Vidya Balan wears a MS blue sari to pay tribute to Carnatic vocalist MS Subbulakshmi, the ‘only singer after whom a colour is named’

Dubbed ‘The Queen of Music’ by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Carnatic vocalist and the first-ever Bharat Ratna recipient M S Subbulakshmi celebrates her 108th birth anniversary this year. To commemorate the special occasion, Vidya Balan took to social media to share a photographic tribute in her honour and remembrance.

In keeping with the legend’s love for performing in blue Kanchipuram silks, the actor was seen wearing the six yards, including one in MS blue—an inky, iridescent shade that became immortalised in history as synonymous with the singer’s alluring and mellifluous vocal performances.

In the caption of her Instagram reel, Vidya Balan mentioned that costume designer Anu Parthasarathy and she conceptualised the homage to the “original style icon.” “This feature showcases four sarees that M.S. Amma wore and popularised between the 60’s & the 80’s and is a portrayal of M.S. Amma’s concert persona. If the rich, vibrant and unique sarees were one half of M.S. Amma’s appearance, the other half was the simple accessory ensemble including the traditional kumkumam and vibhuti on her forehead, the 2 distinctive nose pins on either side, and the mallipoo (jasmine) adorned kondai (bun),” Vidya added.

 

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Speaking to indianexpress.com, Parthasarathy revealed that MS Subbulakshmi has the unique distinction of being the only singer after whom a colour is named. “Sikkil Mala Chandrasekar, South Indian Carnatic flautist and granddaughter-in-law to Subbulakshmi found this saree so appealing that she had a replica woven for her marriage.”

Parthasarathy also spoke about the process behind picking the colours for the tribute, sharing that they mostly had black-and-white photographs as references for the saris Subbulakshmi wore to her concert performances. “It is not easy to replicate saris in black-and-white photos. How do you know the exact colours?”

“Weavers told me that MS Blue is a tricky colour to dye, so instead of trying to do it myself, I went to a store to pick it up. When I reached there, I realised that they had guided me right. To pick the right shade, with an interplay of light and dark tones, it was necessary to have senior guidance.”

Parthasarathy showed gratitude to Subbulakshmi’s family members, daughter Radha Viswanathan and Chandrasekar, who guided her with amazing insights that helped her replicate some of the saris.

Vidya Balan pays tribute to MS Subbulakshmi (Source: @vidyabalan/Instagram)

In the pictures, Vidya can be seen wearing a lovely blue sari with small checks, an orange and purple creation, a turquoise contrasted with bright yellow sari and of course, one in MS blue with wide red borders. Parthasarathy also revealed that the MS blue signature sari was sourced from the original weaver, Nalli Chinnasami Chetty.

Vidya Balan’s look was accessorised with traditional kumkumam and vibhuti on her forehead and two distinctive nose pins on either side as she posed with a tanpura as well as hands folded in reverence to the artist. A wreath of jasmine flowers adorned her bun or kondai.

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