I don’t begrudge the arrival of new talent: Kunal Ganjawala

The singer says he now wants to focus on his family, especially after the death of his father during the pandemic
Kunal Ganjawala looks out the window of his farmhouse and chuckles how his eight-year-old son and dosts are enjoying a car party in the porch.
“After we had him in 2015, I decided that I want to spend all my time with him, because nothing in life can compare to having children.I enjoy being away from the city; the energy of Mumbai is something I am happy to miss, because I seek solitude and calm over all else,” shares Kunal, who returns to Kannada after an eight-year break.
‘I hung up my boots in 2015 and didn’t really care whether the industry would call me for work’
I have been working since 1992 and found fame when I did the Doodh Doodh jingle. Since then, I’ve been working without a break and fame followed.
But I’ve never been hung up about it, so I didn’t think twice when I hung up my boots in 2015 to be with my child. I had switched off my phone and didn’t really worry whether the industry would call me for work or not. Because making money or creating records was not really my thing. I was clear that I was here for the music and that’s it. But my child was my priority.
‘It’s the rule of nature for the old to make way for the new’
When my generation of singers came in, I remember seniors like Alka ji, Udit Narayan ji, Kumar Sanu ji and others ruling the roost. But they made way for the new ones seamlessly.
Likewise, today’s generation of singers, be it Arijit Singh or Armaan Malik, have come into the scene and, why not? We have to make way for the new and I’m not going to grudge them that. I think Arijit is fabulous and so is Armaan, each with distinct voices.
Having said that, the industry should also nurture new kinds of voices because producers and record labels always want to replicate hit voices.
‘I once refused a blank cheque from a reality show’
When reality shows started out, they worked out really well. Along the way, they became more about drama than showcasing talent.
Good for the makers because they are laughing all the way to the bank, but the point is what happens to all the winners, post the show? Deals are promised to them, but do they actually materialise?
I have gone as a celebrity judge on these shows, but I don’t want to sit there as a full-time judge. I have even refused a blank cheque from a reality show because I was done with judging talent.
On the auto-tune trend:
Even musical instruments need to be tuned to sound perfect. Our generation hadn’t heard of anything like this, but for today’s generation, this technology is at hand.
When people debate about or diss auto tuning, I say, ‘Why don’t you make organic music and prove that it can be made popular without auto tune, too?’
It all boils down to the philosophy of each to their own. I can never diss anyone for their choices. I had once asked Gulzar saab if he ever faced pressure post making a popular song and he too had confessed that the pressure from producers to live up to that same popular music was immense. So, you can imagine what it is in current times.
Kunal's return to Kannada films after eight years
Kunal Ganjawala will soon be crooning for the Kannada film Richie, marking his comeback after eight years. Kunal will be singing a soulful arajund romantic song called Kaledu Hogiruve. “We couldn’t think of anyone more apt to sing it than the man who has crooned umpteen such songs and lent them his gravitas. We just wrapped up the song with him,” shares Richie, who is acting in, directing and producing the film.