Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Yeh Vaada Raha Most romantic desi song ever. Yeh Vaada Raha Most romantic desi song ever. Category: Music Tags: Yeh Vaada Raha Tu Hai Wohi Dil Indian Bollywood Classic Hindi yeh wada raha ye wada raha ye vaada raha ye vada raha tu hai vohi dil ne jise apna kaha poonam dhillon tina munim rishi kapoor
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Music Industry remembers the ultimate singer – Kishore Kumar
New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS) His fans and music lovers went back in time as radio stations and TV channels played old melodies of Kishore Kumar, the versatile Indian singer-actor-director-composer who would have been 80 Tuesday.
Often called a genius, he held sway over Bollywood playback music for two decades and is remembered to this day for his ability ‘to create drama through singing’. No one has been able to take his place till date, say many in the industry.
Remembering him on his 80th birth anniversary, ace composer Anu Malek said: ‘His birthday is a very special day and emotional day for me. I believe that he was made of made of music. I had this great fortune to work with dada when I was growing as a composer. I did many songs with him and that was a great experience.’
Malek said he listened to some of his everlasting songs in the morning and plans to watch any of his best films on DVD.
‘He was a great soul…a man who was very romantic, emotional, loveable and adorable to the core. He was just plain honest. I can’t put what he meant to me in words. He was a family man and just like a father to me,’ Malek told IANS.
Born in Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, he was one of four siblings who included famous actors Ashok Kumar and Anup Kumar.kishore_kumar2
Despite not having any formal training, Kishore Kumar dominated the Indian film music scene from the 1950s to the 1970s, making people laugh and cry with his performances.
From fun numbers like ‘Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi’, ‘Mere samne wali khidki’, ‘Dekha na hai re’ to romantic songs such as ‘Pal pal dil ke paas rehti ho’, ‘Ye naina, ye kajal’ and ‘Roop tera mastana’ – he sang all kinds of songs.
He was a prolific vocalist and sang in many Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Malayalam and Oriya. He never shied away from experimenting, yoddling being one of the best examples of that.
He also achieved success as a lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter. Kishore famously acted in ‘Half Ticket’, ‘Padosan’, ‘Mr X in Bombay’, ‘Jhumroo’. He also wielded the megaphone for ‘Door Gagan Ki Chaon Mein’ ‘Door Ka Rahi’.
‘Kishore Kumar had this ability to create drama through his singing. He was one of those very few singers who had a certain amount of acting involved in their singing. With that he could easily create different characters and emotions through his voice, which was great. His singing was so effortless. People called him an Indian star but for me he was a world star,’ said lyricist Prasoon Joshi.
‘He was plain genious. I wish I had got the fortune of writing a few songs for him. He was so versatile,’ he added.
Kishore Da, as he was fondly called, has crooned evergreen songs like ‘Gata rahe mera dil’, ‘Ye dil na hota bechara’, ‘Zindagi kaisi hai paheli’, ‘Meet na mila re man ka’, ‘Aap ki ankhon mein’, ‘Khaike pan banaraswala’, ‘Pag ghungroo bandh’, ‘Sagar kinare’ and many more. He passed away at the age of 58 on Oct 13, 1987 and is survived by two sons and wife Leena Chandravarkar.
According to singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan, Kishore Kumar was an ardent K.L. Sehgal fan and had a god gifted voice.
‘I think the greatest musical talent that the indian film industry had produced ever is Kishore Kumar. His voice itself was a god given asset which did not require to have technical expertise, classical knowledge, etc. Only once in a million years can an artist like him be born,’ he said.
Even young and budding singers look up to Kishore Kumar and consider him their inspiration.
‘He is an ultimate performer, impeccable singer behind the mike, terrific professional and humour par excellence. A perfect artist with a blessed tone and unmatchable versatility. Nobody can be him. I am so inspired by him,’ said singer Akriti Kakkar.
Kishore Kumar, the only Genius I ever knew
When Pritish Nandy [ Images ] interviewed Kishore Kumar [ Images ] for The Illustrated Weekly of India, Asia's oldest and most venerable magazine, it was a stunner. Posing with a skull on the Weekly's cover, the great singer gave Nandy, the magazine's editor, an interview that remains a hallmark of great interviews 24 years later.
In this special feature, exclusive to rediff.com, on the occasion of Kishore Kumar's 80th birth anniversary, Nandy, now a movie-maker himself, salutes the genius's memory.
I first met Kishore Kumar when I went to ask him to perform for the Filmfare Awards night.
I had just come to Bombay in the winter of 1982 and taken over, among many other things at The Times of India , Filmfare magazine. I found the Awards ceremony in Shanmukhananda Hall awfully boring and couldn't keep my eyes open the first time we went to see it. Rina, my wife, kept pinching me to keep me awake.
Ashok Jain, who was then the chairman of The Times of India and had hired me, much against the wishes of many others, called me in the next morning and told me I must take charge of the Awards from the next year onwards and make them more exciting, get more stars to attend and participate in the event, and find a better sponsor who can give us the money for all this.
Among the first things I tried to do to make event more fun was to call on Kishore Kumar and persuade him to perform at the next Awards. He and I got on famously from our first meeting. Not because we were both Bengalis whose families could be traced back to Bhagalpur in Bihar, where our homes were almost contiguous, but because we bonded over horror movies, a rare passion in those days, which we both shared.
He promptly agreed to discuss the idea on three conditions: 1. I would not insist on staying back for dinner at his house, post our discussions, since dinner was an expensive proposition and much as he liked me he had no intention of feeding my face. 2. I would gift him a signed copy of my book of poems, Lonesong Street, which he claimed he had heard so much about, but had not read and had no intention of ever reading and 3. I would never ask him to lend me any of the horror movies in his collection nor try to borrow any money from him in the future which he claimed every journalist and everyone in the film industry had done at some time or the other.
I was barely 28. It was easy to agree. I said 1. Perfect, I had no intention of eating his stupid food and he could take it and stuff it wherever he wanted. 2. I would try and get him a copy of the book from Shanbhag at the Strand Book Stall who I knew had a few. 3. No sweat; his horror movies and his money were safe with him. I had no intention of getting within miles of either.
He smiled his strange smile and thus began our friendship on such firm ground. I must confess I stuck to all his three conditions and he was delighted to find someone from whom his money, his horror movie collection and his food was safe. I was also happy because I coveted none of them.
I enjoyed his company and found him absolutely delightful. I guess I was the only one because everyone else I knew thought he was a complete crackpot.
He was not. He was a genius and that is what I called him in the cover story I wrote on him in The Illustrated Weekly much later. In an industry of cracked people, he was possibly one of the sanest. He knew fully well what he wanted and there were only ten things in his cravings list. 1 to 8 was clearly money. 9 was fame and recognition. 10 was the love of beautiful women. But his problem was that he hated having to buy them expensive gifts. In fact, he hated having to spend money on them in any manner whatsoever. He would never buy them dinner, or so he claimed. He would never buy them any gifts. And, most important, he would never tell them where he stacked away his cash.
He advised me very seriously, I remember clearly: Never tell a woman, any woman, where your money is. Both will disappear at the same time, poof! I never asked him if that wisdom came from his personal experience. In fact, I never probed into his life at all. That strengthened the bond between us. We simply enjoyed each other's company. There were no strings attached.
