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TRUE TALENT Kunal Ganjawala

“Along with fellow judges Shreya and Pritam, I told Star and producer Gajendra Singh that we will judge the show only if we are given some powers. We have seen judges on other shows pleading with the public to vote for the right candidate. Yet, more often than not, those who don’t deserve it walk away with the trophy. The producers agreed and have given us a 50 per cent say. We will pull back any deserving kid out of the danger zone and will make sure the two finalists 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 very often appreciation is for the song and not the singer.”

“Saawariya” may have failed the box office test, but its music still casts a spell on listeners, and Kunal, who’s sung three songs, including the highly stylised “Pari”, is happy. With minimal music it was a difficult song to compose and sing, he says. “The credit goes to Sanjay (Leela Bhansali) who explained to me how he was 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 song I sang as myself. I had not met Emraan Hashmi. Director Anurag Basu had told me it was an evocative number and they were launching a new heroine (Mallika Sherawat) in the film.”

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 that the young lot has western influences. They are not copying their seniors.” He, however, cautions that stylisation should go with the theme. “I refuse songs where I am asked to stylise just because my last such song was a hit. It is fine to go by your trademark style when you are doing private albums. In playback singing, versatility matters.”Kunal adds that while versatility and uniqueness have their own value, and he can sing different kinds of songs, he would salute a singer who specialises only in ghazals.

Kunal is a singer by chance, not choice. “I was no child prodigy. I am a product of positive ragging. It was in college when my seniors bullied me to sing that I realised I had this ability. College functions followed and slowly singing became a choice.”

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 in the fact that he didn’t give me an opportunity to sing in his earlier films. It is only when I became one among the best that he used my voice.”

He wants youngsters participating in reality shows to understand this approach of the industry. “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 12 years of struggle I 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.”

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