I never thought I could sing
But if singer Kunal Ganjawala had any doubts, they were soon put to rest after a string of his songs hit the top of the charts
Devayani Shahane
Kunal Ganjawal's life has so far unfolded like the script of a well-directed and -edited film. The only difference: the singer's life is as real as it can get. His success today is the culmination of years of toil and sweat, and waiting patiently in the wings for lady luck to swing in his favour. She did in 2004. Even if Mallika Sherawat and Emraan Hashmi were the ones who sizzled in the song 'Bheege Honth Tere' in Murder, it was the voice of Kunal that turned the heat on. Today, with ample work coming his way, the singer glances back at the times gone by, and looks forward to what awaits him.
Despite entering the music scene in the '90s, Kunal truly 'arrived' only in 2004. His hit-list for that year included – 'Jaanabe Ali' (Bardaasht), 'Gayab Hoke' (Gayab), 'No No' (Kyun Ho Gaya Na), 'Salame' (Dhoom), and 'Channa Vey', the title song from his album.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Kunal stumbled into his career quite accidentally. "I never thought I could sing. During my college days at Elphinstone, some of my seniors ragged me into singing and that's when I discovered I had a voice. I started participating in intercollegiate competitions and it was at Malhar that playback singer Poornima encouraged me to take up singing professionally. Since I wasn't trained classically I started learning music at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan," recalls Kunal.
According to the singer, the years from 1992 to 1997 really put his patience and will power to the ultimate test. He says, "My family and friends were very encouraging but I was fast losing the zest I initially had. It suddenly dawned on me that this was the real world."
In that interim period, he sang the famous commercial jingle 'Doodh Doodh Doodh', to Leslie Lewis's composition. But work was sporadic and it was only after a meeting with composer Ranjit Barot that his life changed dramatically.
"When Ranjit first heard my voice, he asked me where I had been all these years. I later lent my voice to several more commercials. From a few recordings in a month I was now working seven days a week. It was a stage in my life that I was very content with," the singer harks back to the beginning.
But there were bigger and better things awaiting him. "Ranjit introduced me to many film composers. People like Rajat Dholakia and lyricist Mehboob helped give my career a push. Mehboob sahib introduced me to AR Rahman, who gave me an opportunity to sing 'O Humdum Suniyo Re' in Saathiya."
Although, the Saathiya number was Kunal's first official hit, his first song was for Nadeem-Shravan's Saajan Chale Sasural. But the biggest hit by far has been 'Bheege Honth Tere' from Murder.
"I sang 'Bheege Honth' in one take on Diwali day," he claims. I never anticipated that the song would be such a chart-buster. Anu Malik placed complete faith in me. It was this song that earned me two Filmfare awards – for best playback and the RD Burman award."
Kunal too has his spot on talent shows. "I am not completely a product of reality shows. I had participated in Antakshari in the early '90s, and at that time Gajendra Singh had told me about his next programme – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. I participated in its first episode, but did not make it because I was not familiar with the judge's choice of song."
Having said that, he adds, "Even as these programmes offer great opportunities, they can break a person. Once the hype is over, reality strikes and it could shatter anyone. The next winner is just around the corner, and you could get displaced quite fast. Everyone is not as lucky as Shreya (Ghosal). To make it in the music business, in addition with being talented, one has to have heaps of luck and blessings."
Today, the singer has more work lined up than he could have previously imagined. Films like Krrish, Babul, 36 China Town, Salame Ishq, Ankahee and Tom, Dick & Harry are the few titles on his list. And if music commands his professional life, it doesn't stray too far from his personal life either. His wife, Gayatri Iyer, an accomplished singer in her own right, gives him plenty of reason to hit the high note.
"Gayatri and I have known each other for some time. She is far more talented than I am, and has been around longer than I have. Music is important, but my life involves other aspects too. We did not simply get married because we were artists, but because we were artists who bonded and connected. It is an honour being her husband," Kunal finishes.
Kunal Ganjawala will be playing a live round of Mirror Full Housie at Ravindra Natya Mandir, at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Winners of Week 2 can come to the venue to collect their prizes.
• Even as these programmes (reality shows) offer great opportunities, they can also break a person – Kunal Ganjawala
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