‘KK did not bother about social media, did not even use WhatsApp’
TMonths back, we met KK on a TV show and teased him, ‘You are like Benjamin Button!’ SHANKAR MAHADEVAN, Singer-composer
he bond between singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan and late singer KK was one filled with love and mutual admiration, and it goes back to the time when they hadn’t even entered showbiz.
That’s why Mahadevan says it’s unbelievable that he’s talking about KK in the past tense. “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,” he says.
Mahadevan goes on to share that KK was a complete family man and used to talk about them all the time: “He used to take off on long holidays with them, cutting off from the world. Also, KK wasn’t bothered about social media; he didn’t even have a WhatsApp number. If you wanted to reach out to him, you had to call him.”
They have given audiences classic party-starters like Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe (Dil Chahta Hai, 2001) and It’s The Time To Disco (Kal Ho Naa Ho, 2003), which still reign in popular playlists about 20 years later, among numerous other hits. “More than that (creating hits), KK would bring a lot of energy into the studio whenever he entered.
Months back, we met on a TV show. We were all teasing him, ‘You are like Benjamin Button, you are ageing in reverse!’ He was looking fabulous,” the 55-year-old says.
What’s surprising to many is that KK, despite being an accomplished artiste, didn’t receive many awards in his lifetime. Mahadevan says that the late singer “wasn’t worried about how many likes his songs got”. He adds, “KK just enjoyed what he was doing. He was only choosy about his concerts.”