Reported By: Suresh Rachamalla
Edited By: Bohni Bandyopadhyay
Last Updated: March 14, 2023, 23:28 IST
Singer Rahul Sipligunj (R) with Naatu Naatu composer MM Keeravani post Oscars.
Rahul Sipligunj performed the song Naatu Naatu from RRR at the 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, alongwith his co-singer Kaala Bhairava.
Rahul Sipligunj became a world famous singer after Naatu Naatu, a popular song from the Telugu movie RRR won the Best Original Song Award in the recently held 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. But one will not consider his fame as one night wonder after going through his inspiring journey as the son of a barber from Old City in Hyderabad, Telangana to the Oscars stage, a dream of every person related to the film industry across the world.
Rahul Sipligunj was born and brought up in Mangalhat locality near Dhoolpet, a part of the Old City in Hyderabad, Telangana. His father Raj Kumar, barber by profession, ran a haircutting saloon for livelihood. Raj Kumar wanted his son’s life to be settled, with a good job. But Rahul was always fond of playing cricket and kabaddi in the gullies (narrow streets) and singing devotional songs at Ganesh pandals during Vinayaka Chavithi festival.
He didn’t show any interest towards pursuing education. Raj Kumar noticed the hidden talent of his son and encouraged him by enrolling him for singing classes. Rahul, on one hand, worked in his father’s saloon, and on the other hand, started singing songs during functions at his relatives’ houses in order to shed his stage fear.
In the meantime, he successfully finished his Intermediate education and decided not to study further. He started visiting film production offices to get an opportunity of playback singing, but continued to work at his father’s saloon.
With the small contacts he developed, he got a chance to lend his voice to the songs for the movies dubbed in to the Telugu language. Later, he became one among the singers who lent their voice in chorus and background songs composed by various music directors. But his efforts didn’t lead him to any popular front related to playback singing in films. Thus, he started making video albums and posting them on YouTube from 2013 onwards with amount received after mortgaging his mother’s jewellery and with the money borrowed by his father.
Destiny drove him in right track after he got an opportunity to sing a song in Naga Chaitanya starrer Josh in 2009. Then onwards, he got flooded with offers, including an opportunity to sing the song ‘Vaastu Bagunde’ composed by MM Keeravani in Dammu movie and a song in Rajamouli’s blockbuster movie Eega in 2012.
His association with music director MM Keeravani gave him a chance to lend his voice to Naatu Naatu in RRR, where he also sang Tamil, Kannada and Hindi versions apart from the original in Telugu. Now Rahul Sipligunj is testing the waters as an actor with famous Telugu director Krishna Vamsi’s upcoming movie ‘Ranga Marthanda’, where he played a key role.
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