‘We have made Mumbai singers rich’
For the last 25 years, Rajesh Krishnan is enthralling Sandalwood music lovers with his melliflous voice. He also has the record of having rendered more than 3,000 songs. In a candid chat, he opens up on his acting stints, the onslaught of Bolllywood singers and the lack of respect for original Kannada singers....
He is the first Kannada singer to sing for more than 3,000 Kannada film songs. Making his singing debut in films at the age of 17, Rajesh Krishnan has not had a moment to pause in the last 25 years. Despite being a star singer, he is smitten by acting. He is making his third attempt at becoming an actor now. The man, synonymous with melodious songs, has played the lead in Melody that will release shortly.
Acting bug has bitten you again...
Basically, I love acting. It is an art in itself. That is one reason why I am at it again. Just because I want to act, no one will just come forward to cast me in a film. In Gaalipata, everything fell in place and Yograj Bhat cast me. That was seven years ago. This film (Melody) is my third attempt. In fact, my acting career started in Telugu, not Kannada. It was Ore Nee Prema Bangaran Kanu in 2003. The following year, I acted in the Kannada film Santosha. Gaalipata was in 2009. Another reason why I felt I should act was that producers or directors who saw me for the first time when I went to sing for their films would say that I should be an actor because I was ‘looking good’. This happened not only in Bengaluru, but also in Hyderabad and Chennai. I am from the SP Balasubramaniam school. Many times, I would get a chance to sing because my voice resembled his. Despite so many people saying that I should act, the chances never came, but the ‘bug’ stayed in my mind. Moreover, I did not prepare myself to be an actor. In our films, an actor needs to dance and fight, besides emoting. In hindsight, I think I should have prepared myself to be an actor.
Despite being a big singer, chances never came your way...?
As I have already pointed out, though I love to act, I believe I do not possess all the requirements demanded of an actor. Each one of us may have an idea of what acting is per se, but it varies. In Gaalipata, everyone was commenting on how natural I was. That is because Yograj Bhat managed to create a role that was very close to my real self. He made me wear glasses to look older than Ganesh and Diganth. After that ,wherever I attended public functions or shows, people started asking me in which film I was acting next. They may like my singing, but never forget to ask when I am acting again. I would have taken up any acting assignment if I wanted to act irrespective of the role that was offered. But I know my limitations and wanted to act in films that suit me. I felt unprepared an did not want to do any love story or a character without depth. That is when Melody came along.
What made you accept Melody while you did not accept any other acting offer for seven years?
LN Shastri (music composer) approached me first and said the story was prepared with me in mind. During the same time, I was asked in a couple of interviews why I was not acting. Call it coincidence or fate, I was destined for another comeback. I met director Nanjunda and felt that the character I was to play was in fact close to me. I did not have to do anything extra other than be my normal self. Nanjunda convinced me that there was an actor in me too. I play a software engineer in the film, who is romantic at heart but introvert. I am not an introvert and can be very expressive but people get that impression before they actually start talking to me.
It is said that you got all the singing chances that SPB could not fulfill because your voice was neutral and matched most actors just like his...
I am proud of that. I was and am a big fan of film music and while growing up, I was a fan of SPB, like millions of others. So there was no question of not following him. I am in love with his voice and his style. It has entered my blood. I am his student and will follow him. The way he approaches singing and the way he adapts to every actor is impossible. Be it Vishnuvardhan, Chiranjeevi, Kokila Mohan, Rajinikanth or NTR, actors across generations have been benefited. When you listen to the song Nooondu Nenapu, it is Vishnuvardhan who comes to mind, not SPB. The same is the case with hundreds of songs he has sung for various actors. He is the most complete singer. Once I had sung the track and he was to sing the main song. He said he loved what I have sung and told the makers why they wanted him since I have sung just like him. It was so kind of him to say that. He could possibly have given hundreds of variations to that song, but he appreciated my singing and compared it to his own singing. That was his humility. When it was told that I was trying to sing like him, he said that when he began his career, people would say that he imitated Ghantasala.
Is it not better to have a distinct identity of your own?
In Kerala, every singer aspires to sound like Yesudas. Even when some singers sing modern songs, the timber in the voice is very much like Yesudas. Because I worship SPB so much, maybe the “voice DNA in me” must have become like his. (Rajesh begins to sing, Thuje Dekha Tho). I do not plan anything. The only aim is to sing good. SPB is the amalgamation of so much of singing variations that it is a ready formula. As I said earlier, it felt like the actor himself was singing if SPB gave voice to them. I am in that mould.
You became the first Kannada singer to sing more than 3,000 film songs in Kannada..
