How Kannada Lyricist Kinnal Raj Struggled To Find His Footing In The Film Industry

Kinnal Raj is one of the prolific lyricists of the South film industry. He has been a part of blockbusters like KGF: Chapter 1, KGF: Chapter 2, and Hitler. Not much is known about the exceptional lyricist, who has also donned the hat of a director in his career. Today, we are here to share lesser-known stories of his struggling days. Let’s take a look. When Kinnal Raj was in college, he enjoyed watching movies a lot. He said in an interview earlier that there was quite a craze for films during that time; he never thought that he would end up becoming a lyricist and a writer in the movie industry. Kinnal Raj came to Bangalore because he wanted to do something with his life. His mother gave him Rs 500 before he left and told him, “don’t do anything that you should not do”. Her words were deeply ingrained in his mind. With hopes of doing something, Kinnal Raj came to Bangalore.

While in the city, Kinnal Raj kept looking for work. He took up writing and filled papers with his emotions, dreams and everything else that came to his mind. Later, he became a lyricist, a job that is now recognised.

Kinnal Raj’s turning point in life was when he met the famed music director Ravi Basrur. From being acquaintances, the two became close friends. But despite his desperation to work, Kinnal Raj did not ask him for a job as he wanted to protect the bond of their friendship. Ravi Basrur recognised Kinnal Raj’s talent and identified his skill. He offered Kinnal the opportunity to write the title track for Puneeth Rajkumar’s movie Anjani Putra, which was released in 2017.

His journey in songwriting kickstarted with Anjani Putra and soon he got more opportunities. He got yet another chance to work with Ravi Basrur in KGF for the song Kooti Kanasugala. It catapulted him to fame and ever since there has been no turning back.

Kinnal Raj has written beautiful songs for the KGF movie and has penned emotions that millions could resonate with. Today, he is one of the most reputed and recognised lyricists in the industry. Everyone wants to work with him because of his craft.