Even to participate in the Filmfare Awards, he laid down three conditions: 1. His would be the Big, Big opening act of the show and the only one, after which the awards must be given out. 2. The show must be held outdoors on Chowpatty so that everyone could watch it on big screens put up on Marine Drive , not just the invited guests. 3. The Mangeshkar sisters should not be invited for the event because they were too famous and would distract attention away from him.
I agreed to the first condition and told him that the second one was subject to police and BMC (then the Bombay Municipal Corporation) permissions, which were turned down and the event never eventually happened as a consequence. The third condition I thought was silly and told him so.
He said he would think over it and promptly named three producers I must in that case not invite to the event.
It was always a question of give and take with him. Not as transaction, but as a game. If you wanted anything from him, you had to give him certain things in return. The stranger you made your conditions, the more he loved you.
Once he offered to come to my flat in Walkeshwar from his Juhu bungalow in a convertible wearing only a towel and yodelling all the way if I would cut an album of Angrezi songs with him. He demanded I should write the lyrics and he would get RD (R D Burman) to score the music. He would record the songs himself. I had already walked away from my poetry a couple of years earlier, in pursuit of serious journalism, and refused to indulge him. He sulked and sulked, but there were never any hard feelings.
In fact, our friendship was largely based on the fact that we really had nothing much to ask of each other. I was not making movies at that time. I was an editor and a journalist. He was a singer and an actor, director, story writer who loved his profession but did not enjoy the people he had to work with all the time. In fact, that was his perennial complaint.
He hated the movie industry. He thought they were all peculiar, matlabi people who he had to constantly war with to get his rightful dues. He kept complaining to me how his producers never paid him, how his music company never paid him, how his wives never paid him for the pleasure of his company.
Was he serious? I doubt it. He loved money, yes. And he loved talking about it. For his act in the Filmfare event, where he was supposed to land on Chowpatty airdropped by parachute from the sky, with his orchestra guys, he kept telling me how he wanted a Huge sum of money for the act. When it actually came down to numbers, what he asked for only Rs 50,000. Money was a tamasha for him and I think he really made fun of it by talking so much about it. He was spoofing the obsession that others in the movie and music industry had for money by talking about it non-stop.
He told me once how he had hidden all his cash away so cleverly that leave alone the income tax guys, even his family would never find it after his death. I told him that was a silly idea. But he was adamant that his money was his money and no one had a right to it, he would do exactly what he wanted with it. And every conversation between us, when it ended in an argument or a deadlock, he would start singing some cracked coded song which was my job to decipher.
Long before I met Dr Robert Langdon in the Da Vinci Code, I had met a man who enjoyed puzzling others with his strange symbology and cryptograms, all of which sounded totally weird and puzzling, but had actually perfectly intelligent solutions. He thought them up (or at least appeared to) on the spur of the moment and loved playing the Mad Hatter at Alice's tea party.
For me, Kishore never really passed away. It's impossible for a man like him to die because he personified life itself. I remember him often. I occasionally discover stuff I had written on him in the past, notes and scribbles he had sent me, his notations for his songs. Since he couldn't read music, he created his own set of notations and brilliantly explained to me one day how he used them. He dreamt of singing along with one of the great philharmonic orchestras one day. He wanted so desperately to cut an album of English songs so that the world outside would notice and remember his work. He wanted to be rich and famous, much more than he was. And he was eager to hide his wounds from everyone. He had many I suspect.
No, Kishore was not a lonely man at all as many said he was. He enjoyed solitude (that was another bond we shared) and had the supreme pleasure of having himself for company. He loved himself to death and enjoyed his own company so much that I would often marvel at his ability to find every joy within his own heart. He hated sharing anything with anyone. He felt he owed nothing to no one. He certainly owed me nothing but I saw tears of joy in his eyes when I told him that I had fought with Naushad on the jury for the Madhya Pradesh Government Culture Awards. (I think they call it by some other name these days) to make sure that he was the first popular singer that ever got the music award. Naushad angrily walked out of the jury meeting but, to my delight, my friend Kumar Gandharva fully backed me totally and so did Mani Kaul. The rest all fell into line.
The funny thing was that by the time Kishore actually got the award from the MP Government, on someone's bright idea, the award had been renamed the Lata Mangeshkar Award!
He almost cried on the phone when he told me that.
pritish nandi
In this special feature, exclusive to rediff.com, on the occasion of Kishore Kumar's 80th birth anniversary, Nandy, now a movie-maker himself, salutes the genius's memory.
I first met Kishore Kumar when I went to ask him to perform for the Filmfare Awards night.
I had just come to Bombay in the winter of 1982 and taken over, among many other things at The Times of India , Filmfare magazine. I found the Awards ceremony in Shanmukhananda Hall awfully boring and couldn't keep my eyes open the first time we went to see it. Rina, my wife, kept pinching me to keep me awake.
Ashok Jain, who was then the chairman of The Times of India and had hired me, much against the wishes of many others, called me in the next morning and told me I must take charge of the Awards from the next year onwards and make them more exciting, get more stars to attend and participate in the event, and find a better sponsor who can give us the money for all this.
Among the first things I tried to do to make event more fun was to call on Kishore Kumar and persuade him to perform at the next Awards. He and I got on famously from our first meeting. Not because we were both Bengalis whose families could be traced back to Bhagalpur in Bihar, where our homes were almost contiguous, but because we bonded over horror movies, a rare passion in those days, which we both shared.
He promptly agreed to discuss the idea on three conditions: 1. I would not insist on staying back for dinner at his house, post our discussions, since dinner was an expensive proposition and much as he liked me he had no intention of feeding my face. 2. I would gift him a signed copy of my book of poems, Lonesong Street, which he claimed he had heard so much about, but had not read and had no intention of ever reading and 3. I would never ask him to lend me any of the horror movies in his collection nor try to borrow any money from him in the future which he claimed every journalist and everyone in the film industry had done at some time or the other.
I was barely 28. It was easy to agree. I said 1. Perfect, I had no intention of eating his stupid food and he could take it and stuff it wherever he wanted. 2. I would try and get him a copy of the book from Shanbhag at the Strand Book Stall who I knew had a few. 3. No sweat; his horror movies and his money were safe with him. I had no intention of getting within miles of either.
He smiled his strange smile and thus began our friendship on such firm ground. I must confess I stuck to all his three conditions and he was delighted to find someone from whom his money, his horror movie collection and his food was safe. I was also happy because I coveted none of them.
I enjoyed his company and found him absolutely delightful. I guess I was the only one because everyone else I knew thought he was a complete crackpot.
He was not. He was a genius and that is what I called him in the cover story I wrote on him in The Illustrated Weekly much later. In an industry of cracked people, he was possibly one of the sanest. He knew fully well what he wanted and there were only ten things in his cravings list. 1 to 8 was clearly money. 9 was fame and recognition. 10 was the love of beautiful women. But his problem was that he hated having to buy them expensive gifts. In fact, he hated having to spend money on them in any manner whatsoever. He would never buy them dinner, or so he claimed. He would never buy them any gifts. And, most important, he would never tell them where he stacked away his cash.
He advised me very seriously, I remember clearly: Never tell a woman, any woman, where your money is. Both will disappear at the same time, poof! I never asked him if that wisdom came from his personal experience. In fact, I never probed into his life at all. That strengthened the bond between us. We simply enjoyed each other's company. There were no strings attached.
