Singing, acting, and beyond: Mano’s four-decade film sojourn

Singer Mano has embarked on a remarkable four-decade journey in the music industry, transitioning from acting as a child to finding his true calling in singing. Born as Nagoor Babu, Mano grew up watching his mother, a theatre artiste, and father, a harmonium player, perform at home in Vijayawada, which sparked his interest in acting, poetry recitation, and singing. At the age of seven, Mano began performing in plays, and by the early 1970s, he was overjoyed by the small payments he received for his performances.

Mano's first foray into the film industry came in 1979 when his mother was offered a role in Dasari Narayana Rao's 'Needa', and he was also given a child artiste role in the same movie. This experience piqued his interest in acting, but fate had other plans. In 1979, while playing the heroine's brother in 'O Aadadi O Magadu', Mano was asked to sing a song after the scheduled singer couldn't make it.

Music director M.S. Viswanathan heard Mano's singing and believed he had the potential to succeed in the music industry. He encouraged Mano to leave his hometown, Vijayawada, at the age of 14 to pursue his passion in Madras.

After working as an assistant to Viswanathan and later for music composer K. Chakravarthy, Mano landed his first singing opportunity for 'Velaikkaran' in 1987. Since then, he has lent his voice to over 27,000 film songs, primarily in Tamil and Telugu, and worked with composers such as K.V. Mahadevan, S. Rajeswara Rao, and the recent Anirudh Ravichander.

His versatility is evident in the range of his work, from emotional melodies like 'Priya Priyatama Ragalu' to lively tracks like 'Muqabla.' Mano was also the first singer to work with A.R. Rahman on the film 'Roja.'

In addition to singing, Mano has become well-known for dubbing Rajinikanth's voice in Telugu films. He has dubbed for all of Rajinikanth's movies, except for one, starting with 'Muthu' and continuing through his recent film 'Coolie' and its upcoming sequel. Mano has also hosted chat shows and singing contest shows, demonstrating his diverse talents.

Now, at 60, Mano is launching a mentorship program in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to help aspiring singers learn and improve their skills. He encourages those with talent to persevere and not let setbacks discourage them, emphasizing that his path to success was paved by his open-mindedness and willingness to embrace his true passion.