Kishore Kumar

Kishore Kumar was a well-known actor, musician, lyricist, producer, filmmaker, and scriptwriter. He was also one of the most prominent playback singers in Bollywood cinematic history. He's won plenty of accolades for his singing capabilities. He has performed in various languages, including Bengali, Assam, Marathi, Kannada, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Orissa, Malayalam, Urdu, and Bollywood movies. Read on to explore the biography of this legend in detail.

Early Life And Family

Kishore Kumar was born in Khandwa, in the tiny town of Madhya Pradesh, on August 4, 1929. His real name was Abhas Kumar Ganguly, and he belonged to a Bengali household. Kishore Kumar's father's name was Kunjilal Gangopadhyay, and he worked as an advocate. At the same time, his mother's name was Gauri Devi. Kishore Kumar was the youngest son, with two brothers and a sister. Anoop Kumar and Ashok Kumar were his brothers, while Sati Devi was his sister. Ashok Kumar has appeared in several Hindi films. With the help and support of Ashok Kumar, Anoop Kumar appeared in a few Bollywood films. Kishore Kumar developed an interest in movies and music while interacting with his siblings. He had been an outstanding actor, singer, and songwriter. He was a follower of KL Saigal. Kishore saw him as his inspiration and initially sang the songs in his style until Kishore found his own style.

Education

Kishore Kumar got his graduation degree from Christian College Indore. He left his further study in the middle to pursue his career in singing and landed in Mumbai. After coming to Mumbai, he made his career as a top professional and became one of the great singers and songwriters of all time.

Personal Life

Kishore Kumar has been married four times, and each of his wives was somehow involved in the film industry. Ruma Ghosh was his first wife'. Kishore wedded her in 1951, and she was a Bengali cinema star and lead singer. Amit Kumar, the son of Ruma and Kishore Kumar, is an artist, musician, composer, and filmmaker. Kishore Kumar's relationship lasted just till 1958, following which he separated.

In 1960, Kishore again went on to marry Madhubala, and she was also an actress. In the films Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi and Jhumru, he collaborated with Madhubala. Madhubala's life came to an end on February 23, 1969, when she died of cardiac disease. In 1976, he married Yogita Bali for the third time. However, this relationship also ended within two years. Kishore Kumar married Leena Chandavarkar for the fourth time in the year 1980. He has a son named Sumit Kumar from this marriage.

Career

Kishore Kumar has had a long and truly successful career. He became popular and successful at a very early age. Although there was a pre guidance that he got from his brother, yet, faced some initial struggles.

1. Early Career

Kishore Kumar began his professional career in the cinema without any professional training. He began his career as a backup performer with Bombay Talkies, where Ashok Kumar worked and performed. It is believed that his brother Ashok Kumar's presence in the film industry somewhat helped him. The age difference between Ashok Kumar and Kishore Kumar was eighteen years, which helped Kishore Kumar get into the film industry early.

2. First Movie And Song

In 1946, he had his first acting role in the movie Shikari. He was just 17 years old at that time. As a singer, he started singing song "Marne ki Duaen kyun maangu" for the movie Ziddi in 1948. By 1949, the young Kishore Kumar was fully established in the film industry. And as a result, he got leading roles in films such as Naukri, Andolan, and Musafir, released in the 1950s.

3. Involvement In Comedy Movies

Kishore Kumar was an individual with a dynamic personality, and he could perform any role flawlessly. This was his unique quality. With the passage of time, he even performed in comedy movies, and the audience admired it most. A few of those movies are New Delhi, Chalti Ka Naam Gaad, Asha, Padosan, and Half Ticket, all released between 1950 and 1970.

4. As A Director

Kishore Kumar started his engagement in film production in 1960. He contributed as a director, editor, songwriter, and musician to the movie released in 1961(Jhumroo). He also played a role in the film. He also wrote and produced the films Door Vaadi Mein Kahin Kahin and Door Ka Rahi in 1980 and 1917. For Kishore Kumar, the 1960s was a hit.

