Jagjit Singh, the King of Ghazals, was born on February 8, 1941 and Tuesday will mark his 81st birth anniversary.
His adaptability contributed to the genre’s enormous popularity. The ghazal maestro had fans across the globe.
Jagjit Singh has over 40 private albums to his credit and has lent his voice to countless Bollywood films, delighting an entire generation of music enthusiasts throughout his career. Hontho Se Chhoo Lo Tum, Tum Ko Dekha, and Meri Zindagi Kisi Aur Ki Mere Naam Ka Koi Aur Hai are some of his most popular songs.
Jagjit Singh also helped singers break into Bollywood. Kumar Sanu, the singing superstar of the ’90s, was one of them.
Kumar Sanu has admitted that he owes his first break to Jagjit Singh. In an interview, Kumar Sanu had said, “Jagjit Ji used to come to the same studio where I would go for the recording of his Ghazals. When he heard my song, he was very impressed.” Kumar Sanu further said that he was awestruck when he saw Jagjit Singh, adding that he touched his feet when he met him the first time. Jagjit Singh then asked Kumar Sanu to visit him at noon the next day.
When Jagjit Singh asked Kumar Sanu to sing a Kishore Kumar song:
Kumar Sanu said that when he first met Jagjitji, he asked me to sing a funky Kishore Kumar song. After listening to Kumar, Jagjit Singh gave him a pen and paper and asked him to learn a new song. Kumar Sanu revealed that he learned the song in five minutes and then Jagjit Singh drove him to Famous Studios in Tardeo.
“I finished the song in about 10-15 minutes, and Jagjitji immediately hugged me. He took Rs 1500 out of his pocket and gave it to me. We took the song and then went to see Kalyanji-Anandji on Peddar Road. My song was heard by the music directors, and they liked it as well” Kumar Sanu added. And that’s how Kumar Sanu stepped into Bollywood.