Even to participate in the Filmfare Awards, he laid down three conditions: 1. His would be the Big, Big opening act of the show and the only one, after which the awards must be given out. 2. The show must be held outdoors on Chowpatty so that everyone could watch it on big screens put up on Marine Drive , not just the invited guests. 3. The Mangeshkar sisters should not be invited for the event because they were too famous and would distract attention away from him.
I agreed to the first condition and told him that the second one was subject to police and BMC (then the Bombay Municipal Corporation) permissions, which were turned down and the event never eventually happened as a consequence. The third condition I thought was silly and told him so.
He said he would think over it and promptly named three producers I must in that case not invite to the event.
It was always a question of give and take with him. Not as transaction, but as a game. If you wanted anything from him, you had to give him certain things in return. The stranger you made your conditions, the more he loved you.
Once he offered to come to my flat in Walkeshwar from his Juhu bungalow in a convertible wearing only a towel and yodelling all the way if I would cut an album of Angrezi songs with him. He demanded I should write the lyrics and he would get RD (R D Burman) to score the music. He would record the songs himself. I had already walked away from my poetry a couple of years earlier, in pursuit of serious journalism, and refused to indulge him. He sulked and sulked, but there were never any hard feelings.
In fact, our friendship was largely based on the fact that we really had nothing much to ask of each other. I was not making movies at that time. I was an editor and a journalist. He was a singer and an actor, director, story writer who loved his profession but did not enjoy the people he had to work with all the time. In fact, that was his perennial complaint.
He hated the movie industry. He thought they were all peculiar, matlabi people who he had to constantly war with to get his rightful dues. He kept complaining to me how his producers never paid him, how his music company never paid him, how his wives never paid him for the pleasure of his company.
Was he serious? I doubt it. He loved money, yes. And he loved talking about it. For his act in the Filmfare event, where he was supposed to land on Chowpatty airdropped by parachute from the sky, with his orchestra guys, he kept telling me how he wanted a Huge sum of money for the act. When it actually came down to numbers, what he asked for only Rs 50,000. Money was a tamasha for him and I think he really made fun of it by talking so much about it. He was spoofing the obsession that others in the movie and music industry had for money by talking about it non-stop.
He told me once how he had hidden all his cash away so cleverly that leave alone the income tax guys, even his family would never find it after his death. I told him that was a silly idea. But he was adamant that his money was his money and no one had a right to it, he would do exactly what he wanted with it. And every conversation between us, when it ended in an argument or a deadlock, he would start singing some cracked coded song which was my job to decipher.
Long before I met Dr Robert Langdon in the Da Vinci Code, I had met a man who enjoyed puzzling others with his strange symbology and cryptograms, all of which sounded totally weird and puzzling, but had actually perfectly intelligent solutions. He thought them up (or at least appeared to) on the spur of the moment and loved playing the Mad Hatter at Alice's tea party.
For me, Kishore never really passed away. It's impossible for a man like him to die because he personified life itself. I remember him often. I occasionally discover stuff I had written on him in the past, notes and scribbles he had sent me, his notations for his songs. Since he couldn't read music, he created his own set of notations and brilliantly explained to me one day how he used them. He dreamt of singing along with one of the great philharmonic orchestras one day. He wanted so desperately to cut an album of English songs so that the world outside would notice and remember his work. He wanted to be rich and famous, much more than he was. And he was eager to hide his wounds from everyone. He had many I suspect.
No, Kishore was not a lonely man at all as many said he was. He enjoyed solitude (that was another bond we shared) and had the supreme pleasure of having himself for company. He loved himself to death and enjoyed his own company so much that I would often marvel at his ability to find every joy within his own heart. He hated sharing anything with anyone. He felt he owed nothing to no one. He certainly owed me nothing but I saw tears of joy in his eyes when I told him that I had fought with Naushad on the jury for the Madhya Pradesh Government Culture Awards. (I think they call it by some other name these days) to make sure that he was the first popular singer that ever got the music award. Naushad angrily walked out of the jury meeting but, to my delight, my friend Kumar Gandharva fully backed me totally and so did Mani Kaul. The rest all fell into line.
The funny thing was that by the time Kishore actually got the award from the MP Government, on someone's bright idea, the award had been renamed the Lata Mangeshkar Award!
He almost cried on the phone when he told me that.
pritish nandi
Kishore Kumar: Outlier of the Hindi cinema
According to Malcolm Gladwell, who has written the Book Outlier, which has given a new dimension to the manner in which persons can be analyzed, an Outlier is a person who for one reason or another, is so accomplished and so extraordinary and so outside of ordinary experience that they are an enigma to themselves as to the outside world. Kishore Kumar is one such luminary of the Indian cinema who perfectly fits into the category of the Outlier. Here was a singer who wrote a new chapter in the world of playback singing making all the nuances stand on their head.
Born as Aabhas Kumar Ganguly, Kishore Kumar began his singing career by trying to emulate the voice of Kishore Kumar but he really came into his own element when Sachin Dev Burman took him under his wings and made him the de-facto voice of Dev Anand. As a matter of fact the urban, carefree image that Dev Anand could project through the score of characters that he enacted in the Hindi cinema, obtained the success owing to the mesmerizing voice of Kishore Kumar. Be it "Jeevan ke safar mein Rahi, or "Hum Hain Rahee Pyar Ke", all these songs were able to establish Dev Anand as an urban hero and the element of urbanity got its signature expression through the silken voice of Kishore Kumar. Along with this Kishore Kumar also enacted in various films and gave Hindi cinema songs of hope and brought into light the element of sensitivity in the soul. The song "Aa chal Ke Tujhe" from DOOR GAGAN KI CHAAV MEIN, is one of the most evocative songs that a father could sing to a child in his growing years. Or for that matter "Hawaon pe likh do" another song of hope that does not have parallels, from the film DO DOONI CHAAR, which was set to music by another singer and music director, Hemant Kumar. It was also one of the rare instances where Hemant Kumar had another male playback singer when he himself was giving the music, and a salute to the prowess of Kishore Kumar.
Another facet of Kishore Kumar which no other singer could emulate was in singing the teasing songs being sung for the beloved, be it "Nakhre Wali", or " Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhagi see" or Meri Samne Waali Khdiki Mein", the amount of innocent tease that he could bring in the rendition of the song, without taking recourse to shifting to high octaves, was a feat nobody else has been able to match so far. It was manifest from the zest that Kishore Kumar had for life and the humorous manner in which he tackled life. The same amount of naughtiness he could bring about with the equivalent panache in the duets that he sung and the examples include: Chod Do Aanchal Zamana Kya Kahega, Aasma ke neeche, etc., which still are the swan songs for the lovers across generations in spite of scores of new songs popping up, for the sheer innocent tease that Kishore could bring into his rendition.
It also is one of the poignant facts of the Hindi cinema that though Kishore Kumar was amongst the numero uno singers of the country, the official recognition for him came only when he was awarded the Filmfare Award in 1969. But once the trend of awarding him started, even the officials seemed to have realized there folly, as Kishore Kumar continued to be bestowed with one award after the other till he left for the heavenly abode in 1987.
