4 min readNew DelhiNov 22, 2025 04:06 PM IST
Each film industry in India has its own stalwarts and superstars, and for the Kannada film industry there is no one bigger than Dr Rajkumar. The actor-singer was considered one of the most versatile performers of all time, and that is what singer Kunal Ganjawala learnt on his very first meeting with him. In a recent interview Kunal talked about his experience of meeting the superstar and how he was completely taken aback by what followed. The singer famous for his songs like ‘Bheege Honth Tere’, ‘Jaadugari’ and ‘Dil Na Diya’ met Dr Rajkumar while recording a song for his son Puneeth, and soon discovered that the veteran star was his fan.
Kunal shared with Hindi Rush, “I was called to sing a song for Dr Rajkumar’s son, Puneeth. They said that it is his third film, and they wanted me to sing for it. So for the first time ever, I flew to record a song for the Kannada industry. It was just after ‘Bheege Honth Tere’ had become a huge success. I had to go because it was Rajkumar ji; he was like the first family of the Kannada industry.”
He recalled that after the recording, he spoke to the veteran star but as both of them didn’t share a common language, a translator helped them in communicating. “After recording the song, I met Puneeth for dinner. With some hesitation he asked me to talk to Rajkumar ji. Our mutual friend translated the whole conversation for me, and it turns out that he wanted me to sing another song for him,” he said and added that they decided to record the next morning.
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Now even though Kunal was confident that he’d be able to finish the song and make it to his flight at 10 am, Puneeth told him that there was no way he could leave without meeting Dr Rajkumar. The singer admitted that he was very nervous about missing his flight, but something Puneeth said helped him calm down just a little bit.
He said, “Now this is the time when he (Dr Rajkumar) had just been released by Veerappan, and he couldn’t come to the studio because of knee surgery. I finished the song by 8 am, but Puneeth told me that I had to meet his father before leaving. Now I was very worried about missing my flight because I had to record for Anu Malik in the afternoon, but Puneeth calmed me down and said, ‘Sir, aap chinta mar karo (Don’t get tense). Papa won’t let the flight leave until you board it.”
Kunal recalled that even though he had a pit in his stomach, he went to meet the superstar at his home. He said that visiting his home felt like going to meet a saint or guru. “I saw him, and he hugged me. Then he touched my throat and said in Kannada that my voice belonged to God. I was shaking in front of him, and then suddenly he sat on his organ and started playing and singing ‘Bheege Honth Tere‘. He fed me with his own hands and gave me an entire tour of his house. I met him two times more, and the people of that state love me because Dr Rajkumar has given his blessings to me.”
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Kunal further shared, “He made me promise to meet him everytime I was in town. So I met him two more times. Once at his house and the second time we met at 100 day party for the release of Aakash, the movie I recorded the songs for. That was my last meeting with him, because he passed away just a few months later.”
Dr Rajkumar passed away in 2006 at 76.
Kunal Ganjawala shares the experience of meeting Dr Rajkumar for the first time. (Photo: Express Archive)