JOIN USI first met music director Gurukiran at the launch of the movie Uppi2, and in spite of the fact that we did not know each other, he greeted me with a warm smile and charmed me with his down-to-earth demeanour.
For someone who started his career as a music director with the Kannada film A, he has certainly come a long way.
A native of Mangalore, he has acted in several films and is a playback singer. “While singing and music has always been my passion and something I enjoyed thoroughly, I didn’t imagine it would become my profession. I was happy to live in the moment.
When I started, I wanted to be a singer, but people saw me as an actor. I acted in a couple of Tulu films. I acted in a few Kannada films and serials as well. However, my musical career started when I joined B Manohar as an assistant keyboard artiste.
Also, actor-director Upendra, a good friend, was casting himself in his directorial venture in A and asked me to compose the film’s music.
Then, for two years, I did not work with anyone else. I was not happy with the other offers that came my way and some others simply did not take off. I later composed music for the film Chitra and had decided that if it did well, I would move to Bangalore. Luckily, the music was a hit and I took up a full-fledged career as a musician,” he reminisces.
Awards’ meaning
The multi-award-winning composer has a simple take on what awards mean to him: “They remind you to work harder. Initially, I would be excited.
I even had a new suit tailored for my first one.” He has also dabbled in Telugu cinema and says that the canvas of Tollywood is large and that he has had the opportunity to compose in films with good star casts.
For someone who sings and composes, I ask him what he likes better. “Earlier, I liked to sing, but now I enjoy composing, as it is a more creative process. I sing for other music directors as well.” Currently, his hands are full with Uppi2, Aarambha and Second Hand Lover, among others.
What is unknown about him is that he was an artist once and loved to sketch and paint, which he stopped to pursue music. Quiz him on how technology has changed the music industry and he says, “While it makes things much easier, I find that singers do not practice much now.
Technology makes it possible to correct mistakes. The trend is to record songs in parts. When I started, we would complete the song in one take, and in case the song went wrong, we had to start again.”
As a popular judge on several music reality shows, he has his job cut out. “When I wanted to be a playback singer, I never got a chance and had to struggle for almost 10 years.
So, when I judge shows now, I also look for new talent. I have introduced over 50 singers to the industry, and several of them are today established playback artistes.
The winner of one of the shows I judged also sang for me and got the state award for her first song.” The prolific performer has a slew of concerts lined up across USA, Australia and the UK and has regularly performed in India.
Concert giveaway
“Concerts are like life and you cannot make mistakes. For me, the best part is that you know the audience reaction on the spot. I am more passionate about live shows because it is easy to gauge what works and what does not.”
Speaking about social media, he explains, “I see it as a great tool to connect with people abroad as they hardly know the people working in our industry.”
The music director is certainly breaking new ground in Kannada music, both in India and abroad, and his fans have much to cheer about.