While S D Burman provided him the real grounding to develop his vocal faculty, it was when he started singing under the baton of Pancham aka R.D. Burman that he really came into his own. Pancham was able to tap his multidimensional prowess to the hilt. SO we had on the one side the idiosyncratic Kishore Kumar in PADOSAN singing Mere Samne waali and Ek Chatur Naar, on the other hand, the romantic Kishore was also manifest in Kehna Hai. While he sang the songs of ARADHANA in the early seventies, and mesmerized the nation with his faculties, even to this day, when one wishes to express romance for a beloved, the search stops with the songs of Kishore Kumar. So diverse is his oeuvre that expression of love in all its multi-faceted dimensions find expression through scores of songs that he sung.
Were it not for his voice, a Rajesh Khanna may not been become a phenomenon, or an Amitabh Bachchan may not become one of the most intense romantics that he appeared in the later stages. A voice of Kishore Kumar even on other actors provided booster shots to their careers, and the example of Rakesh Roshan, Vijay Arora, proves the point to the hilt. He is also one of the rare singers who even sang for his elder brother Ashok Kumar and the naughtiness of elders trying to woo young girls of the likes of Rati Agnihotri comes out in an impacted manner in the song "Jab Bhi Koi Kangana Bole", from the film SHAUKEEN.
Reams can be written about his prowess as he is a genius who rarely walks on this earth and there have been n-number of clones that have tried to emulate him but nobody has been able to cast even a pale shadow on the magic of Kishore Kumar. If love is to be expressed, it can only get expressed through music, and in India there is no parallel to the voice of Kishore Kumar to express it. So let the music play on, as William Shakespeare had said.
Kishore Kumar would've been a hit even today'
Mumbai, Aug. 4 -- Versatile singer Kishore Kumar would have celebrated his 79th birthday Monday, had he been alive. And the film fraternity believes the singer-actor would have been a hit with audiences even today.
Most Bollywood personalities agree that Kishore Kumar was ahead of his time. Even the new generation of singers and composers think so.
"I often wonder how Kishore Kumar, who innovated so much in his time, would have would have innovated today in Bollywood film music,
Kishore and Geeta
ere is about the melodious duo who gave some of the most memorable ‘zara sa hatke songs’ even though they belonged to a time when such songs were not accepted!
Geeta Dutt and Kishore Kumar, just think about this combination. Well well..some one can say, nah don’t even bring that up. How many do they have together? Just 13, is that what the count is? What you gonna be writing or discussing about it. This ruffles dust sitting atop management related discussion narrated in one of the top business schools. Discussion in the class was to sell shoes in sub Saharan African country. Well no one in that area wore shoes. So one management aspirant said, nah, can’t do. Other said, wow, what an opportunity, no one wears shoes there what more can one ask for.
Same goes here too. One might just pass duets by these two singers altogether but hold that thought. Just listen to them, if not all then how about, half ticket song or song from Jaalsaaz. One really has to ponder after listening to these two songs what they really bring to the ever growing wide spectrum of Hindi film playback singing. Just consider a band in this spectrum that deals with nook jhook or discussive singing so to say. What does one feel after listening to these two songs? Doesn’t one get feeling that this genre is home to them or they are primitive constituent that forms this very band in this spectrum? Thinking that this is one really easy genre will be transgressional. No, it’s not easy. Giving a smooth ride wave form or a tot’s slide to a debate is never an easy task. Listen to oomph in her voice when she sings.. aakhon mai tum… maano ke na maano.. Voice holds seduction and can beat “the” best Merlot of Bordeaux any day any time. Kishore compliments by his mischievous sarcastic laughter by saying,….. hee hee heee kab se yeh dil tumhara.. jaano ken a jaano. Together they brought life and gave new dimension of nook-jhoonk singing. How can one best define nook-joonk but for this. This is it, it doesn’t get any better. They had that chemistry to do it.
Now coming back to the song that rubbed Indian censors in wrong way. The song from Jaal Saaz… jab jab tujh ko chhuha… wow… another song that gets engraved in that very band of HFM spectrum. It’s her voice that gives vitality to words…taar nahi bijli ka mai hun eek ladki. Imagine lyrics from aye ganpat song…
Bipasha mallika pankaiya cashwarya rai,
Jaye saali ja ke jahan marzi maraye,
Yash chopra subhash ghai apni picture banaye,
Apun ko kya lena dena jaise paise kamaye …
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great song but compare above song to lyrics of …jab jab tujh ko chhuha … jaise koi eek baar chu le bijli ka taar.. current current… …. What made former sail through and latter get entangled in realms of mighty Censors? Did this song cross that seductive limit? What made this song to be one that had far extending Roche limit by any means? A fear that grappled censors that this has far extending roche Limit. It wasn’t in lyrics, it was in singing and that is the underlying reason. It was how that was presented. It all comes back to one thing, Seduction is in the Voice.
We Miss You Kishoreda...
A special day dawns on yoodleeyoo every year on August 4, when all Kshore fans from all over the world remember him fondly!
We bring you simple pleasures of knowing Kishore - a touch of class and a different angle.
The Divine Voice of ‘Devotional ‘ Kishore--------------------------------
Kishore Kumar is considered to be a “versatile genius” with so many outstanding facets of his artistic personality. If overall as an artist, Kishore is versatile, only in singing domain he is a “versatile singer” in a true nature. Right from romantic to sad to soulful to motivating to semi-classical to qawwali to patriotic and to ghazals, Kishore had shown his tremendous variety in his god-given voice each and every time he had stood behind the microphone.
Here we discuss, yet another interesting genre of songs from Kishoreda - devotional songs - where he, as always, did tremendous perfection in singing, although he remained underrated always.
Kishoreda’s first true devotional song was “Leela Aparampar prabhuji teri leela aparampar” which he sang in the movie, Humsafar(1953). The song was composed by the maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan sahib. The song requires extensive voice modulation and Kishore sang the song with great feeling. The antara where he goes up with “ O neele ambar pe basaria, teri jay jaykaar…,” the feeling touches hearts.
Next came the classic “Haal tujhe apni duniya ka nazar to aata hoga” from Asha(1957). Composed by one of Kishore’s earliest admirers, C Ramchandra, the song is different, as now, Kishore is complaining to the Almighty for all the misdoingd on planet earth. His voice carries the grief and complaint and very “open throated”.. with “ Maalik tu bhi isko banaake ab pachhtata hoga…” truly depicts a person’s disappointment which he keeps in front of the god,,,
One of my most favourite devotional song from Kishore was in Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein(1964)- a song which he himself composed and sang alongwith Manna De. The song “O jag ke rakhwale humein tujh bin kaun sambhaale” is very soulful and touches heart immediately with the divine tune.. Manna starts the song with chorus and Kishore enters very late and immediately leaves a heavy impact with “Kiya sab kuchh tere hawaale, o jag ke rakhwale”.. Manna reportedly praised Kishore openly for the composition as well as the rendition… Shows again, the genius of that man- Kishore Kumar!
Kishore sang many devotional songs in the 70s, when he was on the top spot in playback singing. Chhoti Bahu(1971) saw Kishore rendering “Hey re kanhaiya, kisko kahega tu maiyya..” composed by his long time associates Kalyanji-Anandji.. The song depicts the dilemma of young Kanhaiyya, as he was born in Devki’s house but brought up in Yashda’s home and finding it difficult whom he should call “his actual mother”.. “Jisme tujhko janam diya ya jisne tujhko pala…”, very simple lyrics and simple tune and Kishore’s “open voice” makes this song very close to heart..
