By Shweta Thakur

New Delhi, Jan 4 (IANS) Bollywood playback singer Kunal Ganjawala blames his originality for achieving success late compared to his contemporaries. But he also feels the Indian music industry is changing.

"There is a lot of struggle in the music industry and for me it was an individual one. It took me really long to succeed because I was real," Ganjawala told IANS here.

"When I started my singing career, the clones of past singers were required but I refused to copy and maintained my style. Hence, it took time for me to make it to the hearts of music directors and success was delayed," he explained.

But he is upbeat about the future of the music industry.

"The Indian music industry is slowly coming of age. Today songs are made keeping singers in mind and soon specialised singing will take the industry by storm.

"Moreover, if producers ask their music directors to make original music and give time to the singer to rehearse we could churn out many more beautiful songs."

The singer struck fame with the song 'Bheege honth tere...'. His numbers in films like "Saathiya", "Dhoom", "Krrish" and "Saawariya", to name some, set sales soaring.

Once a participant in the reality music talent hunt show "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa", Kunal is currently judging "Chhote Ustaad" and says that he is tired of seeing the wrong people win.

"I am sick of seeing the wrong person winning a competition. Now, we (Kunal, Pritam and Shreya) have got the power and we will undo the wrong.

"This year I have taken a resolution that this reality show will become a true talent hunt show. We will select the most talented singer instead of the most popular one," said Kunal, who was in the capital to promote "Chhote Ustaad".

Kunal also slammed the phenomenon of judges fighting on-screen.

"Whether on screen or off screen, at no point of time can one compromise on etiquette. I don't think that such tussles are shown to increase TRPs. Actually, when different points of view clash they fuel such clashes.

"But as a layman I believe no one should fight; moreover, it should not be shown on screen as nobody likes to see it.

"I don't think such fights will happen among us because we are very simple people and have no hidden motives. Also, we discuss more about the voices of participants and our point of focus is kids, not we," concluded Kunal.

In an ever-demanding profession where the burnout rate is rapid, what keeps Kunal going?

"Our profession is extremely taxing and I think marriage proves to be a great help. My wife Gayatri (Iyer) is from the same field and understands the pressures very well. For instance, when I am travelling she would just message me to give a call when I am free.

"Distance does matter but spending quality time and each other's support largely helps cope with work pressures."

Standing tall: Kunal Ganjawala

The glamour world of Bollywood demands determination and struggle from the newcomers. Kunal Ganjawala, whose song from the film ‘Murder’ was his first super hit, tells this and more to Madhur Tankha.

During his days of struggle in Bollywood, he was asked to hum in the voice of yesteryear’s singers. But playback singer Kunal Ganjawala always wanted to sing in his own original voice and it took him 12 long years to get a break in tinsel town.

Speaking about his journey in the film industry, Kunal says he never knew that he was a gifted singer. “I was neither a bathroom singer nor had I taken music as an extra curricular activity in my school. I began singing only when I was ragged by my seniors as a fresher in Mumbai’s Elphinstone College. I was passing by whistling a tune, when a few of them caught hold of me and asked me to sing a song. I was shocked and told them I had never sung in my entire life. But they argued that if I could whistle tunes so well, I could sing too! With great difficulty I sang ‘Nazar Ke Samne’ from the movie ‘Aashiqui’ and ‘Ek Din Bik Jayega’ from ‘Dharam Karam’. They spared me then, but made me sing in college festivals later.”

Sharing his days of struggle, Kunal says he had to give a reason to music directors to take him in their films. “There is a lot of ‘sangharsh’ in tinsel town. When I came 14 years ago, they were looking for clones. Even though I had grown up listening to Lataji, Ashaji and Mukesh and Kishore Kumar, I wanted to sing only original songs. My parents, who come from a business family, supported me. I was studying commerce in college and wanted to complete my academics because I wanted to gain knowledge.”

Kunal’s breakthrough hit song ‘Bheegey Hont’ from the film ‘Murder’ catapulted him to fame. “I gave my personal touch to that song. After this I got songs that were written with me in mind. I got a chance to sing four songs in Sanjay Leela Bansali’s magnum opus ‘Saawariya’. Before singing for his film, Bhansali told me about the script, lyrics and why the lines were being sung. He is such a perfectionist and took special interest in each song. I rehearsed for a month, while Bhansali had been working on pure melody for the past one and a half years.”

Stating that he wants to sing a few but noteworthy songs, Kunal says: “I want to sing 500 or maximum 1,000 songs but they all must be super hits. Then only the artiste in me will be fully satisfied. I don’t want to end up my career with 50, 000 songs. If music lovers are deciphering badly sung songs then the fault lies with the producers who are not giving sufficient time to music directors to come out with a song. So music has become like fast food. However, producers like Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Amitabh Bachchan, B.R. Chopra, Mahesh Bhatt, Priyadarshan and Vishal Bharadwaj give special attention to all their songs.”

Kunal is confident that specialised singers will soon come on the scene in Bollywood. “We may also produce singers who want to raise social issues through their songs. Jamaican singer Bob Marley had spoken against apartheid in his peppy numbers.”

Speaking about his foray into television, Kunal says initially he was reluctant to judge ‘Amul Star Voice of India -- Chhote Ustaad’ on Star Plus but gave in after the producer convinced him that he will have a say in the selection of contestants. “I was sick and tired of reality shows because the winner was always a wrong contestant. When I was told by the producer that 50 per cent of power will be in the hands of judges, I accepted the offer. We are giving participants different genres of songs. And then figuring out whether they are classically or folk inclined and what is their background, culture and region. We also stress on voice quality, pitching, versatility and their performance.”

While it took him a decade to make a mark as a singer in films, participants in television music shows become celebrities overnight, says Kunal.

TOP SINGERS, TOP TUNES Kunal Ganjawala and Vasundhara Das

The Madras Sterling Round Table 123 in association with Kurl On Furnishings presents Kunal Ganjawala and Vasundhara Das live in a programme titled "Music for education" on February 4, 7 p.m. at the Music Academy.

Kunal Ganjawala has become one of the top playback singers in Bollywood with songs such as "O Humdum Suniyo Re" in Saathiya and "Bheege Hoth Tere" in Murder to his credit. He has also cut a few albums and won some prestigious awards.

The song "Shaka Laka Baby" in Mudalvan shot Vasundhara Das to fame. Besides A. R. Rahman, she has worked with Anu Malik, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Shekhar and Vishal and Ranjit Barot, and has rendered songs in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada.

The mission of the Round Table India is to educate one million illiterate children by 2008. Towards this endeavour it has initiated a Freedom Through Education project funding for which is by individuals and associations. The Madras Sterling Round Table 123 has contributed its mite by organising various events. The proceeds from the musical nite will be earmarked for its ongoing projects and for the Freedom Through Education initiative.

Tickets are available at Landmark (Spencer's Plaza and Nungambakkam), Mocha (Khader Nawaz Khan Road), Mobile Zone (Fountain Plaza) and Odyssey (Adyar and Anna Nagar). For door delivery and bulk booking, contact 52176630/74 or 98402 00568. For ticket information type "GETTICKET" and SMS to 4545.

Kunal Ganjawala proves himself

November 11th, 2009