Starting from scratch

Singer Kamal Khan on making it in Bollywood

It was television which gave Kamal Khan instant fame.

From being a daily wage worker to a playback singer, it has been a journey full of struggle for singer Kamal Khan. Known for his Sufi numbers “Ishq Sufiyana”, “Wallah Re Wallah” and “Jhooth Boliyan”, Kamal emerged on the scene when he won Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar . While growing up in Punjab, he aspired to be a singer. But his father was opposed to his decision.

“I belong to a lower middle class family. There were no facilities available to us in Kheri village. I always wanted to give a luxurious life to my family. I wanted to pursue gayaki but my father was against my decision of taking singing as a career. He wanted me to become a doctor,” says Kamal, who recently visited the Capital to judge Big Golden Voice , a nationwide singing talent hunt by 92.7 BIG FM.

Kamal knew that he had to excel in his chosen field. It was television which gave him instant fame. “A friend of mine told me about auditions for

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa but the difficulty was I wasn’t familiar with chaste Hindi. Somehow I managed to clear the first round but was told to work on my accent.”

Then he started listening to different genres of songs and was noticed by mentors Vishal and Shekhar. “They offered me

Ishq Sufiana which was a big climb for me.”

The soul stirring song made him a household name. Though Kamal is best while singing Sufi, he doesn’t want to restrict himself to only one genre of music.

“It will make me monotonous. But having a Sufi voice is a merit for it appeals to both the classes and the masses.”