“Ram ka naam badnaam na karo..” is perhaps the most popular devotional song of Kishore which he sang in Hare Rama Hare Krishna(1971) under Rahul Dev Burman. Youth getting astray are motivated by Kishore with the “tyaag” and “dharma” of Rama and Krishna here with a voice “pioneering” and “comforting”.. The feelings which he brings here also makes the song memorable and timeless. “Ram ko samjho, Krishna ko jaano, neend se jaago o mastano..”, Kishore calls the youth to follow the “true path”of Almighty to come out of darkness.
Mere Jeevan Sathi(1972) is mainly rememberd for the romantic songs of Kishore for Rajesh Khanna, but the song “Aao kanhai mere dham” is very special for those who love Bhajans.. The true passion and anxiety of a bhakt for not getting the darshan of Lord Krishna, is reflected in the anxious voice of Kishore “dekho ho gayi shaam”… Composed by Rahul Dev Burman- a truly sublime bhajan for Kishore..
Naya Din Nayi Raat(1974) saw this time Laxmikant Pyarelal turning to Kishore for a nice melodious and simple Krishna vandana in terms of “Krishna Krishna bolo Krishna…”, influenced by Bengali kirtan- with proficient usage of the instrument “khol”. The song was sung very melodiously by the two legends- Kishore and Lata and is even popular to this day!
In 1974, the newcomer music director Rajesh Roshan handed Kishoreda a very high pitch beautiful devotional number “Jai Bholenath Jai Ho Prabhu” in the movie “Kunwara Baap” where Kishore sang as many as 4 songs … Although, the song might not have left too much of an impact as a “devotional song” in the mind of the audience, it is very much a memorable and a very melodious song of Kishore and Lata..
But the best was yet to come!! Laxmi-Pyare turned again to Kishore with “Prem ka rog laga mujhe yeh”- a classic devotional song on a semi-classical note in Do Premee(1980)! All the three antaras were different from one another and the note changes were complex!! With lot of vigour in his voice, Kishore sang like a truly “magan” bhakta in “Yeh kaanton ke haar hai saare , murari..” This song is still a showcase of Kishore’s multi layered voice!!
The next considerable devotional song was “Bhole O Bhole” from Yarana(1981) composed by Rajesh Roshan, may not be called a “true devotional song” in a proper sense, but had the essence of a troubled mind addressing the God.
The last significant bhajan by Kishore was in Swami Dada(1982) for Rahul Dev Burman with “Ek roop kayin naam man mandir tera dham..”.. Again a simple tune sang with lot of emotions… But bhajans were scarce those days in Hindi Cinema, and this song remained the “swan song” for Kishore as far as devotional songs are concerned…
In 1986, recovering a heart attack, Kishore recorded his last Rabindrasangeet album (Bangla) with music arrangement of his another true admirer- Hemant Kumar.. The typical low note devotional Rabindrasangeet “ Klanti aamaar khama koro prabhu…” (Please forgive my tireness, O Lord..), according to me, is the best devotional song of Kishore …
A man of many moods, Kishore truly proved his versatility in all genres of singing.. Although, his devotional songs cannot fall in the same category of “Man tarapat hari darshan” or “Sukh ke sab saathi”, but the glimpse of his great talent cannot be overlooked in all the devotional songs he had sung!! A truly “divine” voice!
Kishore Kumar---a versatile singer
kishor kumar was a veratile singer.Kishore Kumar, also considered as a legend in Hindi film world, excelled not only as a playback singer but also as an actor, director, producer, composer, lyrics writer, and script writer.
Kishor Kumar, lovingly called as Kishore Da, was one of those very few singers who experimented with various styles of music. He proved his versatility in all genres of singing, including semi classical, sad, soulful, motivating, “qawwali”, “ghazals”, and patriotic.
It is interesting to know that in Hindi film industry
, Kishore Kumar yodeling became widely popular. Moreover, he was a creative vocalist and sang in several Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Malayalam and Oriya.
Kishor Kumar had a tremendous ability to transform his voice according to the scene as well as according to the actor. This was something truly incredible of Kishore Kumar. He had sung many fun filled songs for Rajesh Khanna, plus soulful songs for Dev Anand and many other leading actors of that era.
Furthermore, the Kishore Kumar songs have an amazing blend of emotions, naughtiness, romance, and even melancholy. From fun tracks, such as “Mere samne wali khidki”, “Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi” and “Dekha na hai re” to romantic numbers like “Roop tera mastana”, “Ye naina, ye kajal” and “Pal pal dil ke paas rehti ho”--- he sang all kinds of songs.
Some evergreen Kishore Kumar hits include: “Ye Jeevan hai”, “Jeevan ke safar main rahi”, “Meet naa mila re man ka”, “Aa Chal ke tujhe main le ke chaloo”, “Chingari koi bhadke”, “Tere jaisa yaar kaha”, and “Dil kya kare”.
If you are an ardent fan of Kishore Kumar and want to listen to and watch his mesmerizing songs, get online. On the internet, you will come across many websites offering you to watch Kumar songs for free.
kishor da
Kishore Kumar (Bengali:কিশোর কুমার, Hindi: किशोर कुमार) (August 4, 1929 – October 13, 1987) was Indian film playback singer and actor. Along with Mukesh and Mohammed Rafi, he dominated Indian film playback music from the 1950s to late 1980s. Kumar also achieved notable success as a lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.
Kishore Kumar was a prolific vocalist and sang in many Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Malayalam and Oriya. He was a maverick of sorts for lending his voice to songs that did not conform to the norms of the day.
In October 1987, he died following a massive heart attack. He had been married four times and is survived by his two sons Amit Kumar, who made his career in playback singing in Bollywood and Bengali films, and Sumit Kumar.
Early life
Kishore Kumar, called Abhas Kumar Ganguly in his childhood, was born in a Bengali family in the Khandwa town of Central Provinces and Berar, British India (now in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh).His real name is Abhas Kumar Ganguly. His father Kunjalal Ganguly was a lawyer and his mother Gouri Devi came from a wealthy family. Kishore Kumar was the second youngest of four siblings, the other three being Ashok Kumar (the eldest), Sati Devi, and Anoop Kumar. While Kishore Ganguly was still a child, Ashok Kumar became a popular Bollywood actor. Later, Anoop Kumar also ventured into cinema with the help of Ashok Kumar. Spending time with his brothers, Kishore Kumar too started to take a keen interest in movies and music. He became a fan of singer-actor Kundan Lal Saigal (whom he considered his guru and tried to follow his singing style till the end of his life.Leena chandravarkar his wife said in an interview that Kishore would listen only to Guruji and would ask her listening to his own songs that "Leena in this mukhda do i not sound like Guruji").
Career
After Ashok Kumar became a Bollywood star, the Ganguly family used to visit Mumbai regularly. Abhas Kumar changed his name to Kishore Kumar and started his cinema career as a chorus singer at Bombay Talkies, where his brother worked. His first film as an actor was Shikari (1946), in which Ashok Kumar played the lead role. Music director Khemchand Prakash gave him a chance to sing the song Marne ki duayen kyon mangu for the film Ziddi (1948). After this, Kishore Kumar got many other assignments, but he was not very serious about a film career.[1] In 1949, he decided to settle in Mumbai.
