Nagoor Babu, known by his stage name Mano, is an Indian playback singer, voice-over artist, actor, and music composer. He is associated primarily with the South Indian film industries and has worked extensively across multiple Indian languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and Bengali. Mano is also widely recognised as the regular Telugu dubbing voice for the Tamil actor Rajinikanth.
| Birth name | Nagoor Babu |
|---|---|
| Stage name | Mano |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupations | Playback singer, voice-over artist, actor, music composer |
| Languages of work | Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Tulu, Konkani, Assamese |
| Notable association | Telugu dubbing voice of Rajinikanth from Muthu (1995) onwards |
Mano established himself as a prolific playback singer in Indian cinema, recording for both film soundtracks and private albums. According to available accounts, he has recorded more than 35,000 songs across film and non-film projects in several Indian languages, working in Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Tulu, Konkani and Assamese productions.
He has been a frequent collaborator of composer Ilaiyaraaja, recording numerous songs under his music direction. In addition to studio work, Mano has performed at more than 3,000 live concerts on stages across multiple continents.
Beyond playback singing, Mano is recognised as a full-fledged dubbing artist. He has lent his voice to Rajinikanth in the Telugu-dubbed versions of the actor's films, beginning with Muthu (1995), and has continued in this role in subsequent releases.
Mano's body of work spans a broad linguistic and regional range within Indian cinema, making him one of the more versatile playback artists associated with the South Indian film industries. His long-term role as Rajinikanth's Telugu voice has additionally given him a distinct identity in dubbing, contributing to the reception of Rajinikanth's films among Telugu-speaking audiences.