Hindi cinema’s most famous export to its Kannada counterpart, singer Kunal Ganjawala spent his childhood in Mazagaon, Mumbai. According to him, he never even considered himself a “bathroom singer.” It was when a few of his seniors at St Peter’s School noticed him whistling the tune of a popular Hindi film number that he was commanded to sing!Thereafter, he sang in all school and college festivals, though he did not consider music as a career.
Though he wished to be an actor or even a chartered accountant, he was encouraged to be a singer by his parents. It was then he took training in music under Sudhindra Bhaumick. He participated in the the Zee TV music talent show - ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’ - during the time that it was hosted by Sonu Nigam.
His initial assignments as a singer was for the Operation Flood jingle, which became extremely popular. Ranjit Barot, under whom this jingle was made, is the one that Kunal Ganjawala credits for his success. It was the song “Humdum Suniyo Re” (“Saathiya”, 2002) that brought him to the limelight, though he had sung for a few films before it. After such a explosive opening, there was no looking back. The song “Bheege Hont” (“Murder”, 2004) brought him the IIFA Best Male Playback Singer Award. Kunal Ganjawala has sung for “Salaam Namaste” (2005), “Kkrish” (2006), “Partner” (2007) and even the animated film “Roadside Romeo” (2008). He performed the title track for “Antakshari”, aired on a popular television channel, along with wife Gayatri Iyer.
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