Krishnakumar Kunnath, known by fans worldwide as simply KK—he never wanted to be identified by caste, culture or region—didn’t have to die. It is evident that at his last concert in Kolkata he was feeling unwell. KK was sweating profusely and protesting about the lights and crowds.
Composer Rajesh Roshan who has worked with KK and has undergone two heart surgeries says it was clear from his face that KK was suffering from a heart attack. “His face was ashen, and he was sweating profusely. He should have been immediately made to stop the concert and made to lie down. Medical help should have been called. Instead, he was pushed to keep on singing. It is a vicious world, blind to everything except self-interest. KK was too innocent, absolutely free of malice and connivance. Those who led him to his death probably didn’t even know what they were doing.”
Bengali composer Jeet Gannguli who has known KK “forever,” says KK looked very peaceful in death. “I was at the hospital to see him for the last time. He looked so much at peace. He looked like he was taking a ten-minute nap before jumping on the stage for his next gig. KK was—I can’t tell you difficult it is to speak of him in the past tense—such a livewire on stage. He was an exceptional artiste and easily the best human being I’ve met.”
Recalling KK’s physical fitness Jeet says, “Not an ounce of extra flesh on his body. Even at 53 he was as fit as a fiddle. And his voice at 53, sounded like a young 21-year in love. KK was very health conscious. He would tease me constantly about my girth. He wanted to watch my weight. He would tell my wife to not give me all that rich Bengali food to eat. His only culinary indulgence when he came to Kolkata was my wife’s fish curry cooked in sarson oil. He loved it. But that’s all. KK was very self-disciplined, very health-conscious. This (death) could not have chosen a more unsuitable victim.”
Jeet and KK almost had parallel careers.“We started off together. He sang so many songs for me. Do you know, KK sang only one Bengali song during his lifetime. And it was for me, it was a song titled Akasher Nile for the film Faande Poriya Boga Kaande Re. Being a Malayali, KK had no hint of an accent in Hindi. What surprised me was how quickly he grasped the Bengali lyrics. At live concerts, he could sing the Bengali song without consulting a songbook.”
Rajesh Roshan recalls KK’s photographic memory. “He could grasp a song immediately and sing it perfectly. Today I am shocked at how poor the pick-up ability of singers is. Recently at a live concert, the singers couldn’t remember the words of a chartbuster that they had sung for me. I remember when we were recording the song Zindagi Do Pal Ki for the film Kites. I wanted him to say the word Zindagi in the way Kishore Kumar said it in songs like Zindagi ek safar hai suahana (Andaz) and Zindagi ke safar mein (Aap Ki Kasam). Believe me, KK sang the word Zindagi as if it was indeed life that he was singing about. He had the potential to be the last of our all-time greats, alas gone too soon.”
Co-singer Hariharan is unable to process KK’s death. “Is 53 an age to go? And such a fine human being, a fantastic singer. His voice had that hero-wala quality. He sounded like a film hero. Everyone knows we sang Chhor aaye hum woh galiyan together for Vishal Bharadwaj in Maachis. But no one knows KK and I sang another song together for Vishal Bhardwaj. It was a fun song called Pakaa mat in Anurag Kashyap’s unreleased film Paanch. It was a fantastic change of image for both of us. Both of us were known as very serious singers. We were both South Indians and we sang without a trace of an accent. On top of all this, KK was a fine human being. He wouldn’t say a word against anyone. He wouldn’t dream of hurting anyone.”
Recalls Jeet Gannguli emotionally, “My wife and I loved KK’s Cadbury jingle Kuch khaas hai. We would make him sing it every time we met. He would be like, ‘That was so long ago. What do you see in it?’ We could see the jingle visually when he sang it. Yes, there was kuch khaas (something special) about KK.”
KK had built his dream house in Shillong. He intended to move residence to that tranquil part of the world with his family. But God had other plans.
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.
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source https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/kk-passes-away-rajesh-roshan-jeet-gannguli-recall-their-happier-days-with-the-late-singer-and-beloved-friend-10747821.html
