Shankar Mahadevan reflects on how his association with KK goes way back; 'We were buddies'

On Tuesday night, playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, better known as KK, passed away in Kolkata. He was 53 years old at the time and breathed his last after he performed in Kolkata's Nazrul Mancha. He was rushed to CMRI hospital after falling ill, where he was declared dead on arrival.

As the entire entertainment industry and the fans mourned the loss of the talented artist, Shankar Mahadevan recently went down memory lane and reflected on his association with KK from the time they had entered the film industry. 

Shankar Mahadevan reveals he was buddies with KK before they debuted in film industry

According to Hindustan Times, Notable singer and music composer, Shankar Mahadevan recently expressed his grief over KK's sudden demise by stating how it was unbelievable that he was talking about the singer in the past tense. He further stated that they had a long association even before they got into the films and revealed how they used to sing jingles together which later transitioned into films. Moreover, Shankar Mahadevan recalled the memorable collaborations with KK and said, "We had a long association even before we got into films, we were buddies, like a gang. We used to sing jingles together and that transitioned into films. One of the initial films we did, Dil Chahta Hai, had a very important song like Koi Kahe. Innumerable songs we did together."

Stating further, the music composer also revealed how KK brought a lot of energy to the studio the moment he entered. “More than that, he would bring a lot of energy into the studio whenever he used to enter. There used to be an aura of positive energy. For 20-30 minutes, he would faff around, and then chat for hours," he added. 

Shankar Mahadevan also mentioned that despite being a stellar artist, KK never won many awards and added how the latter wasn't even bothered about the same. Reflecting on the same, he said, “He was not bothered about all that. He just enjoyed what he was doing. He was only choosy about his concerts, and never used to go if any Tom, Dick, and Harry called. He did little work.”

More about KK's death

Prior to his demise, the late singer was performing at Nazrul Mancha, an auditorium in south Kolkata, and fell ill after reaching the hotel where he was staying. Soon after that, he was rushed to the CMRI hospital, where the singer was declared dead on arrival. The singer's last rites were held in Versova, Mumbai. Several stars from the music and film fraternity including Papon, Shweta Mishra Mahanta, Alka Yagnik, Kabir Khan, Shreya Ghoshal, Salim Merchant, Javed Ali, and others arrived at his residence on June 2 to pay their last respect to the departed soul.

Image: PTI/Facebook/@shankarmahadevan