‘Koi Kahe’ & ‘Ajab Si’: Testament to KK’s Playback Singing Prowess

When the terrible news of singer KK's untimely death spread, there was a heartfelt outpouring of grief, especially from millennials. Many people posted tweets saying that they never realised that KK had sung a particular song or a whole bunch of songs that they loved and have listened to several times over the years. I posit that this is a testament to how good a playback singer the man was.

Playback singing is different from singing on-screen because playback singers need to develop certain skills that their independent-musician counterparts may not absolutely need to possess. A playback singer needs to have a significant component of "acting" in their singing. They need to mould their vocals and inflection to suit the character and situation they are singing for. It cannot be an easy thing to do.

And yet, KK lent his voice so well to the songs he sang that they not only became quintessentially 'KK' but a song that wholly belonged to the movie and the character it was sung for. An easy example of this is how successful his songs were in cementing Emraan Hashmi's place in Hindi films as a romantic hero. Songs like 'Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai', 'Zari Sa', and 'Dil Ibaadat' bring the lover-boy side of Hashmi to mind as easily as they do the melodious vocals of their singer.

But this piece is about two other, more specific examples that prove KK's mettle as a playback singer. First, 'Koi Kahe' from Dil Chahta Hai. This song has three primary playback singers for the three lead characters of the movie — Shankar Mahadevan for Akash (Aamir Khan), Shaan for Sameer (Saif Ali Khan), and KK for Sid (Akshaye Khanna). Sid is the most mature of the three, but he also harbours a streak of playfulness. He is the brooding artist who produces intense paintings, but he is also the prankster who starts a paint fight with his friends in his studio. And if you listen to Sid's portions in 'Koi Kahe', you will find that KK understood the assignment.

Shaan sang the part of the breezy romantic to perfection for Sameer, and Shankar Mahadevan brought in the whimsical streak Akash was known to have in the first half of the movie. But when KK sings 'Sapnon ka jo desh hai, haan hum wahin hai pale', you know you are hearing from the dreamy artist who lives in an idealistic world. There is more than just a hint of mischief when he asserts 'Humare liye hi toh hai aasmaan aur zameen'. And when all three unite to sing the chorus, they are in perfect sync with each other, just as Akash, Sid and Sameer are shown to have been as friends, despite their obviously different personalities.

The second song is 'Ajab Si' from Om Shanti Om. The significance of this song to the movie is immense. It is the moment when Om (Shah Rukh Khan) sees the woman of his dreams, Shantipriya (Deepika Padukone), in flesh for the first time. In the movie's universe, Shantipriya is the ultimate 'dreamy girl', and 'Ajab Si' takes us through the journey of Om's mesmerisation like a charm. As an audience, we are not just expected to feel what Om is feeling for Shanti, but are introduced to the luminous debutante who would soon earn her place as a dreamy girl in her own right, Deepika Padukone. Om's confusion about how he should conduct himself in Shanti's presence finds expression in KK's voice, as he wonders 'Sapnon mein jo roz kaha hai woh phir se kahoon ya nahi?' And his besottedness finds an outlet in KK gently singing 'Dil ko bana de jo patang saansein ye teri woh hawaaein hain', bringing the audience to feel the same soaring but giddy, kite-like fluttering of a fan's feelings for their favourite star.

The loss of the singer whose voice carried us through school and college farewells, first crushes and heartbreaks, is felt deeply, akin to losing a dear friend. Equally heartbreaking is the loss of the wonderful playback singer, who probably had a lot more to offer to the world of music.