Kishore Kumar played hero in the Bombay Talkies film Andolan (1951), directed by Phani Majumdar. Although Kishore Kumar got some assignments as an actor with help of his brother, he was more interested in becoming a successful singer. He was not interested in acting, but his elder brother Ashok Kumar wanted him to be an actor like himself.[2]
He starred in Bimal Roy's Naukri (1954) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's directorial debut Musafir (1957). Salil Chowdhury, the music director for Naukri was initially dismissive of him as a singer, when he came to know that Kishore Kumar didn't have any formal training in music.[3] However, after hearing his voice, he gave him the song Chhota sa ghar hoga, which was supposed to be sung by Hemant Kumar.
[edit] Rise to fame
After facing difficulties in the initial stage of his acting career, Kishore Kumar achieved success as a comic hero with movies like New Delhi (1957), Aasha (1957), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Jhumroo (1961), Half Ticket (1962), and Padosan (1968). Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, his home production, starred the three Ganguly brothers, and Madhubala. The film is about romance between a city girl (Madhubala) and a car mechanic (Kishore Kumar), with a subplot involving eccentric brothers.
Music director S. D. Burman is credited with spotting Kishore Kumar's talent as a singer, and advancing his singing career. During the making of Mashaal (1950), Burman visited Ashok Kumar's house, where he heard Kishore imitating K. L. Saigal. He complimented Kishore, but also told him that he should develop a style of his own, instead of copying Saigal.[2] Kishore Kumar did not have a formal training in music.[4] He kept Burman's advice in mind, and eventually developed his own style of singing, which prominently featured the yodeling that he had heard on some records bought by his brother Anoop[citation needed] .
Though it was Mohammed Rafi who introduced yodeling in Hindi cinema as a playback, Kishore Kumar made yodeling his trademark. Kishore kumar yodeled in songs such as Main Hoon Jhumroo and Thandi Hawa Yeh Chandni from Jhumroo, Nakhrewali from New Delhi, Tum Bin Jaoon Kahan from Pyar Ka Mausam, and Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana from Andaz (1971), Thodi Si Jo Pi Lee Hai from Namak Halal (1982) are excellent examples of yodeling.
Kishore Kumar was a rebellious singer. He sang in unorthodox style and created a style of his own very much different from the singing style of playback singers of his era and even the post Kishore era[citation needed] . He rarely did alaps in aa aa but used he ha ha. He practised taan very rarely, but took subtle variations as demonstrated in the songs Jab Bhi Koi Kangana Bole and Aankhon Mein Humne Aapke Sapne Sajaye Hain.
S. D. Burman recorded with Kishore for Dev Anand's Munimji (1954), Taxi Driver (1954), House No. 44 (1955), Funtoosh (1956), Nau Do Gyarah (1957), Paying Guest (1957), Guide (1965), Jewel Thief (1967), Prem Pujari (1970), and Tere Mere Sapne (1971). He also composed music for Kishore Kumar's home production Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958). Some of their initial hits included Maana Janaab Ne Pukara Nahin from Paying Guest, Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke from Nau Do Gyarah (1957), Ai Meri Topi Palat Ke Aa from Funtoosh, and Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si and Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958). When S. D. Burman was not on good terms with Lata Mangeshkar during 1957-62, he gave patronage to her younger sister, Asha Bhosle[citation needed] . The Asha Bhosle-Kishore Kumar duets composed by S. D. Burman also became very popular. Some of these include Chhod Do Aanchal from Paying Guest (1957), Ankhon Mein Kya Ji from Nau Do Gyarah (1957), Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka and Paanch Rupaiya Baara Aana from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Chhedo Na Meri Zulfein from Ganga Ki Lahren (1964), and Arre Yaar Meri Tum Bhi Ho Gajab from Teen Deviyan (1965).
C. Ramchandra was another music director who recognized Kishore Kumar's talent as a singer.[3] One of the most popular C. Ramchandra-Kishore Kumar hits is Eena Meena Deeka from Aasha (1957). Kishore Kumar also gave a few hit songs with other music directors; for example, Nakhrewaali from New Delhi (1956) by Shankar Jaikishan, and C.A.T. Cat Maane Billi and Hum To Mohabbat Karega from Dilli Ka Thug (1958) by Ravi.
Kishore Kumar produced, directed, and acted in the film Jhumroo (1961). He wrote the lyrics for the title song, Main Hoon Jhumroo, and composed music for all the songs in the film. Later, he produced and directed the serious film Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein (1964). He also wrote the script and composed music for the film. The film is based on the relationship between a father (Kishore Kumar), and his deaf and mute son (played by his real-life son, Amit Kumar). The movie achieved critical success, which perhaps motivated him to make another two films called Door Ka Rahi (1971) and Door Waadiyon Mein Kahin (1980).
In the 1960s, as an actor, Kishore Kumar built up a notoriety for coming late for the shootings, or bunking them altogether.[5]. His films flopped frequently, and he also landed in income tax trouble.[2] As a singer, he had some hit songs to his credit, including Zaroorat Hai Zaroorat Hai from Manmauji (1961), Gaata Rahe Mera Dil from Guide (1964), and Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechara from Jewel Thief (1967).
In the late 1960s, S. D. Burman's son, Rahul Dev Burman started patronising Kishore Kumar.
Rise as the popular playback singer
In 1969, Shakti Samanta produced and directed the film Aradhana, for which the music was composed by S. D. Burman. S. D. Burman fell ill after recording some duet songs with Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosale, Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. Afterwards, his son and assistant R. D. Burman took over the recording. R. D. Burman got Kishore Kumar to solo sing the songs Mere Sapno Ki Rani and Roop Tera Mastana, which became smash hits. Kishore Kumar won his first Filmfare award for the song Roop Tera Mastana.
Kishore Kumar sang for all leading actors in 1970s, including Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Dev Anand, and Rishi Kapoor.
S. D. Burman and Kishore continued to churn out several hit songs together, including Phoolon Ke Rang Se and Shokhiyon Mein Ghola Jaaye from Prem Pujari (1969), Aaj Madhosh Hua Jaaye Re, Khilte Hain Gul Yahan and O Meri Sharmilee from Sharmilee (1971), Meet na mila from Abhimaan (1973), Pyaar Ke Is Khel Mein from Jugnu. In 1975, S. D. Burman composed his last song for Kishore Kumar. S. D. Burman went into a coma for the second time, soonafter Kishore recorded the song Badi Sooni Sooni Hai Zindagi for the film Mili.[3]
R. D. Burman considered Kishore Kumar his favorite singer, and recorded several hit songs with him in the 1970s. In the superhit Bollywood film, Sholay (1975), he asked Kishore Kumar to sing for both Dharmendra. Some of the popular Kishore Kumar-R. D. Burman songs include O Maajhi Re from Khushboo, Yeh Shaam Mastaani and Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai from Kati Patang (1971), Kuchh To Log Kahenge from Amar Prem (1972), Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aayi from Buddha Mil Gaya (1971), Musafir Hoon Yaaron from Parichay (1972), Diye Jalte Hain from Namak Haraam (1973), Meri Bheegi Bheegi Si from Anamika (1973), Zindagi Ke Safar Mein from Aap Ki Kasam (1974), Agar Tum Na Hote, Humein Tum Se Pyaar Kitna from Kudrat, Mere Naina Saawan Bhadon from Mehbooba, and Chingari Koi Bhadke (Amar Prem), Jab Bhi Koi Kangana from Shaukeen (1986). The song Humen Tumse Pyar Kitna is notable as Kishore Kumar has sung a light romantic version, while the classical "Thumri"-style version is sung by the famous classical singer Begum Parveen Sultana, but the light romantic version has received greater popular acclaim. R. D. Burman also recorded several hit duets pairing Kishore Kumar with Asha Bhosle and with Lata Mangeshkar. Some of these duets include Panna Ki Tamanna from Heera Panna (1973), Neend Chura Ke Raaton Mein from the film Shareef Budmaash, Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai from Sanjay Dutt's debut film Rocky (1981), Sagar Kinare from Sagar in [1985], Aap Ki Aankhon Mein Kuchh from Ghar, Jaane Ja Dhoondta and Nahi Nahi from Jawani Diwani, Kharoshoo from Harjai (1982).
