"Kishore Kumar was my soul."
Kishore Kumar is one of the most popular film personalities in Bollywood history.
He is an accomplished actor and filmmaker. However, his forte lay in playback singing.
In the realm of Bollywood singers, Kishore Da stands as a beacon of influence and resonance.
His legacy has spawned television shows and prospects of a biopic.
If you’re a lover of classic Bollywood music, look no further!
DESIblitz takes you on a thrilling journey as we dive into the life and history of Kishore Kumar.
Let’s explore his saga.
The 1940s: Early Forays into Music & Acting
Kishore Kumar was born Abhas Kumar Ganguly in Khandwa on August 4, 1929.
His father was a solicitor and his older brother was none other than Ashok Kumar – one of Indian cinema’s most legendary stars.
In his formative years, Kishore Da was an ardent fan of the singer-actor KL Saigal.
He also bought cassettes from the veteran music composer SD Burman, who became one of his key mentors in music.
Kishore Da came to Mumbai as a teenager where he was plunged into acting.
However, in a later interview with Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Da said:
“I said to my brother Ashok Kumar, ‘Don’t make me act. Acting is fake but music is from the heart’.”
Kishore Da made his acting debut in a supporting role with Shikari (1946).
He sang his first song as a playback singer in Ziddi (1948). The solo ‘Marne Ki Duaen Kyun Maangu’ was picturised on Dev Anand.
Ziddi also showcased ‘Yeh Kaun Aaya Re‘ – his first duet with Lata Ji. This started a highly evergreen association that lasted for nearly four decades.
Many of Kishore Da’s early songs saw him imitate KL Saigal but he later developed his iconic style that would enthral millions in the years to come.
The 1950s: Dev Anand’s Voice & First Marriage
Since Kishore Da was initially not interested in acting, by his admission, he was deliberately lazy and unprofessional.
This was in an attempt to get thrown out of the projects he was signed for.
However, his acting career picked up by the mid-1950s and he sang songs that were picturised on himself and remained Dev Anand’s voice.
In his autobiography, Romancing With Life (2007), Dev Sahab comments on his association with Kishore Da:
“Whenever I needed [Kishore Da] to sing for me, he was ready to play Dev Anand in front of the microphone.
“He always asked me in what particular way I wanted to perform the song onscreen so that he could modulate his style and singing accordingly.
“And I would always say, ‘Do it with all the pep you want and I shall follow your way’.
“There was that kind of rapport between us.”
This was evident in films like Munimji (1955), Funtoosh (1956), and Paying Guest (1957).
In 1950, Kishore Da married his first wife, Ruma Ghosh. She was a theatre actor. He had one son with her in 1952, the renowned singer Amit Kumar.
However, Kishore Kumar and Ruma divorced in 1958.
Speaking about the separation, Kishore Da states: “We looked at life differently. She wanted to build a choir and a career.
“I wanted someone to build me a home. How can the two reconcile?”
The 1960s: Madhubala and Aradhana
In 1960, Kishore Da married for the second time. His wife was the breathtaking actress Madhubala.
Madhubala and Kishore Kumar had worked together on several films including his production Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958).
The film starred Kishore Da with his brothers Ashok Kumar and Anoop Kumar.
However, this marriage was strained as the parents of Kishore Da refused to accept Madhubala as his wife.
They believed that she had ruined their son’s first marriage.
Madhubala also had a ventricular septal defect which was caused by a damaged heart. Kishore Da took her to doctors in London and Russia.
However, there was unfortunately no treatment available in those days and Madhubala was given a short life expectancy.
Kishore Da later left her at her father’s house and would visit her once in two months.
The marriage ended in 1969 with Madhubala’s tragic death.
Kishore Da delves into the relationship and admits: “[Madhubala] was quite another matter.
“I knew she was very sick even before I married her. For nine long years, I nursed her. I watched her die before my own eyes.
“You can never understand what this means until you live through this yourself.
“She was such a beautiful woman and she died so painfully.
“And I had to humour her all the time. That’s what the doctor asked me to do.
“That’s what I did till her very last breath. I would laugh with her. I would cry with her.”
By 1969, Kishore Da’s acting career slumped with the introduction of younger stars including Dharmendra, Manoj Kumar, and Shashi Kapoor.
SD Burman gave him a new lease of fame with Aradhana, in which he sang evergreen numbers for Rajesh Khanna.
Aradhana turned Rajesh into a superstar and Kishore Da grew into the most sought-after singer for male actors.
