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Kishore Kumar birth anniversary: From ‘no-singing for free’ to his love life; lesser-known facts of the legendary singer
Kishore Kumar is well loved for his soulful melodies as well as for giving character to songs through his comic timing. Even after almost 35 years since his death, he is still hailed as the supreme playback singer. Check out these lesser-known facts about the late superstar's life.
Kishore Kumar, the legendary singer
The multifaceted superstar Kishore Kumar is still famous for his melodic voice and renowned songs. With his timeless songs reaching the hearts of the Indian audience, Kishore Da established himself as a cult classic in the Indian entertainment business. Here are a few of the famous singer's lesser-known facts.
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His early life
Kishore Kumar was originally called Abhas Kumar Ganguly. Abhas was born to a Bengali brahmin family in 1929. He was the son of a lawyer, Kunjalal Ganguly, and his mother, Gouri Devi. He was the youngest of four siblings, Ashok, Sati Devi, and Anoop.Kishore's brother Ashok started acting in Hindi movies when he was still a child. Later, with Ashok's assistance, Anoop also went to the movies.,
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Entry into Bollywood
After Ashok Kumar had gained popularity, Abhas too arrived in Bombay and began working as a chorus singer at Bombay Talkies. His name was eventually changed to "Kishore Kumar.",Although his brother Ashok Kumar pushed him to pursue acting, Kishore Kumar never wanted to be an actor. His debut movie, "Shikari," came out in 1946. He entered the world of singing after this. Later, Madhubala and the three brothers appeared in the film Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi.
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His singing career
Despite not having any formal training, he performed his debut song, Marne Ki Duayen Kyon Mangu, for the movie Ziddi, and then finally settled in Bombay. Kishore Kumar was able to sing in Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Assamese, Malayalam, Oriya, and Kannada, just a few of the ten Indian languages that Kishore Kumar was able to sing in.He simultaneously sang the male and female playback versions of the song "Aake seedhi lage dil pe" from the film Half Ticket when Lata Mangeshkar was reported to have backed out at the last minute., ,Kishore Kumar was inspired by Danny Kaye, a Hollywood actor-singer, and also hung many of his posters in his house. However, it was SD Burman who gave Kishore the advice to create his own style after hearing him perform at Ashok's house in 1950. Kishore followed the advice of Tex Morton, a legendary New Zealand and Australian country music performer, and Jimmie Rodgers, an American vocalist, to develop his own, effervescent style.,
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The multifaceted personality
Kishore was also a writer, director, producer, screenwriter, music director, lyricist, and actor. He even directed a number of films, including Zindagi, Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi, and Door Wadiyon Mein Kahin.
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His marriage and personal life
Kishor Kumar was married four times. His wife, Ruma Guha, was a famous actress at the time, along with Madhubala, Yogeeta Bali, and Leena Chandavarkar. He converted to Islam when he married Madhubala and changed his name to Karim Abdul.His parents didn't attend the wedding, and in order to gratify Kumar's parents, the pair also held a Hindu ceremony. Their marriage was over when Madhubala passed away on February 23, 1969. Amit Kumar and Sumit Kumar were Kishore Kumar's two sons. They both compose songs and perform as playback vocalists.,
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His "no-singing for free" rule
It is reported that Kishore Kumar never performed for free. It has been generally stated that he frequently accepted payment in advance before singing. The "no-singing for free" rule of Kishore Kumar had a few exceptions. Rajesh Khanna and Danny Denzongpa were on the list. He even came to the sets once with half his make-up done when he did not get the full payment from the producer.
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Kishore Kumar: The loner
Speaking of his peculiarities, Kishore was a loner who chatted to trees frequently and was noted for having no friends. When a journalist once remarked on how lonely he must be, Kishore took the journalist to his yard and showed her his trees!,
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Kishore Kumar died of a heart attack
Kishore died of a heart attack in 1987 on his brother Ashok Kumar's 76th birthday. His remains were taken to Khandwa for cremation. The day before he passed away, Kishore had finished recording his final song, "Guru Guru," a duet with Asha Bhosle for the 1988 film Waqt Ki Awaz, written by Bappi Lahiri for Mithun Chakraborty and Sridevi.