Apart from the Burmans, Kishore Kumar worked with other major music directors as well. The composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal (L-P) also composed many hit songs sung by Kishore Kumar. Some of their hit songs include Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi from Mr. X In Bombay, Mere Naseeb Mein Aye Dost from Do Raaste, Yeh Jeevan Hai from Piya Ka Ghar, Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai from Daag: A Poem of Love, Nahi Mai Nahi Dekh Sakta from Majboor, Mere diwanepan ki bhi from Mehboob Ki Mehndi, Naach Meri Bulbul from Roti, Chal Chal Mere Haathi from Haathi Mere Saathi, Gaadi Bula Rahi Hai from Dost, Ruk Jaana Nahi from Imtihaan, Ek Ritu Aaye from Gautam Govinda, My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves from Amar Akbar Anthony Bahut Khoobsurat Jawan Ek Ladki from Dostana and Om Shanti Om as well as Paisa Yeh Paisa from Karz. L-P, whose favorite singer was Lata Mangeshkar, also composed several hit Kishore-Lata duets, including Achchha To Hum Chalte Hain from Aan Milo Sajna, Gore Rang Pe Na Itna from Roti, Main Solah Baras Ki from Karz, and Din Mahine Saal from Avtaar, Tu Kitne Baras Ki from Karz. L-P also got Kishore Kumar and Rafi to sing duets for the films Dostana, Ram Balram and Deedaar-E-Yaar. L-P composed a sizzling Rainy duet of Kishore Kumar with Alisha Chinoy, I love you (Kaate Nahin Katate Yeh Din Yeh Raat) from Mr. India in (1987). Salil Chowdhury recorded excellent and difficult songs like Koi Hota Jisko Apna from Mere Apne and Gujar Gaye Din Din from Annadata. Ravindra Jain recorded Ghungroo Ki Tarah, and the duet Tota Maina Ki Kahani from Fakira. Khaiyyaam recorded beautiful duets with Lata Mangeshkar such as Hazar Rahein from Thodisi Bewafai, Aankhon Mein Humne Aapke Sapne Sajaye Hain, Chandani Raat Mein Ek Bar. Hridaynath Mangeshkar recorded Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main from Mashaal. Kalyanji-Anandji recorded several hit songs with Kishore Kumar including Zindagi Ka Safar and Jeevan se na haar Jeenewale , from Safar, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas from Black Mail, Apne Jeevan Ki Uljhan from Uljhan, Mera Jeevan Kora Kagaz from Kora Kagaz, O Saathi Re from Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Khaike Paan Banaraswala from Don, Neele Neele Ambar Par from Kalakar and Pal Bhar Ke Liye from Johny Mera Naam.
The new composers such as Rajesh Roshan, Sapan Chakravarty (who had earlier worked as R. D. Burman's assistant), and Bappi Lahiri also worked with Kishore Kumar. Rajesh Roshan's first hit film Julie featured hit songs sung by Kishore Kumar, Bhool Gaya Saab Kuchh (duet with Lata Mangeshkar) and Dil Kya Kare Jab Kisise. Their other hits include Chhookar mere man ko from Yaarana , Tune Abhi Dekha Nahin from Do Aur Do Paanch and Kab Tak Andhere Man Ko Chhalenge from Baaton Baaton Mein. Bappi Lahiri also recorded many popular songs with Kishore Kumar, including Pag Ghunghroo from Namak Halal (1982), Manzilen Apni Jagah Hai from Sharaabi (1984) and Chalte Chalte Mere Ye Geet from Chalte Chalte (1976), Saason Se Nahi Kadmose Nahi from Mohabbat in (1987) and duets with (Lata Mangeshkar)) like Taa thaiya from Himmatwala in (1984), Albela Mausam from Tohfa in (1985) and another duet Pyar Ka Tohfa from the same film.
During the Indian Emergency, Sanjay Gandhi asked Kishore Kumar to sing for a Congress rally in Mumbai, but Kishore Kumar refused.[6] As a result, the Government put a ban on playing Kishore Kumar songs on the All India Radio or television.[7] But, Kishore Kumar refused to apologise. Finally, the ban was lifted after some prominent producers and directors lobbied against it. The Madhya Pradesh Government honoured him with the Lata Mangeshkar award and then renamed the coveted award as Kishore Kumar award thereafter.
Later years
Kishore Kumar produced and directed some movies in the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as Badhti Ka Naam Daadhi (1978), Zindagi (1981) and Door Wadiyon Mein Kahin (1980). But none of these films did well at the box-office. His last appearance as an actor was in Door Wadiyon Mein Kahin.
With patronage from R. D. Burman and Rajesh Roshan, Kishore Kumar's son Amit Kumar also became a leading Bollywood singer in the 1980s. Kishore Kumar also continuted singing for several actors. He also did some stage shows, apparently to earn money to pay his income tax arrears.[5]
Kishore Kumar stopped singing for Amitabh Bachchan in the mid-1980s, after Amitabh didn't do a guest appearance in a film produced by him but called a truce with him by singing for him in Toofan. He also temporarily stopped singing for the actor Mithun Chakraborty, after Yogeeta Bali divorced him and married Mithun. However, just like with Amitabh earlier, the two later put aside their differences as Kishore sang for him in many films like Disco Dancer, Muddat, Pyar Ka Mandir, and several others.
In mid-1980s, Kishore Kumar sang for Anil Kapoor in his Kapoor's debut film as a leading man, Woh Saat Din and also recorded for his first superhit Mr. India. He also recorded some popular songs for the film Saagar with R. D. Burman. By this time, he had decided to retire and was planning to go back to his birthplace, Khandwa.[5] However, on October 13 1987, he died of a heart attack in Mumbai. His body was taken to Khandwa for cremation. He recorded his last song a day before he died. The song was Guru O Guru, a duet with Asha Bhosle, for the film Waqt Ki Aawaz (1988) composed by Bappi Lahiri for Mithun Chakraborty. The leading female playback singer of 21st century Alka Yagnik first became popular when she sang the duet Tumse Badhkar Duniya Mein Na Dekha from Kaamchor in (1986).