For one of the songs from Aradhana, ‘Roop Tera Mastana‘, Kishore Kumar won his first Filmfare Award for ‘Best Male Playback Singer’ in 1970.
If listeners were not convinced of Kishore Da’s multi-faceted talent before Aradhana, they were after it.
The 1970s: The Best Years
After the stupendous success of Aradhana, Kishore Kumar began riding the crest of an unprecedented wave of success.
He continued his successful associations with Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna.
Rajesh became the actor for whom Kishore Da sang the most. Their combination dazzled in 245 songs.
The Aradhana star confessed: “Kishore Kumar was my soul and I was his body.”
However, Kishore Da also became the preferred voice for many other stars in the 1970s.
Examples include Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, and Shatrughan Sinha.
He went on to overshadow other established singers such as Mukesh, Mohammad Rafi, and Talat Mahmood.
Beginning in 1969, Kishore Da performed live concerts. The audience loved his eccentricity and energy onstage.
During a live performance of ‘Ina Mina Dika’ from Aasha (1957), Kishore Da ended the rendition by rolling on the floor, much to the delight of viewers.
The singer was also known to modulate his voice to meld into the persona of the onscreen actor.
This was evident when Kishore Da implemented a soft tone for Rajesh Khanna while equally employing a baritone for Amitabh Bachchan.
Kishore Da also sang several songs with other singers of both sexes. He also sang a diverse array of numbers, ranging from peppy songs to qawwali, and ghazal.
In 1976, Kishore Da married for the third time to Yogeeta Bali. The marriage was short-lived, only lasting two years.
After divorcing Kishore Kumar, Yogeeta married Mithun Chakraborty, due to which the singer briefly stopped lending Mithun his voice.
However, Kishore Da and Mithun later reconciled.
In the 1970s, Kishore Da worked with several music composers including Laxmikant-Pyarelal, RD Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan, Rajesh Roshan, and Kalyanji-Anandji.
The 1980s: Final Years and Fourth Marriage
Kishore Kumar’s flame continued burning bright in the 1980s.
Mukesh passed away in 1976 while Mohammad Rafi died in 1980, leaving Kishore Da as the leading playback singer of Bollywood.
He carried on sweeping Filmfare Awards as the years progressed.
In 1985, he achieved the unusual feat of securing all the nominations in the category for his songs in Sharaabi (1984), ultimately winning for ‘Manzilen Apni Jagah Hai‘.
The 1980s was also the time when Kishore Da sang for the sons of the actors he previously lent his voice.
Examples are Suneil Anand (son of Dev Anand); Rajiv Kapoor (son of Raj Kapoor); Kumar Gaurav (son of Rajendra Kumar); Sanjay Dutt (son of Sunil Dutt) and Sunny Deol (son of Dharmendra).
In 1980, Kishore Da married for the fourth time. His wife in this marriage was the actress Leena Chandavarkar.
He had one son with Leena – Sumit Kumar, born in 1982.
On October 13, 1987, Kishore Kumar passed away due to a heart attack. Just the previous day, he had recorded his final song.
It was titled ‘Guru Guru‘ and was a duet with Asha Bhosle for the film Waqt Ki Aawaaz (1988).
Kishore Da’s death plunged the entire industry and millions of fans into mourning.
His funeral procession is thought to have attracted one of the largest crowds for an Indian film celebrity.
Kishore Kumar’s passing undoubtedly left a gaping hole in the Bollywood firmament.
A Legend Lives On
Many films featuring songs by Kishore Kumar were released after his death.
Some of these songs are ‘Rang Pyaar Ka Chadha Re Chadha‘ and ‘Badi Mushkil Mein Jaan Hai’.
In 1996, Kishore Da’s vocals from ‘Saala Main Toh Sahab Ban Gaya’ were used in Raja Hindustani.
This version was picturised on Aamir Khan.
Kishore Da had originally sung it for Dilip Kumar in Sagina (1974).
In the 2000s, a reality show called K for Kishore was presented to find a singer like Kishore Da.
The judges included Amit Kumar, Bappi Lahiri, and Sudesh Bhosle.
In 2017, Ranbir Kapoor revealed that he was supposed to play Kishore Da in the latter’s biopic, but the project was shelved due to a lack of permission from certain people.
Kishore Kumar undeniably is a highly influential figure in entertainment and music.
In his career, he sang over 2,600 songs.
His vibrant voice remains a source of inspiration for millions of fans.
The fact that he had no formal music training suggests his natural talent and infectious ability.
In the glistening world of Indian music, the name of Kishore Kumar will always shine in unparalleled glory.
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