The traditional concept of a comedian has always been one of lowly stature, that of a sidekick. It was Kishore Kumar who successfully became Bollywood?s comic hero whose popularity relied primarily on his comic talents. Add to that his exceptional acting talent and miraculous singing voice and you have a performer who bordered on the genius. And like most geniuses he was notoriously eccentric! He lived life defying all norms.

Kishore Kumar was born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly on August 4, 1929, in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. He nurtured dreams of becoming a singer and following the footsteps of his idol K.L. Saigal. He used to diligently save his pocket money to buy Saigal?s records. Kishore started visiting his celebrated brother Ashok Kumar in Mumbai frequently in the optimism that he would introduce him to K.L. Saigal. But all his efforts to meet his idol were in vain.

It was not until 1948, that he got his first opportunity to sing ?Marne ki duayen kyon mangu? for Dev Anand in Ziddi (old) under the baton of Khemchand Prakash. It was Prakash who shaped the singing career of Kishore. Being an ardent admirer of K.L. Saigal, the song was sung in the style of the legend.

But in spite of Ziddi's success, Kishore found few offers forthcoming and did the odd singing assignment with bit roles making a rather tepid acting debut as hero in the forgettable Andolen (1951).

After his marriage to Ruma Devi resulted in a split in the family, Kishore approached S.D. Burman who had given him an opportunity in Pyar (1950) where interestingly he had sung for Raj Kapoor. Burmanda gave him the song Qusoor Aapka in Bahar (1951) which became a hit. As he got more singing assignments, he also began being offered leading roles in films.

Kishore was initially taken quite lightly as a singer and was given mainly lighter songs by Burmanda and other music directors. But with the soulful Dukhi Man Mere from Funtoosh (1956), Kishore was now taken seriously as a singer. Though he was formally untrained, he assimilated jazz-scat fragmented musical notes into a rhythmic sequence and once its beat was established, departed from the pattern and combined notes and words/ syllables into new kinds of musical harmony. And none could yodel better than he could!

he turning point came when S.D. Burman chose him to sing ?Roop Tera Mastana, pyar mera diwana? and ?Mere sapnon ki raani kab aayegi tu? for Rajesh Khanna in the super hit Aradhana(1969) And made Kishore the superstar singer of the seventies. The success of the film made Kishore the voice of Rajesh Khanna. But before Rajesh Khanna arrived on the scene S.D. Burman had made him the voice of Dev Anand with super hit music in films like Guide(1965), Jewel Thief(1967) and Paying Guest. Songs like ?Maana janab ne pukara nahin? and ?Gaata rahe mera dil? were evergreen hits.

R.D. Burman too had a lot of conviction in Kishore. He had seen Kishore imitate artistes like Bhimsen Joshi perfectly. His ability to imitate coupled with his tremendous voice and range gave him an edge over others. Which is why after the decline of Rajesh Khanna, R.D. Burman and the other composers were able to successfully exploit Kishore Kumar?s voice for the other superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Kishore sung some super hit songs for the big B in movies like Don(1976), Sharaabi, Mili and Amar Akbar Anthony the list is endless.

It was his ability to modulate his voice to suit the personality of his hero, and the ethos of the situation, was what made him a star. He was as much the voice of the dapper Dev Anand, the adorable Rajesh Khanna as well as the aggressive, angry young man Amitabh Bachchan.

Kishore reached his peak as an actor with the zany comedy Chalti ka Naam Gaadi (1958) which starred all the three Ganguly brothers and Madhubala. Kishore and Madhubala matched each other step for step in this comic caper with Burmanda composing such lighthearted ditties as Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka and Paanch Rupaiya Barah Anna.

After Kishore's marriage to Ruma Devi disintegrated, he married Madhubala. The two starred in Jhumroo (1961), which Kishore produced and directed. He also composed the music of the film. The riotous Half Ticket (1962) with the two of them saw Kishore at his madcap best impersonating a 12 year old!

Door Gagan ki Chaon Main (1964) further confirmed Kishore's acting talent as he scored heavily in a rather serious film. But the 60s also saw Kishore fall from grace as beset by tax problems he was reduced to doing B-films with the likes of Kum Kum. He had the odd singing assignment for Dev Anand in Guide (1965) and Jewel Thief (1967) but that was all.

But the heightened expectations of his fans of Kishore as a director were never fulfilled by his other films: Badhti Ka Naam Daadhi (1978), Zindagi (1981) or Door Wadiyon Mein Nahin. The last was another surprise from the singing, dancing, and vocal comic?a song less film.

As his fame grew so did stories of his eccentricities. He put up a board outside his house saying 'THIS IS A LUNATIC ASYLUM.' He reportedly spoke to his trees in his backyard addressing each by a special name. He zipped through a marriage with Yogita Bali which lasted just about a month and then married his fourth wife Leena Chandavarkar who was two years older than his son, Amit!

His childlike, guileless personality won him the friendship and admiration of many of his colleagues. Although he had the reputation of being a miser and encountered problems with income tax officials, he will always be remembered fondly. Kishore was extremely insecure. He was prankish but extremely sensitive and committed. Lata Mangeshkar?s description of Kishore Kumar fits him perfectly. She refers to Kishore as a ?Sampoorna Kalaakar? which means a complete artiste. His death on the 13th of October 1987 due to a major heart attack robbed the world of a great genius.

Thanks for that Nimii.

I heard an audio interview of Kishore with Amin Sayani.
He pretends to be in court and the judge asking him about his singing/acting career.
Kishore acting out both the judge and defendant, really funny and mentions most of the stuff in your post.



Also heard another very touching interview with Amin Sayani again, Kishore paying tribute to SD.Burman.
And then slowly sang….
Jeevan ke safar mein raahee.

Regards
Iqbal

Iqbal bhai,

Is that interview available anywhere for a small listen...?

Jai Gurudev

I like to think of myself as well-organized when it comes to office files, the home library, and my music collection. And it bugs me no end when I cannot find something I am looking for. My family has written me off as an incurable case of "obsessive compulsive disorder" --- but then, that's me.

My immediate "worry" is that I cannot find my copy of the biography of Kishore-da. I am now convinced someone borrowed it and failed to return it. (My copy of one of the biographies on Lata-ji has been to Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi and the USA).

It is a book written by an ardent fan (a Bengali gentleman). I don't remember the exact name of the book or the name of the author.

I wonder if any of you have a copy and can give me information about the publication, so that I can try and replace it.

Thanks --- Unni

Nimii:

(QUOTE) The only one I know of is by Kishore Valicha - The definitive Biography of Kishore Kumar. (UNQUOTE)

Neither the author's name or the book title rings a bell. Yes, it was written by a Bengali fan. And the book was in English --- maybe an English version of the one in Bengali.

No Unni I cant remember the name or the author

Lets wait for KCP bhai to return. He has the details with him

N