Kishore Kumar's voice inspired many upcoming Bollywood singers, including Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet, Vinod Rathod and Babul Supriyo. After his death, many of his songs have been remixed or re-sung by several artists. The songs like Kab Tak Andhere Chalte Rahenge, Yeh Jeevan Hai, Zindagi Ka Safar, Aanewala Pal, Aa Chalke Tujhe are considered as milestones in singing. He was one of the highest paid male playback singers in Hindi Film Industry Bollywood from 1969 till his death in 1987. He has rendered some of the finest songs of his career in the later phase of his career notably, Neele Neele Amber Par from Kalakar in(1987) Humein Tumse Pyar Kitna from Kudrat, Zindagi Pyar Ka Geet Hai from Sautan, Zindagi Ki Yahi Reet Hai from Mr. India, O Yaara Tu Yaaron Se Hai Pyara and Lahron Ki Tarah Yaadein from Kash, Rah pe rahte hai from Namkeen, Bin Phere Hum Tere from Bin Phere Hum Tere from Bin Phere Hum Tere (1979), Maine Tumse Kuchh Nahi Manga from Katha in (1986), Saason se Nahi fom Mohabbat in (1987).
Kishore Kumar's song Pal Bhar Ke Liye from the film Johny Mera Naam (1970) was used in an episode of The Simpsons titled Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore[citation needed]. . His songs have also been featured in several films, including Such a Long Journey (1998) and Side Streets (1998). Sony TV organised the show K for Kishore to search a talent like Kishorekumar. The songs Dil Kya Kare and the toe-tapping number Dekha Na Haye Re Socha Na are very popular among young generation of 21st Century[citation needed].
[edit] Personal life
Kishore Kumar married four times. His first wife was Ruma Guha Thakurta aka Ruma Ghosh. Their marriage lasted from 1950 to 1958. Kishore Kumar's second wife was the famous actress Madhubala, who had worked with him on many films including his home production Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958). When Kishore Kumar proposed to her, Madhubala was sick and was planning to go to London for treatment. She didn't know about the condition that she was suffering from, and her father wanted her to wait and consult the London doctors first. Nevertheless, Madhubala married Kishore Kumar in 1960. Madhubala was a Muslim, and the two had a civil marriage,.[8]
His family was against the marriage, and the couple also had a Hindu marriage to please them, but Madhubala was not accepted by them. The doctors in London told Madhubala that she would not live for long. The marriage lasted for 9 years, and ended with Madhubala's death on February 23, 1969. Kishore Kumar's third marriage was to Yogeeta Bali, and lasted from 1976 to August 4, 1978. Kishore Kumar was married to Leena Chandavarkar from 1980 until his death.
Kishore Kumar had two sons, Amit Kumar (playback singer) with Ruma, and Sumit Kumar with Leena Chandavarkar.
Kishore Kumar is said to have been paranoid about not being paid.[1] During recordings, he would begin singing only after his secretary confirmed that the producer had made the payment.[9] Once, when he discovered that his dues hadn't been fully paid, he landed up for shooting with make-up on only one side of his face. When the director questioned him, he replied "Aadha paisa to aadha make-up." (Half make-up for half payment).[1] On the sets of Bhai Bhai, Kishore Kumar refused to act because the director M V Raman owed him five thousand rupees. His brother Ashok Kumar persuaded him to do the scene. But, when the shooting started, he walked across the floor and, each time he walked a few places, he said, "Paanch Hazzar Rupaiya," (five thousand rupees) and did a somersault. After he reached the end of the floor, he went out of the studio, jumped into his car, and ordered his driver Abdul to drive away.[10]
On another occasion, when the producer R. C. Talwar did not pay his dues in spite of repeated reminders, Kishore Kumar turned up at Talwar's residence one morning and started shouting "Hey Talwar, de de mere aath hazaar" ("Hey Talwar, give me my eight thousand"). He did this every morning for a few days, until Talwar paid him.[9]
The film Anand (1971) was originally supposed to star Kishore Kumar and Mehmood in the lead roles.[11] One of the producers of the film, N.C. Sippy, had earlier served as Mehmood's production manager. Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the director of the film, was asked to meet Kishore Kumar to discuss the project. However, when he went to Kishore Kumar's house, he was driven away by the gatekeeper due to a misunderstanding. Kishore Kumar (himself a Bengali) had done a stage show organized by another Bengali man, and he was involved in a fight with this man over money matters. He had instructed his gatekeeper to drive away this "Bengali", if he ever visited the house. When Hrishikesh Mukherjee (another Bengali) went to Kishore Kumar's house, the gatekeeper drove him away, mistaking him for the "Bengali" that Kishore Kumar had asked him to drive away. Consequently, Mehmood had to leave the film as well, and new actors (Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan) were signed up for the film.
In spite of his "no money, no work" principle, sometimes Kishore Kumar recorded for free even when the producers were willing to pay. He recorded for free, for some films produced by Rajesh Khanna and Danny Denzongpa.[12] On one occasion, Kishore Kumar helped actor-turned-producer Bipin Gupta, by giving him Rs. 20,000 for the film Dal Mein Kala (1964). When the little-known actor Arun Kumar Mukherjee died, Kishore Kumar regularly sent money to his family in Bhagalpur.[10] Mukherjee was one of the first persons to appreciate Kishore's singing talent.[10]
Many journalists and writers have written about Kishore Kumar's seemingly eccentric behavior.[13][14] Kishore Kumar had put a "Beware of Kishore" sign at the door of his Warden Road flat, where he stayed for some time while his bungalow was being done up. Once, the producer-director H. S. Rawail, who owed him some money, visited his flat to pay the dues. Kishore Kumar took the money, and when Rawail offered to shake hands with him, he reportedly put Rawail's hand in his mouth, bit it, and asked "Didn’t you see the sign?". Rawail laughed off the incident and left quickly.[10] Once, when a reporter made a comment about how lonely he must be, Kishore Kumar took her to his garden. He then named some of the trees in his garden, and introduced them to the reporter as his closest friends.[10]
According to another reported incident, once Kishore Kumar was to record a song for the producer-director G. P. Sippy. As Sippy approached his bungalow, he saw Kishore going out in his car. Sippy pleaded him to stop his car, but Kishore only increased the speed of his car. Sippy chased him to Madh Island, where Kishore Kumar finally stopped his car near the ruined Madh Fort. When Sippy questioned his strange behavior, Kishore Kumar refused to recognize or talk to him and threatened to call police. Sippy had to return. Next morning, Kishore Kumar reported for the recording. An angry Sippy questioned him about his behavior on the previous day. However, Kishore Kumar insisted that Sippy must have seen a dream, and claimed that he was in Khandwa on the previous day.[15]
Kishore Kumar was also noted for defying producers and directors. Once, a producer went to court to get a decree that Kishore Kumar must follow the director's orders. As a consequence, Kishore Kumar obeyed the director to the letter. He refused to alight from his car until the director ordered him to do so. Once, after a car scene in Mumbai, he drove on till Khandala because the director forgot to say "Cut".[10] In the 1960s, a financier called Kalidas Batvabbal, patently disgusted with Kishore Kumar's alleged lack of cooperation during the shooting of Half Ticket, gave him away to the income tax authorities. Kishore had to face a raid at his house. Later, Kishore invited Batvabbal home, tricked him by asking him to enter a cupboard for a "chat" and locked him inside. He unlocked Batvabbal after two hours and told him "Don’t ever come to my house again.
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