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After having sung more the 8,000 songs KUMAR SANU is now ready with his private album `Kehna To Hai'. K.KANNAN has the details.....

As a youngster, he loved listening to songs sung by Kishore Kumar. ``Jeeven se bhari teri aankhen'', ``Dukhi man mere'' and ``Mere mehbob qayamat hogi'' are some unforgettable tunes he still hums whenever he talks of those early days. Naturally, he is quite elated when critics say he has filled the vacuum left by Kishore Kumar.

``Nobody can take the place of Kishore da. He was a great singer,'' says Kumar Sanu, who, after singing more than 8,000 songs, views himself as a ``romantic singer''. Asked to choose one best song from his vast collection, he says ``it is unfair''. On persisting, he says ``Ab tere bin jee lenge hum'' from the film ``Aashiqui'' is close to his heart. Another song he likes is ``Mera dil bhi kitna paagal hai'' from the film ``Saajan.''

For this childhood tabla player, singing happened quite by chance, even though he hails from a musical gharana. ``I started singing for hotels and night clubs in Mumbai. Jagjit Singh heard me one day and soon I found myself recording my first song: `Mein to karke sagai/chala karne ladai'' for the film ``Aandhiyan'' which never saw the light of day,'' Sanu says.

Initially described as a ``clone of Kishore Kumar'', Sanu soon evolved into his own. Song after song established him as a ``melody king'' -- a title which he accepts with all humility. With an uncanny ability to record a song in just about 20 minutes, he holds the world record for having recorded 27 songs in a single day. ``I recorded a song for the film `Deewana' in nine minutes flat. The song went on to win an award too,'' he says.

The romantic singer has now come out with his first private album, ``Kehna To Hai'' which is ready for release later this year. ``The songs have been written by Dev Kohli with music by Rajesh Roshan,'' says Sanu, who was here in the Capital recently in connection with a ``Sa Re Ga Ma'' shoot. ``Another interesting feature of the album is that all eight songs will be shot in video,'' he informs.

``Earlier I did not do any private album because I did not have much time. Now that I have become choosy in films, I have decided to give it a try,'' says Sanu, whose forthcoming films include ``Kurukshetra'', ``Kahi Pyaar Na Ho Jaye'', ``Albela'', ``Aagaaz'', ``Ye Dil Aashikana'' and ``Kusur'', to name just a few.

Though he would like to be remembered as a singer, he is raring to give films in music. Recently, he also produced and acted in a Bengali film, ``Gaaney Bhubon Bhoriye Debo'' which is now being dubbed in Hindi and has been titled ``Jeevan Ka Safar''. ``I am also thinking of producing another film which I have tentatively called `The Last Sati','' says Sanu.

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