Kunal ganjawala performs at KIIT

Kolosseum ‘12 saw management students of KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, let their hair down and soak in the enjoyable experience. Students of more than 30 top-notch institutes across the country also took part in the fest that featured many challenging and fun activities like Stock Buzz, The Best Manager, Ad Mad Show, Ad filmmaking and street play. The evenings were spiced up with dance contests, ramp shows and rock band performances. The three-day event was a heady cocktail of business skills, uninhibited creativity and entertainment, the icing on the cake being Kunal Ganjawala’s performance.

Kunal Ganjawala struck the right chord with his audience as he got up on stage and hollered, “Kemiti achha? Bhala?” It was entertainment all the way as he got interactive, pepping up the crowd by shaking a leg, cracking jokes and making the students hum along with him.

During his performance of over two hours, he went from the soulful Masha Allah and Maula Re to peppy numbers such as O Humdum, Raat Ke Dhaai Baje, Khaike Paan Banaras Wala and Channa Vey. But the song that had everyone tapping their feet and swaying their heads was Bheegey Honth Tere.

t2 caught up with him at Hotel Mayfair Lagoon the next morning. Here are the excerpts

We have always known you as a singer, but it was your sense of humour that made the musical night so very entertaining. You also made a lady professor wolf-whistle. Are you always so upbeat or was it the effect of a young crowd?

(Laughs) I was just being me! I like to rag the faculty members a bit because they are always a little uptight. They also need to have some fun. But it was great to see the lady teacher acting like a sport and agreeing to my request to blow a seeti. Faculty members rarely loosen up like that.

Kunal with wife Gayatri

You belted out 20-odd hit songs of yours on stage. Which one is the closest to your heart?

This is a difficult question to answer. It’s like asking a mother to choose her favourite child. The audience should rate my songs. But if you ask me about the toughest one, I would say Jaan-e-Jaan (Saawariya) and Sau Gram Zindagi (Guzaarish).

Why have you been singing fewer songs in Bollywood over the past few years?

Music composers themselves are turning singers or roping in singers who can be their puppets. That does not mean they are better than us. I cannot be a puppet, so my contribution has dropped.

You have come to Bhubaneswar earlier. How do you find the city?

This is, in fact, my third visit to Bhubaneswar. I have been coming here for college fests, something I love doing the most. The city is beautiful and peaceful. It is very green and clean. I was keen to have local food but couldn’t find the time to hunt for an authentic Odia restaurant. But there’s always a next time!

You have crooned only about half a dozen Odia songs, a number too small compared to your tracks in other languages. Can we hope to hear you sing in Odia more often?

I recently sang for two Odia movies and I hope to sing many more. I love singing in Odia because it is very different from other Indian languages.

Gayatri Iyer

What is your opinion of the music industry here?

I believe it is doing well. There are talented singers here. I have a very dear friend in Krishna Beura (Odisha-born playback singer, known for his song Maula Mere from Chak De India), who lives in Bhubaneswar.

Can you remember your first connection with Odisha?

My first Kannada hit, Neene Neene from the film Akash, was done by R.P. Patnaik, who is an Odia. He is a big name in the Telugu and Kannada music industry.

Your wife, Gayatri Iyer, is a well-known Bollywood singer and has delivered hit numbers such as My Dil Goes Hmmm (Salaam Namaste) and Pyaar Ki Yeh Kahaani Suno (Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd). But we don’t hear her much these days. Why is that?

Kunal PERFORMS at KIIT

She likes Bollywood but prefers singing her own compositions or songs that are composed to her style. So, she hasn’t been very active in spite of having many hit songs to her credit. Gayatri’s aim is not to have a thousand songs in her kitty but to sing in a way that can touch one in a different way. She is performing in MTV Unplugged and NH7 festival where artistes perform original material.

You will be performing at the Puri beach festival next month. Have you visited the town before?

No, I have never had the opportunity to visit Puri earlier. So, I am looking forward to the beach fest. And I want to visit the Jagannath temple. I will here in Bhubaneswar again, next month. That makes it three Odisha trips in two months.

Shilpi Sampad

Do you think Kunal Ganjawala will turn out to be a successful playback singer in the Odia film industry? Tell us at ttorissa@abp.in