I started singing at 17. It was for Gauri Ganesha in 1991. It is almost 25 years now. My rendering for Gauri Ganesha was lapped up and I began to get regular offers. Hoovu Hannu and Bevu Bella followed immediately. From bit songs to half a song and to full songs, I became a busy singer. I started singing in Telugu in 1996 (Ninne Pelladatha) and for the very first song got the State award. Even today, many people believe that SPB has sung that song. I have sung over 3,000 film songs in Kannada, over 200 in Telugu, around 15 in Malayalam and some 50 in Tamil. I have also sung a lot of songs in Tulu and even in Lambani. In Hindi, it is around 15-20 songs, including some for dubbed films.
Why are singers so dependent on films?
We don’t have the platform to make and launch non-film music albums. The niche ones like devotional are without video. We do not have a music channel that would spare a few hours a day to play non-film music. We would also need a production house that would bankroll new talent. All this becaue no one has come up with a business model. A song like Usire Usire could have made for a great album song.
Bollywood singers have dominated Kannada films in the last 10 years...
Film-makers in North do not let go of their nativity. Whenever I have recorded songs in in Hindi, they would say, your Hindi is good but it is still Madrasi. Why don’t you come here and learn Urdu for a couple of years? They would ask. They want to maintain the standard of their language. That’s lacking here. It is our audience who have to lend support to Kannada singers. That will reflect in decision-making sooner or later. I am not against the large-heartedness of our people in supporting talent from elsewhere. But what has happened is that we have accepted the changes they have made to the language believing that Mumbai singers deliver hit songs. We have gotten ourselves into that mould. It is not easy to come out of that and reclaim something we can call our own. I wonder what will happen today if a young Rajkumar of 25-30 years comes along? How will he be received? It would be interesting to know what kind of community support he will get. Would his chaste Kannada work against him?
How do you compete? It is a common perception that the best songs are given to Mumbai singers and the leftovers to Kannada singers?
As for me, my attempt is to make my singing as interesting and infectious as possible. I have sung in the same films that Bollywood singers have sung. I sung for Googly and Krishnan Love Story for which Sonu Nigam also sang. Both the songs in both the films we sang became hits. It is not that songs I sang are not popular. But there is a certain kind of trend that is supporting some singers. I am not against any of them. But what I ask is whether we get the same respect when we go there. Somehow, some kind of singing has become popular with our people. What I ask is to at least give our own singing as much love. The kind of respect North Indian singers get here is not reciprocated not just there, but also here. We have compromised on our language and made them rich.
Why has not a new Kannada singer emerged in more than a decade?
There are more platforms now, especially the singing talent shows. Music directors are also experimenting with new singers from Chennai and other places. There are many things that have prevented a Kannada singing star emerging in films. Some composers are themselves singing. If the budget is small, they get me or Hemanth to sing. If they have a bigger budget, they will get a singer from Mumbai. Unless our people give a little more love to our own singers, new talents won’t emerge. You cannot tell anybody to forcibly like you. You need community support. Nobody here will pay me Rs 2 lakh per song and air tickets to come and sing a song. When we go there to sing, only our mistakes are pointed out. But is anyone even bothered how Kannada is rendered by them? A great like SPB was not encouraged in Hindi. I am a small guy compared to that. Without your own community supporting you, you cannot go sing there. Yes, I have that sorrow. If our ‘gamaka’ and ‘sangati’ are not suited to Hindi, why is it not used in our own language at least?
MY FAVOURITE SONGS
Kannada film songs sung by me, but not in any preferential order...
Nooru Janmaku (America America)
Usire Usire (Huchcha)
Prema Chandrama (Yajamana)
Onde Usirante (Habba)
Neenadada Maatu
(Krishnan Love Story)
Bisilu Kudure (Googly)
Yaaro, Kanalle (Orata I Love You)
Januma Needuttale (Bevu Bella)
Sum Sumne Nagtaale (A)
Ondu Aparoopada (Love In Mandya)
Nannolage Ibbaru/ Onduralli Raja Rani (Melody)
Telugu Film Songs
Yeto Velli Poyindi Manasu
(Ninne Pelladatha)
Devudu Karunistadani (Prema Katha)
Nee Kosam (Nee Kosam)
Gudi Gantalu Yelina Vela (Ninne Premistaa)
Nenu Puttinde Nee Kosam (Lakshmi)
Is Melody About a Singer’s life?
There were speculations that the film is about a singer and some aspects are taken from Rajesh’s life itself. But the singer says, it is not so. “No, the film is not about a singer. I play a software engineer but the character is somewhat like me, mild and romantic. I am very very confident about the film winning the audience’s hearts. I do not play a super human. I am just a normal guy. The film subtly shows how connections made on the social media can go bad. But the film is not basically about it. It is a romantic film that goes on to say that if your love is genuine, no matter what, it wins at the end of the day. It is also a film about sacrifice and mistakes that happen without us deliberately trying to harm ourselves.”
