseas tours, but he did not speak bitterly against his old friend. The two had performed together even before Ilaiyaraaja became a celebrity composer.</p>.<p>In 2019, Ilaiyaraaja did a show in Chennai to mark his 76th birthday. Several big names came on stage. SPB and Yesudas were there, and sang a number they had originally sung for the Manirathnam film Thalapathi (1991).</p>.<p>Yesudas, looking saintly in a flowing white beard, stood in the middle and held up the hands of the two adversaries in a gesture of victory, describing them as his two younger brothers. For the huge crowd of fans, it signalled the end of their acrimonious battle.</p>