Why Kishore Kumar Stands Out From Other Singers

Ravi Valluri

Gloom enveloped the world economy as markets tanked in 1929. Wall Street had collapsed and the Great Depression was declared officially. Elsewhere in the world, the BBC TV was launched formally.

Back home in India, there was the clarion call of Purna Swaraj at the Lahore session of the Congress. It was a momentous decision for Indians to strive for freedom and become suzerains by their volition and their own right.

Amidst all this cacophony, there were strains of harmony and symphony. Lata Mangeshkar, the mellifluous singer was born on 28 September 1929, in Indore and the euphonious songster Kishore Kumar arrived on 4 August that very year in Khandwa. Thus present day Madhya Pradesh has the unique distinction of becoming the cradle to two prominent, legendary and fabled singers of Indian cinema.

Kishore Kumar was born into a Bengali Brahmin family. His father, Kunjalal Ganguly was an estimable lawyer and mother Gouri Devi hailed from an opulent family.

Kishore Da, as he was affectionately referred to, was the youngest of four siblings. His oldest brother was the consummate trouper, Ashok Kumar who essayed riveting roles that fired the imagination of millions of Indians. Anup, another brother too forayed into tinsel world but with not much success. Sati Devi was the only sister.

Kishore Kumar was literally coerced to don the greasepaint and act, by his older sibling Ashok Kumar. But perhaps acting was not in his blood and he was to give a string of flops. In fact it is estimated that as many as 16 of his first 22 movies bombed at the box office. His maiden foray in front of the camera was in the film Andolan directed by Phani Mazumdar in 1951.

Kishore’s heart beat to be the mellifluent voice behind the actor. He was not a trained classical singer, yet this amazing talent immortalised innumerable songs which are crooned to this day.

This multifaceted artiste got his maiden opportunity to sing in the movie Ziddi, aeons ago in the year 1948. This opportunity to sing the song, ‘Marne Ki Duayen Kyon Mangoon’ was provided by music director Khemchand Prakash.

Kishore Kumar was enormously dexterous; he could seamlessly render any kind of song, without any formal training in the field of music. He was a trouper, script writer, lyricist, producer and director and possessed Mandrake like magic to conjure a plethora of tricks on the legion of his fans.

The talented playback singer was blessed with a soulful voice which enabled him to enrich the world of music through comic, melancholic, patriotic numbers and besides haunting romantic songs. “Humain Tumse Pyaar Kitna” left an indelible impression on the minds of cinema goers; “Aane wala Pal” from the movie Gol Mal, composed by RD Burman, resonates in the minds of listener’s to this day.

His vast repertoire, spanning four decades, illuminated the universe of cinema through enigmatic renditions. In a facile manner he skilfully rendered his voice to actors such as Dev Anand, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and the one man industry Amitabh Bachchan.

He wrote and directed “Chalti Ka Naam Gadi” in the year 1958 where the three brothers Ashok, Anup and Kishore along with the ethereal beauty Madhubala had audiences in splits. The artiste teamed up with Mehmood and Sunil Dutt and the prepossessing beauty Saira Banu to scorch Bollywood with “Padosan” in the year 1968.

A few years later it was the triumvirate of Kishore Kumar, Mehmood and Amitabh Bachchan which provided wholesale entertainment to audiences in form of Bombay to Goa in the year 1972. Kishore Kumar's numbers like “Meri Bheegi Bheegi Si,” “Jhoom Re Jhoom,” “Yeh Dosti” inspired a generation of singers and audiences.

Kishore Kumar was particularly fond of yodelling .This is an Australian form of music where gibberish and nonsensical words without any particular meaning are dovetailed with the song. Kishore Kumar with his sense of timing and rhythm could endlessly and incessantly yodle. The impact was nevertheless dramatic on scores of artistes. In particular Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan lip synced to these numbers with finesse much to the amusement of cine goers of various ages and classes.

Kishore Da could never be cast in the classical mould but instead he carved a remarkable niche for himself in the tinsel world. This exceptionally talented singer could render compositions in a facile manner in Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Malayalam and Urdu and of course Hindustani. Such was the repertoire and span of this quintessential tinder box exploding with talent that it left audiences gasping for breath.

The romantic Kishore Kumar married four times. Perhaps he was a restless soul. His wives were Ruma Guha Thakurta, the ethereal Madhubala, the voluptuous Yogita Bali and the enigmatic Leena Chandravarkar.

For his extraordinary contribution to Indian Cinema he was feted with 8 Filmfare Awards for best play back singer. And in the year 2012 his adieu song “Guru Guru” was auctioned at the Osions Cinefare auction. This song was recorded just a day before his tragic demise.

However, the artiste in him could never be caged and had an anti establishment streak, particularly during the Emergency. So much so, that his songs and movies were banned by Doordarshan, at that time the only television channel on the landscape.

It is indeed poignant that Kishore Kumar cast his mortal self on the birthday of his older brother Ashok Kumar, on 13th October 1987.

Such is the travesty and destiny of life.

Also Read:If You Are A Mohammed Rafi Fan, You Must Know This!