Several of his melodies were successful, notably Gata Rahe Mera Dil from the 1964 film Guide and Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechara from the 1967 film Jewel Thief, among others. He rose to prominence thanks to the song Roop Tera Mastana, which he sang in the movie Aradhana.

5. Political Restriction

Kishore Kumar is famous for speaking against Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi's dictatorship during the 1975 emergency. Many had surrendered to the pressures of the Indira Gandhi administration, but only a minority, including Kishore Kumar, protested the rule. Due to Indira Gandhi's critics, Kishore Kumar was barred from India's state-owned channels, Doordarshan and Akashvani. Artists' had limited broadcast opportunities at that time, they were mainly Doordarshan and Akashvani, and a restriction on these was considered bad for the career.

List Of Kishore Kumar's Song

He has sung numerous songs throughout his career. It is not an easy task to discuss all the songs here, but here we will see a few of them.

Controversy

1. Kishore Kumar's identity was dragged into scandal in 1960 when he was charged with trying to evade income taxes by the Indian government, and his image suffered as a result.
2. The disagreement between Amitabh Bachchan and Kishore Kumar was also in the news for a long time. The primary factor seemed to be that Amitabh previously turned down a guest character opportunity for his film Mamta Ki Chhaon. From 1982 through 1987, this debate persisted. After that, he denied singing for Amitabh Bachchan's movie. However, Kishore sang again for the film Toofan, which was released after Kishore died in 1989.
3. Despite Sanjay Gandhi's recommendation, Kishore Kumar declined to sing a song at the Congress event. As a result, All India Audio and Broadcasting restricted Kishore Kumar's song until May 4, 1976. The ban lasted till the end of the Emergency, and as a result, his acting was also rejected.
4. He had another conflict with Mithun Chakraborty over his ex-wife Yogita Bali, which was eventually resolved later. He went on to sing for Mithun again in films such as Disco Dancer in 1982 and Pyaar Ka Mandir in 1988.

A Few Facts

1. Very few people know that Kishore Kumar was stage-shy and would flee anytime he was asked to perform at a live performance.
2. Kishore Kumar was highly regarded for being judgemental regarding his pay. Still, very few people would know that he turned down a payment from famed filmmaker Satyajit Ray for singing in his 1964 film Charulata.
3. Kishore Kumar engaged with four ladies throughout his entire life: Madhubala, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Yogeeta Bali, and Leena Chandravarkar.
4. The early choices for Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna's Anand seem to have been Mehmood and Kishore Kumar.
5. He had a strong attachment to his home in Khandwa, in Madhya Pradesh, which existed on Bombay Bazaar Street.
6. Kishore Kumar and his first wife, Ruma's story, inspired Hrishikesh Mukherjee's film Abhimaan.
7. His signature costume was black coats, white pajamas, a scarf, and flat leather sandals. He would never take off his coat since he felt self-conscious about his weak appearance.
8. When Kishore was in fifth grade, he failed his arithmetic exam since he didn't know the solution to any of the questions. Instead, he wrote jokes, little rhymes, drawings, and happy faces on his answer sheet.
9. Paanch Rupaiya Barah Anna, a classic song, is focused on a genuine story from his life.
10. Kishore used to optimize his academic desk as a drum when he was in school.

Awards And Achievements

Kishore Kumar is noted for his timeless melodies across all genres. He won eight Filmfare Awards for The Best Playback Singer. This is only one of his accomplishments. In 1985-86, the Government of Madhya Pradesh presented Kishore Kumar with the Lata Mangeshkar Award. The MP Government established the 'Kishore Kumar Award' in 1997.

Here BFJAA refers to Bengal Film Journalists Association Award

Net Worth

Kishore Kumar had a net worth of $1 million (as of 1980). Salary and asset values can fluctuate significantly. Read on to see the most relevant salary and property data below.

Death

Kishore Kumar suffered a cardiac arrest in 1986, and as a result, he began to perform rarely. After feeling unwell and sick, he planned to return to Khandwa, where he was born. He suffered a massive heart attack and died on October 13, 1987, at 58. In Khandwa, where he was born, his remains were cremated.