BENGALURU: Whether it’s the 2004 super hit Hindi song Bheege Hont Tere from Mukesh Bhatt’s Murder or the classic Kannada hit Onde Ondu Saari composed by Mano Murthy for the 2006 blockbuster Mungaru Male, Kunal Ganjawala is one of the few artistes who has a long list of superhits from diverse languages under his belt.
Performing in the city at Bowring Institute recently, Ganjawala is overwhelmed with the outpouring of love in the city. “Bengaluru is like a second home to me,” says the veteran singer, whose new Kannada song Sameepa for the movie Pranayam will be released soon.
Known for his versatility, Ganjawala says singing in regional languages is the best way to reach the masses, adding, “When I started singing jingles very early in my life around 1993-94, I would sing in Hindi or English and then I would also do regional languages because it needed to enter regional homes.
Hindi is not necessarily spoken widely throughout India. So I realised that if I sing in local languages, then I am not just entering their hearts, but their homes too.” Ganjawala’s approach to singing in different languages is meticulous. He writes every word in Hindi or English ensuring he understands the emotional context of every lyric. While he has sung in multiple languages from Telugu to Tamil and Odia and Punjabi, he finds Malayalam to be the most challenging.
Recounting his first brush with singing, he reminisces about his college days at Elphinstone College in Mumbai. “My earliest memory of music is my being bullied in college. I had no idea I could sing. I was whistling and got bullied by my seniors who forced me to sing. That was consciously for the first time that I sang the song Nazar ke Saamne Jigar ke Paas from Aashiqui,” says the 51-year-old.
Today, after singing nearly 450 songs across languages, Ganjawala admits he was apprehensive about recording his career’s biggest hit Bheege Hont Tere because of its bold lyrics. “I almost didn’t sing it. When I read the lyrics I thought my career would be over before it started.” However, the song’s success proved otherwise, marking a significant milestone in his journey.
While he had gained popularity in Hindi cinema, he first came to the limelight in Karnataka after singing in Puneeth Rajkumar’s 2005 film Akash. Ganjawala fondly remembers the first time he came to the city to record the song, “Neene Neene from Akash is especially close to my heart. I remember meeting Puneeth before the recording. I had come to sing O Maria but Dr Rajkumar sir asked Puneeth to make me sing Neene Neene as well.
Because of his wish, I recorded the song. It is also close to my heart because I also got to meet and have breakfast with Appa ji [Dr Rajkumar] at his house,” shares Ganjawala, adding, “He was synonymous with Karnataka for me. He hugged me and fed me. Even today as I think about it, it feels like a dream.”
Looking ahead, Ganjawala is excited about his upcoming projects, including 12 Kannada songs, numerous Hindi singles with different composers, and potential collaborations with international record labels. “Vande Bharat has also just released an anthem for Republic Day by Rajit Barot. The music that’s happening now is fantastic. A lot of independent artistes and some of the young kids are really singing and composing well,” says Ganjawala.