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Got the wings
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Chat Kunal Ganjawala on his style and reality shows
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versatile Kunal Ganjawala
“These days Kunal Ganjawala, he with the hit numbers of Saawariya under his belt, is showing a different facet of his personality. He is busy judging the talent hunt show Chhote Ustaad on Star Plus. “Along with fellow judges Shreya and Pritam, I told Star and producer Gajendra Singh that we will judge the show only when we are given some powers. We have seen judges in other shows pleading with the public to vote for the right candidate. Still more often than not those who don’t deserve walk away with the trophy. The producers agreed and have given us 50 per cent say. We will pull back any deserving kid out of the danger zone and will make sure that the final two are the best of the lot. We are also working towards an arrangement where finalists get to sing original compositions in the final round, as more often than not the appreciation is for the song and not the singer.”
Incidentally, Saawariya may have failed the box office test, but its music is still casting a spell and Kunal who has sung three songs, including the highly stylised “Pari”, is happy. With minimal music it was a difficult song to compose and sing. Over to Kunal: “The credit goes to Sanjay (Leela Bhansali) who explained to me how he is going to shoot the song frame by frame. Seldom do you find a director who makes you sing a song 20 times to achieve perfection. After a point I started feeling like Ranbir. I have got compliments from people like Karan Johar who said Tumhari awaaz to ekdum Ranbir par chipak gayi.”
He contrasts this with his first hit “Bheege Honth Tere”. “That I sang as myself. I had not met Emraan Hashmi. Director Anurag Basu had told me it is an evocative number and they are launching a new heroine (Mallika Sherawat) with the film.” Talking about the increasing stylisation in playback singing, Kunal says, “Stylisation was always there. Rafi sahib used to smile in between, Kishore used to yodel. What has changed is the young lot has western influences. They are
Kunal is a singer by chance not choice. “I was no child prodigy who used to play harmonium at three. I am a product of positive ragging. It was in college when my seniors bullied me to sing that I realised that I have this ability. College functions followed and slowly singing became a choice.”
Connections matter?
Few people know that Kunal is a cousin of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In fact, he was the one who introduced Ismail Durbar to Sanjay. “It was Ismail who leaked the information, not me. I don’t want to use this identity professionally, neither does Sanjay. This is reflected from the fact that he didn’t gave me an opportunity to sing in his earlier films. It is only when I became one among the best that he used my voice.” This approach of the industry, he wants youngsters participating in reality shows to understand. “It is your talent and audience who decide your destiny, not your connections. Many summers back I participated in Sa Re Ga Ma. I got eliminated and after twelve years of struggle have reached this stage. Similarly, Shreya Ghoshal was rejected twice before winning the show in her third attempt. Sunidhi Chauhan got her first hit ‘Mast’, five years after she won Meri Awaaz Suno. I don’t want everybody to struggle but at least value the success.”
ANUJ KUMAR
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
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