Karunya: Emerging mover and shaker

Emerging mover and shaker

Life has so far been one hell of a roller-coaster ride for 19-year-old Nallan Chakravarthula Karunya. Call it destiny or quirk of fate, the unassuming teenager from Hyderabad went on to become the darling of music lovers across the nation - all in a span of less than a year. Today, Karunya is mobbed and hunted for autographs and photographs, and his private life has gone for a toss. Karunya won hearts of millions even in his defeat to Sandeep Acharya in the much-hyped reality show - Indian Idol II on Sony TV. For the effervescent up-and-coming singer, the TV show is now history. As he puts it rather pragmatically, he prefers to leave all those ups and downs behind and move on to chart a new course of life.

"The comments and applause that I got from the judges were phenomenal. I do not ponder over what went wrong in the voting pattern in the final. I'm keen on establishing myself as a wholesome singer who can croon all types of songs. I do not wish to be typecast in any one segment of singing," says Karunya outlining his plan of action.

Shedding old tags

The emerging showman in Karunya is visible, as his jet black hair has already undergone a colour change. "I opted for a new hairdo. I added a dash of brown to match the present trend," confesses the crooner.

Karunya is trying to shed his boy-next-door image in the process of establishing himself as a versatile playback singer and a successful showman. "I have shifted my base to Mumbai, because it is the happening city. I plan to release a Hindi album in 2007. I have already made my debut in Hindi playback singing, thanks to producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra who offered me two songs in Lage Raho Munnabhai. Anu Mallikji later gave me two songs in his Jai Santoshi Maa," he reveals.

Busy schedule

Even as Bollywood

actively beckons him, Telugu film industry is not lagging behind. A good number of producers are backing the talented Karuyna to the hilt by offering them a good number of songs. "My songs in Mahesh Babu's Sainikudu are already a rage. Critics think my voice perfectly suits Mahesh Babu," he says with a beaming face.

Karunya's globetrotting started with two visits to the USA in just three months. It gave him an opportunity to perform in cities like Dallas, San Francisco, Indianapolis, New York and Detroit. "My show at Dallas was an all-new experience.

Alien experiences

There were over 40,000 spectators at the Cowboy Stadium cheering me. The electrifying surroundings gave me goose bumps," Karunya recollects. All set to take off to East African countries later this year, he says he is taking enough care to balance between playback singing and stage shows.

An ardent fan of legendary Kishore Kumar, Karunya is confident of his success, for he believes in his core strength - classical music. "I'm a trained classical singer. My years of training have helped me in rendering any song effortlessly," he says with pride.

Well, does this mean all is fine for the emerging icon? No. Karunya says he is bugged by the fact that his dream of becoming a full-fledged engineer had to be shelved, as he was forced to bid good-bye to studies due to the TV show.

"I was in my third year of engineering when I got the Indian Idol offer. If time and situation permits, I would like to complete my studies," signs off the crooner, who has been roped in by a Telugu TV channel to anchor a music show for children.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2007/02/24/stories/20070224 02030100.htm