Kunal Ganjawalla recreates 'Aap Ki Ankhon Mein Kuch', hails Kishore-Lata as favourite duo
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Singer Kunal Ganjawalla has paid a heartfelt tribute to two of Indian music's most celebrated voices by recreating 'Aap Ki Ankhon Mein Kuch', the beloved number from the 1978 film 'Ghar' originally picturised on Vinod Mehra and Rekha. In an Instagram video shared from a recording studio, Ganjawalla expressed a deep personal wish — that he could have worked alongside the late Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, calling them his most favourite musical duo in the world.
Ganjawalla's Tribute in His Own Words
Posting the studio rendition on Instagram, Ganjawalla accompanied it with an emotional note. 'This magical duo is one of my most favourite duos in this entire world.. am sure you'll are crazy abt this partnership too. How i wish i had gotten an opportunity to work with these greats in this lifetime would have loved to be a fly on the wall too just to watch the magic they have created. ALAS,' he wrote in the caption.
The post reflects a sentiment widely shared among contemporary Indian singers — that the Kishore-Lata partnership represented an unrepeatable era of playback artistry.
About the Film 'Ghar' and the Original Song
Directed by Manik Chatterjee, 'Ghar' was a critically noted 1978 drama starring Vinod Mehra and Rekha in the lead roles. The film tackled the difficult subject of trauma and social taboo following a gang-rape, tracing the fractured relationship of its protagonists Vikas and Arti in the aftermath. Its music was composed by the legendary R. D. Burman, and 'Aap Ki Ankhon Mein Kuch' remains one of the most remembered songs from that era of Hindi cinema.
Ganjawalla's Journey in Bollywood and Beyond
Ganjawalla's career began not on a film set but in advertising — his first singing assignment was a jingle titled Doodh Doodh for the Operation Flood campaign, composed by Ranjit Barot. His Bollywood debut came in 2002 with 'Ab Ke Baras', a song that, while not an immediate chart-topper, opened several doors. He went on to lend his voice to films including Saathiya, Khakee, Dhoom, and Meenaxi.
His true breakthrough arrived with 'Bheege Hont Tere' from the film Murder, a track that firmly established him in the mainstream. Since then, he has collaborated with a wide range of music directors, including Anu Malik, Pritam, Himesh Reshammiya, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Nadeem-Shravan, and Ismail Darbar, among others.
A Significant Presence in Kannada Music
Ganjawalla extended his reach to the Kannada film industry in 2005. His debut Kannada track, 'Neene Neene' — composed by R. P. Patnaik and written by K. Kalyan for the film Akash — was well received. He followed that with 'Onde Ondu Sari', written by Kaviraj and composed by Mano Murthy, which reportedly broke records for highest sales and downloads that year. He has since sung close to 450 Kannada songs.
With this latest tribute, Ganjawalla once again underscores the enduring pull of the golden-era Bollywood soundtrack on today's generation of artists.