He is the first Kannada singer to sing for more than 3,000 Kannada film songs. Making his singing debut in films at the age of 17, Rajesh Krishnan has not had a moment to pause in the last 25 years. Despite being a star singer, he is smitten by acting. He is making his third attempt at becoming an actor now. The man, synonymous with melodious songs, has played the lead in Melody that will release shortly.
Acting bug has bitten you again...
Basically, I love acting. It is an art in itself. That is one reason why I am at it again. Just because I want to act, no one will just come forward to cast me in a film. In Gaalipata, everything fell in place and Yograj Bhat cast me. That was seven years ago. This film (Melody) is my third attempt. In fact, my acting career started in Telugu, not Kannada. It was Ore Nee Prema Bangaran Kanu in 2003. The following year, I acted in the Kannada film Santosha. Gaalipata was in 2009. Another reason why I felt I should act was that producers or directors who saw me for the first time when I went to sing for their films would say that I should be an actor because I was ‘looking good’. This happened not only in Bengaluru, but also in Hyderabad and Chennai. I am from the SP Balasubramaniam school. Many times, I would get a chance to sing because my voice resembled his. Despite so many people saying that I should act, the chances never came, but the ‘bug’ stayed in my mind. Moreover, I did not prepare myself to be an actor. In our films, an actor needs to dance and fight, besides emoting. In hindsight, I think I should have prepared myself to be an actor.
Despite being a big singer, chances never came your way...?
As I have already pointed out, though I love to act, I believe I do not possess all the requirements demanded of an actor. Each one of us may have an idea of what acting is per se, but it varies. In Gaalipata, everyone was commenting on how natural I was. That is because Yograj Bhat managed to create a role that was very close to my real self. He made me wear glasses to look older than Ganesh and Diganth. After that ,wherever I attended public functions or shows, people started asking me in which film I was acting next. They may like my singing, but never forget to ask when I am acting again. I would have taken up any acting assignment if I wanted to act irrespective of the role that was offered. But I know my limitations and wanted to act in films that suit me. I felt unprepared an did not want to do any love story or a character without depth. That is when Melody came along.
What made you accept Melody while you did not accept any other acting offer for seven years?
LN Shastri (music composer) approached me first and said the story was prepared with me in mind. During the same time, I was asked in a couple of interviews why I was not acting. Call it coincidence or fate, I was destined for another comeback. I met director Nanjunda and felt that the character I was to play was in fact close to me. I did not have to do anything extra other than be my normal self. Nanjunda convinced me that there was an actor in me too. I play a software engineer in the film, who is romantic at heart but introvert. I am not an introvert and can be very expressive but people get that impression before they actually start talking to me.
It is said that you got all the singing chances that SPB could not fulfill because your voice was neutral and matched most actors just like his...
I am proud of that. I was and am a big fan of film music and while growing up, I was a fan of SPB, like millions of others. So there was no question of not following him. I am in love with his voice and his style. It has entered my blood. I am his student and will follow him. The way he approaches singing and the way he adapts to every actor is impossible. Be it Vishnuvardhan, Chiranjeevi, Kokila Mohan, Rajinikanth or NTR, actors across generations have been benefited. When you listen to the song Nooondu Nenapu, it is Vishnuvardhan who comes to mind, not SPB. The same is the case with hundreds of songs he has sung for various actors. He is the most complete singer. Once I had sung the track and he was to sing the main song. He said he loved what I have sung and told the makers why they wanted him since I have sung just like him. It was so kind of him to say that. He could possibly have given hundreds of variations to that song, but he appreciated my singing and compared it to his own singing. That was his humility. When it was told that I was trying to sing like him, he said that when he began his career, people would say that he imitated Ghantasala.
Is it not better to have a distinct identity of your own?
In Kerala, every singer aspires to sound like Yesudas. Even when some singers sing modern songs, the timber in the voice is very much like Yesudas. Because I worship SPB so much, maybe the “voice DNA in me” must have become like his. (Rajesh begins to sing, Thuje Dekha Tho). I do not plan anything. The only aim is to sing good. SPB is the amalgamation of so much of singing variations that it is a ready formula. As I said earlier, it felt like the actor himself was singing if SPB gave voice to them. I am in that mould.
You became the first Kannada singer to sing more than 3,000 film songs in Kannada..
