G.N. Balasubramaniam was a famous:

Explanation

Gudalur Narayanaswamy Balasubramaniam (1910-1965), popularly known as G.N.B., was one of the most influential singers of Carnatic music in the 20th century. He is known for creating a new, brisk and energetic style of singing that changed the way Carnatic music was performed.

G.N. Balasubramaniam was born in Gudalur, Tamil Nadu, and grew up in Chennai. He studied English literature at university, which was unusual for a classical musician of his time, and he was largely self-taught in music, learning by listening to and absorbing the styles of the great musicians of his day. He became famous in the 1930s for his fast, clear and bright style of singing, his crisp delivery of brikas (fast phrases), his clear pronunciation and his creative improvisation. His style was very different from the slow, heavy style of the older generation, and it attracted young listeners. He also composed many songs, mostly in Telugu and Sanskrit, and he acted and sang in several Tamil films in the 1930s and 1940s, such as "Sakuntalai" (1940), in which he acted opposite M.S. Subbulakshmi. He was a popular teacher, and his students included the famous singers M.L. Vasanthakumari, Trichur V. Ramachandran and Thanjavur S. Kalyanaraman. He received the Sangita Kalanidhi from the Madras Music Academy in 1958.

Carnatic music is the classical music of South India. Its greatest composers include Purandara Dasa (the "Father of Carnatic Music") and the Trinity of Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. Its famous 20th century singers include G.N. Balasubramaniam, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, D.K. Pattammal, M.L. Vasanthakumari and M. Balamuralikrishna.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Kathakali dancer: G.N.B. was not a dancer.
• ✗Sarangi player: the sarangi is an instrument of Hindustani music, linked with Ram Narayan and Sultan Khan.
• ✗Film director: G.N.B. acted in films but was not a film director.