Mumbai, First Published Aug 23, 2022, 11:21 AM IST
GaThe untimely death of KK alias Krishnakumar Kunath was due to the influence of detractors. Even though the singer retired with a lot left to sing, his voice and songs are still echoing in the hearts of every music lover. KK was a Malayali melodious voice that made its presence felt in Bollywood. Today is KK’s birth anniversary. Many people inside and outside the film industry are recalling the memories of the beloved singer on this occasion.
KK is known for his diverse song selection. It can be said that songs were born in his voice in almost every language of India. KK has sung songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati films. Krishnakumar Kunnath aka KK is considered to be one of the most acclaimed singers of his generation.
In 1994, KK moved to Mumbai for opportunities as a singer. From there, he started his career by singing jingles for advertisements. KK, who sang more than 3500 commercial jingles for three years, was first given a film opportunity by AR Rahman in Tamil. It was the songs ‘Kalluri Shale and Hello Do’ in the movie Kathal Desam. Later she also sang the song Strawberry Kanne in the movie Minsara Kanav. In 1999, ‘Dadup, Dadup’ from the film ‘Hum Dil De Chupke Sanam’ put KK among the leading singers of Bollywood. The sign of KK was appearing there. Many hit songs reached the masses in the voice of KK.
KK’s popular songs include the Tamil song “Apadi Podu”, “Dola Re Dola” from Devdas (2002) and “Kya Muje Pyaar Hai” from Vo Lamhe (2006). “Ankhon Mein Teri” from Om Shanti Om (2007), “Khuda Jain” from Bachna Ae Haseeno (2009), “Piya Aye Naa” from Aashiqui 2 (2013), “India Vale” from Happy New Year (2014) and “Bajrangi” KK’s hit songs include Tu Jo Mila” from Bhaijaan (2015).
KK was born on August 28, 1968 in Delhi as the son of CS Menon and Kunath Kanakavalli. Even though he is a Malayali, KK has sung only one song in Malayalam. In 2009, Prithviraj played the lead role in a film directed by Deepan called Puhya Mukhak. Secret song. Deepak Dev was the music director of this song. This song is one of the hit lists of Malayalees even today.
“I often sing in other South Indian languages, but singing in Malayalam is difficult for me. People say that the Malayalam I speak is decent, but I find it difficult when I say words that are mostly used in literature or lyrics. I get the same songs and lyrics as I hear in other languages,” he said when asked why he doesn’t sing more songs in Malayalam. KK replied once.
KK was a person who always loved Kerala even though the stage was Bollywood. Eating on a banana leaf, discovering the cuisine of some restaurants in Thrissur and Ernakulam, driving outside the city listening to old Malayalam songs and Yesudas’s Krishna Bhajans, eating porottas, chicken fries and masala dosa were often mentioned in KK interviews as opportunities to become a Keralite.
53-year-old KK died after collapsing after a concert at Nazrul Mancha Auditorium in Kolkata. This was in June 2022. His 54th birthday is two months away. Even today, friends, relatives and people all over the world remember that unique genius who died prematurely. KK will always live in the memories of people irrespective of their age.
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Last Updated Aug 23, 2022, 11:21 AM IST