I started singing at 17. It was for Gauri Ganesha in 1991. It is almost 25 years now. My rendering for Gauri Ganesha was lapped up and I began to get regular offers. Hoovu Hannu and Bevu Bella followed immediately. From bit songs to half a song and to full songs, I became a busy singer. I started singing in Telugu in 1996 (Ninne Pelladatha) and for the very first song got the State award. Even today, many people believe that SPB has sung that song. I have sung over 3,000 film songs in Kannada, over 200 in Telugu, around 15 in Malayalam and some 50 in Tamil. I have also sung a lot of songs in Tulu and even in Lambani. In Hindi, it is around 15-20 songs, including some for dubbed films.
Why are singers so dependent on films?
We don’t have the platform to make and launch non-film music albums. The niche ones like devotional are without video. We do not have a music channel that would spare a few hours a day to play non-film music. We would also need a production house that would bankroll new talent. All this becaue no one has come up with a business model. A song like Usire Usire could have made for a great album song.
Bollywood singers have dominated Kannada films in the last 10 years...
Film-makers in North do not let go of their nativity. Whenever I have recorded songs in in Hindi, they would say, your Hindi is good but it is still Madrasi. Why don’t you come here and learn Urdu for a couple of years? They would ask. They want to maintain the standard of their language. That’s lacking here. It is our audience who have to lend support to Kannada singers. That will reflect in decision-making sooner or later. I am not against the large-heartedness of our people in supporting talent from elsewhere. But what has happened is that we have accepted the changes they have made to the language believing that Mumbai singers deliver hit songs. We have gotten ourselves into that mould. It is not easy to come out of that and reclaim something we can call our own. I wonder what will happen today if a young Rajkumar of 25-30 years comes along? How will he be received? It would be interesting to know what kind of community support he will get. Would his chaste Kannada work against him?
How do you compete? It is a common perception that the best songs are given to Mumbai singers and the leftovers to Kannada singers?
As for me, my attempt is to make my singing as interesting and infectious as possible. I have sung in the same films that Bollywood singers have sung. I sung for Googly and Krishnan Love Story for which Sonu Nigam also sang. Both the songs in both the films we sang became hits. It is not that songs I sang are not popular. But there is a certain kind of trend that is supporting some singers. I am not against any of them. But what I ask is whether we get the same respect when we go there. Somehow, some kind of singing has become popular with our people. What I ask is to at least give our own singing as much love. The kind of respect North Indian singers get here is not reciprocated not just there, but also here. We have compromised on our language and made them rich.
Why has not a new Kannada singer emerged in more than a decade?
There are more platforms now, especially the singing talent shows. Music directors are also experimenting with new singers from Chennai and other places. There are many things that have prevented a Kannada singing star emerging in films. Some composers are themselves singing. If the budget is small, they get me or Hemanth to sing. If they have a bigger budget, they will get a singer from Mumbai. Unless our people give a little more love to our own singers, new talents won’t emerge. You cannot tell anybody to forcibly like you. You need community support. Nobody here will pay me Rs 2 lakh per song and air tickets to come and sing a song. When we go there to sing, only our mistakes are pointed out. But is anyone even bothered how Kannada is rendered by them? A great like SPB was not encouraged in Hindi. I am a small guy compared to that. Without your own community supporting you, you cannot go sing there. Yes, I have that sorrow. If our ‘gamaka’ and ‘sangati’ are not suited to Hindi, why is it not used in our own language at least?
MY FAVOURITE SONGS
Kannada film songs sung by me, but not in any preferential order...
Nooru Janmaku (America America)
Usire Usire (Huchcha)
Prema Chandrama (Yajamana)
Onde Usirante (Habba)
Neenadada Maatu
(Krishnan Love Story)
Bisilu Kudure (Googly)
Yaaro, Kanalle (Orata I Love You)
Januma Needuttale (Bevu Bella)
Sum Sumne Nagtaale (A)
Ondu Aparoopada (Love In Mandya)
Nannolage Ibbaru/ Onduralli Raja Rani (Melody)
Telugu Film Songs
Yeto Velli Poyindi Manasu
(Ninne Pelladatha)
Devudu Karunistadani (Prema Katha)
Nee Kosam (Nee Kosam)
Gudi Gantalu Yelina Vela (Ninne Premistaa)
Nenu Puttinde Nee Kosam (Lakshmi)
Is Melody About a Singer’s life?
There were speculations that the film is about a singer and some aspects are taken from Rajesh’s life itself. But the singer says, it is not so. “No, the film is not about a singer. I play a software engineer but the character is somewhat like me, mild and romantic. I am very very confident about the film winning the audience’s hearts. I do not play a super human. I am just a normal guy. The film subtly shows how connections made on the social media can go bad. But the film is not basically about it. It is a romantic film that goes on to say that if your love is genuine, no matter what, it wins at the end of the day. It is also a film about sacrifice and mistakes that happen without us deliberately trying to harm ourselves.”
