Bangalore, Dec 1 (IANS) Popular Kannada music director Gurukiran Shetty is overwhelmed by the positive response he has received for hosting the talent hunt programme “Confident Singer”. The composer says he is now keen to do more television reality shows. “I never thought the programme can bring me so much popularity. It has become a huge success with good TRP ratings and I would like to do more such shows,” Gurukiran, who is also busy composing music for several Kannada films, told IANS.

While he is still anchoring and judging the music and dance reality show on Suvarna Channel, Gurukiran’s forthcoming release as music director is “Theertha”. Directed by Sadhu Kokila, it stars Sudeep and Saloni in lead roles.

Apart from “Theertha”, he is also giving the music for “Taakat” and has just finished the re-recording of debutant director Ranganath’s “Gulaama”.

Gurukiran, who has composed for over 55 Kannada films so far, started off as an actor, but later became a music director with the film “A”. It was a big hit and Gurukiran gives credit to Upendra, who directed and acted in the film, for the success.

“Upendra had a lot of confidence in me when he offered me ‘A’. I was a little apprehensive, but he was always there to support me, which gave me a lot of confidence. Upendra always scouts for talent and gets the best work out of them,” Gurukiran said.

The music director is against the present trend in the industry where film producers and directors are demanding super fast compositions.

“You can get good music through a sustained committed effort by one and all. I think other than the music directors, lyricists and singers too have to give their best. All this requires time. What is the use of composing soulful music if the lyrics don’t match the mood of the tune,” he said.

Gurikiran cited the exampe of “Jogi”, the songs of which are still ruling the audio market. He said that the film’s director Prem and producer Ram Prasad gave him ample time and freedom to score the tunes.

“I took a little extra time to compose songs because Prem wanted the songs to be the best. And tunes were created after month-long discussions. If I get a right tune in my first attempt, it is only with divine intervention,” he said.

“I want my compositions to be original. I never lift tunes, not even in the case of remakes. And if at all the producer insists on using original tunes of a non-Kannada film, then I don’t take credit for the compositions,” Gurukiran added.