KK, a famous Indian singer, met his wife Jyothy when they were both 12 years old. They became close over many years and started dating officially in 1985. In 1990, they got engaged and married in 1991. Jyothy encouraged KK to pursue his singing dream full-time, which led to his breakthrough. They have two children together and KK credits Jyothy for being his rock and allowing him to focus on his career while also being a involved father. He says their strong bond and treating each other and their family as top priorities has been the key to their long and happy marriage.

1. Having recorded a song recently named ‘Dil Aaj Kal’ for a dear friend Ram Sampath,
who has composed the music for ‘Purani Jeans’, a film just released, KK has many projects
to look forward to. His most loved song of the year ‘Tune Mari Entry’ from the movie
‘Gunday’ got the versatility in his choice of songs back. While work has always been treated
like worship by him, family is given precedence. “I’d be very honest. I’m more of a family
guy. For me, family has always been on the top of the checklist. That’s the place you go back
to every day. No matter how much you work and earn, there has to be a family that keeps
the fire burning to do better.”
I was keen to know the past of such a reassuring present. The conversation moved on
effortlessly ahead.
Life before Jyothy and the first meeting
“You know, I don’t remember much of life before her because we met very early. We were
both 12. Before that, I was living in South Delhi, Green Park. I would play with friends all
day long. I used to be very naughty, almost what you call a loafer, always out of home.”
KK and my ‘warm up dialogue’ lasted for some five minutes, after which we started
talking about his relationship. However, I was still not in a mood to idealise this love story.
So I said, “You obviously won’t remember your first meeting that clearly, since you were so
young.” And he replied, “Of course I do!”
“That has to be the most memorable moment of our lives. This was when my family moved
to Yamuna Apartments at Alaknanda, New Delhi. Jyothy too had moved in with her family.
There was a common friend who I met before her, and he introduced her to me. I still
remember the place of meeting. It was a club called quadrangle. Like regular kids, we just
exchanged a “hi”. I was
from an all-boys school
and hardly knew any girl.
We didn’t talk much and
she soon walked away. I
had liked her in the first
meeting. It might sound
like a scene out of movie,
but then it can happen at
any age, right? It was
strange. From then on, we
knew each other.”
WEDDING AFFAIR ◆ 89
MADE FOR EACH OTHER
88 ◆ WEDDING AFFAIR
KK and Jyothy
Singing Love
Since 1991
H
ow could Salman Khan ever convince the audience about his heartbreak
in the film ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ without KK singing the painful
‘Tadap Tadap Ke’ in the playback? The intensity of his songs melted
many hearts, ‘Pal’ and ‘Yaaron’ being the best farewell songs for school and
college students till date.
Behind all of this work, lies a heart, and in that heart sits a woman he met 34
years ago, at the age of 12. KK’s relaxed voice on the telephone tells me – “We’ve
grown up together.”
My generation reads and
watches L.O.V.E. in books and
television. We seldom are a
part of it. Examples of real life
love that lasts long enough for
us to believe in it, seem
diminishing fast. This writer,
belonging to the current
cynical generation, felt great
contentment and delight in a
45 minute all-consuming
conversation with singer KK,
about his life with Jyothy,
his soulmate.
Singing Love
Since 1991
Varalika Vij
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2. Growing tough together
To have a stable income, KK had started working in a
marketing firm. Being a natural singer, he was exhausted and
his wife saw that. “I was in Delhi. She was in Mumbai at her
grandmother’s place in Dadar for a few months. We were
expecting our first child, after 3 years of marriage…I didn’t
know where to go at that time. I was performing with bands
and all, but never had pursued my dream professionally that
well. Jyothy saw my trauma, and said to me - “You got to
stop doing this”.
“She asked me to come visit her in Mumbai. When I
came to see her, she was in the eighth month of her
pregnancy. We were walking around together one evening,
and she just said, ‘You’re not going back now. I won’t let you
go. Do what you have to do here in Mumbai.’ I just had a
small bag with maybe some 5 underwears, a pair of jeans and
three shirts. And I had no intention of not going back, but I
was carrying a cassette that I had recorded. So I started
visiting music companies and meeting people and none of
them helped. Every day I could see Jyothy getting bigger.
