The famous actor not only played a wide variety of roles – from mythological to social, but also sang songs of diverse genres, also made a mark as a playback singer.
The famous actor has not only played a wide variety of roles – from mythological to social, but has also sung songs from diverse genres
At a recently held lac-dame, a Konnakkol artist spoke about the importance of language as an art form. He said, “Dr. Rajkumar was an extraordinary actor and you know why? It was not just his acting prowess, it was also his way of speaking Kannada; it was music to the ears.” As only an analogy in that performance. Rajkumar was mentioned in the book, but it served as a springboard for nostalgia. The way the famed actor spoke the language was not only a testament to his love for Kannada, but it led to a unified vision of the language. Unlike any other actor, he reached every nook and corner of the state, thereby merging several Kannada dialects into one. In fact, the late writer UR Ananthamurthy used to say that the prince composed the poet Nripathunga in his composition Kavirajamarga. He had made it a Kannada.
from kannada movie farda betta , , Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
flair for music
Rajkumar started with Company Theatre. No actor was considered worthy if he was not a capable musician. Most of the songs in the plays were based on classical music, so the actors were drawn to the art form, some even learned to play an instrument or two, in addition to precise training in pronunciation and grammar. Prince’s use of language and talent for music proved the kind of training that old-fashioned theater companies provided. Not only did he play a wide variety of roles – from mythological to social – he also sang songs in a wide variety of genres. His singing had flaws, but it was soulful and catchy.
He was an actor long before he became a singer. He made his debut as a singer with the wildly popular GK Venkatesh composition, ‘Yare Koogadali’ from the 1974 film, Sampaththige Saaval. Some of the best male singers of the time in the Kannada film music industry were – PB Srinivos, and SP Balasubramaniam. Nevertheless, Rajkumar became a playback singer, and came to be counted with a name.
He was a pious student of the arts. Rehearsals and sadhana were an integral part of his performance. He spent hours rehearsing his dialogues and songs. Those were the days of limited track but huge orchestras, usually a group of 60–75 musicians. The practice session lasted for hours, and if one member made a mistake, it was re-recorded. “You can imagine how elaborate the process must have been. Even when he became a star, Rajkumar spent almost the entire day in the studio. He’ll be there when we perform the tune for the orchestra, and when he’s rehearsing, he’ll continue to practice in the song booth. Rajkumar was a thorough professional and behaved like any other musician. Never got the impression of handling a star,” recalls composer Rajan of Rajan-Nagendra fame. “Sometimes after 20 to 25 when the song is ready to be finalized, Rajkumar asks, ‘Can we do one more take? I think I could have put in a better sense in the second stanza. ..’ He was an extraordinary artist.” It was very important for him to understand every nuance of the composer’s psyche and composition.”
Unlike PB Srinivos, whom the prince had largely come to replace, his voice could handle a wide range of emotions – lively (‘Na Ninna Mareyalare’ or ‘Eleli Nodli’), romance (‘Ninello Naanale’), devotion (‘Halaldaru Haku’)’), and sarcasm (‘Rajadhiraja’). Every song sung by him seemed to be an organic extension of his personality as an actor.
Apart from his purity of note, his versatility and colloquialism contributed greatly to his popularity as a singer. For example, in songs like ‘Hallu Jenu Ondada Haage’ and ‘Hridayadali Ideneedu’, he expressed the language impeccably.
Actor Rajkumar in the movie Bangarada man.
, Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
The prince had knowledge of Carnatic idiom. But, he was also a product of his time. Hindi film music was at its peak, it was also the day of ghazals and bhajans. Theater companies were trying to grapple with the popular, and so their works also had influences from more than one culture. There were musicians in the Kannada film industry who brought with them different sensibilities. So looking at Rajkumar’s singing through a ‘raag’ prism or fitting him into the ‘system’ of music would probably be an incomplete reading of the actor’s music. As a singer, he had a liberating sense of style.
He translated ‘Nainanna Aise Kande’ Ravichandra In the qawwali style, while ‘Galathi Baradu Inta Samay’ and ‘Kannira Dhare’ showed the influence of Ghazal. Among his best are ‘Jiva Huvaguide’, ‘Anurag Inayatu’, and ‘O Premada Gangeya Ilidu Ba’. The true-blue Kannada actor has also sung songs with English such as ‘Love Me Ya Hate Me’, ‘Mary Mary Mary’ or ‘If You Come Today’.
Rajkumar was an actor, singer, public speaker and connoisseur of literature and language, all rolled into one.
Journalists from Bangalore write on art and culture.