My uncle was a friend of the singer, Hariharan. I had met
Hariharan long back, and he had complimented me on my
voice and invited me to Mumbai. I remembered his words.
And when I eventually met him, he remembered me. He
called me to his studio. He just said, “I’ll let you know.”
“July 24th, 1994, the day my son was born, I got a call for
my first recording. I sang a jingle, which became a rage in the
advertisement world. From there my journey started. There
were times I didn’t believe in myself and wondered how does
she believes in me so much? She’s my rock. ”
Nakul and Taamara
“We were always very strongly bonded, even before the kids.
But yes, parenthood definitely teaches you to be responsible.
And when one is sharing the responsibility, the bond gets
stronger. I don’t like my wife taking care of the kids herself.
I imagined myself to be a good father. I wanted Jyothy to feel
proud of me. So yes, the kids kept us awake for many nights,
particularly because Nakul was our first and we were still
learning.”
“We haven’t really made blunders in our relationship,
especially while bringing up children. Even after the kids
came, we still got time for each other. Just because a man and
a woman become parents, they can’t stop being husband and
wife. My son will turn 20 this July and daughter will be 15
soon. Right now Jyothy and I don’t feel like we’ve been
married for 23 years. It seems like yesterday.”
“According to my kids, what we have had is something
out of a book.”
From 12 to 46
KK got his sudden share of stardom with the film ‘Hum
Dil De Chuke Sanam.’ But he never looked at it like that.
“I was just doing what
I love to do, and have
a great family. Talking
about a change in life,
nothing really
changed. To tell you,
I’ve not been to any
parties in my life. The
last time I went for a
party was in 1999. If
you believe in your
work, you don’t need
parties to network.”
“You need two
feet to balance
yourself. For me, one foot is my wife and the other is my
work. We do take month long breaks, get out of the
country, bond together and come back. Even in Mumbai,
when I’m working, she gives me my space. But when I’m
at home, sometimes Taamara, my daughter, while getting
ready for her school in the morning, asks us, ‘What do
you have so much to talk about?’ ”
When they see unhappy couples around?
“I see lots of marriages breaking up in the first two years. I
wonder what they are looking for in the first place, because
marriage is a commitment by a man and a woman to stand
by each other emotionally, physically and mentally.”
“ We were always ourselves. That’s why, when you’re
courting someone, don’t try to fool yourself and the other by
being someone you’re not. So that everything is out there,
like a book. If you don’t like a book, you leave it there, for
someone else to find interest in it...” ■
Change of relationship status
So when did it actually turn into a relationship? “That was
much later. It was 1985, five years down the line. We had
a big group of friends, hanging out together every
evening. Every New Years Eve, we had a party that was
invariably organised in an empty house. What was
interesting was that this party only had couples. We were
8 couples, including Jyothy and I.”
“I remember very vividly, she and I were walking in
our colony, when I decided to tell her about what was
going in my mind about her. I experienced a very heavy
moment, prior to saying it. I didn’t know what to do if she
says a blank No. Jyothy just calmly told me that she
already knew it.”
“So all this while, this was the only woman you dated?” I
asked
“She was the only woman I have loved,” he responded.
“She is a lucky woman then!” - was my obvious reaction.
“I’m a lucky man!” - was his.
Husband and wife
Jyothy’s father had started feeling concerned by now. He
wanted to know what was going on… “So I went to meet him
and told him that I love his daughter and we eventually plan
to get married. He told me that I was too young to marry and
I understood that. I assured him that I was in no hurry, but
whenever it’s time, it would be Jyothy and I.”
“One day, while Jyothy’s and my father were talking,
they just came up to me and said, “Congratulations, your
engagement is fixed.” God has been very kind. We got
engaged on August 1990, and married on February 1991.”
The belief of Jyothy and her family
Knowing that financial comfort is on the top of the list for
parents nowadays while choosing a groom for their
daughters, it was interesting to hear that KK’s father had
believed so much in him.
“There was never an element of doubt. If you look at a
person deeply enough, I’m sure you’d be able to know his
worth. All one needs is a vision. Jyothy’s father had that
vision. He wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Sometimes I feel that
it was my father in law who believed in me the most.”
90 ◆ WEDDING AFFAIR WEDDING AFFAIR ◆ 91
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