Kishore Kumar Biography

THIS MAMMOTH GIFT of Providence to Hindi cinema remains one of its greatest ever all-rounders — actor, singer, composer, lyricist, writer, filmmaker and above all, a human being extraordinaire. Abhas Kumar Ganguly followed elder brother Ashok Kumar into films without anything other than the desire to make it. His first song, Khemchand Prakash's "Marne ki duaaen kyun maangoon" ('Ziddi'/1948) began a lifelong association with Dev Anand for whom he sang all the way upto 'Sachche Ka Bol Bala' (1989). Kishore's only training as a singer was his fondness for belting out Saigal's songs and imitating his brother's, but he was a natural phenomenon. He simultaneously did bit roles in several films (including 'Ziddi' itself) and began his acting career in the flop 'Andolan'. As a singer, he made his first impact with 'Bahar' ("Qusoor aapka") and as an actor, in 'Ladki' (1953). From then on, Kishore decided that he would be an actor, not a singer. He condescended to sing for Dev Anand alone other than himself. The 1950s saw him do a series of comedies as Indian cinema's first and only truly comic hero - 'Asha', 'Bewaqoof, 'Jaalsaaz', 'Bhaagam Bhaag', 'Baap Re Baap', 'Dilli Ka Thug', 'Shararat' and thegreatest of them all, 'Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'. He also acted in more serious films like 'Musafir' and 'Naukri'. For Dev Anand, he sang a few major hits in films like 'Nau Do Gyarah'. Kishore's personal life was beset with a fetish for marriage after he divorced first wife Ruma Devi.

He flipped for Madhubala, who married him on the rebound after a traumatic split with Dilip Kumar. After her death, he married twice more, to Yogeeta Bali (a very short-lived union) and the once-widowed Leena Chandavarkar with whom he found complete happiness for the first time. His film career was equally capricious after the early '60s. He made 'Jhumroo' with Madhubala and 'Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein', both of which were appreciated only by the critics. He did star in big films like 'Manmauji', 'Half Ticket', 'Rangoli', 'Padosan' and 'Pyar Kiye Jaa', but Kishore largely had to shift to humble films like 'Mr. X In Bombay', 'Shreeman Funtoosh', 'Do Dooni Chaar', 'Hum Sab Ustad Hain', 'Akalmand' and 'Apna Haath Jagannath'.Having turned down Kalyanji-Anandji's request to sing "Kasme vaade" for 'Upkar' because he was an actor then, Kishore Kumar relented and sang playback in their 'Suhaag Raat' and in R.D. Burman's 'Abhilasha' and 'Pyar Ka Mausam', even as his Dev Anand link remained as strong as ever ('Teen Deviyan', 'Guide', 'Jewel Thief, 'Mahal'). And then came 'Aradhana'. Kishore Kumar's rebirth was phenomenal, to say the least, staggering to say a little more.
Easily fllmdom's most spectacular comeback, it led to Kishore Kumar ruling the playback roost for the next 18 years with a breathtaking display of vocal wizardry as he grabbed the finest songs of all the trendy heroes of the '70s Rajesh Khanna, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan and compelled master composers like S.D. Burman and son R.D., Kalyanji-Anandji and Laxmikant Pyarelal to outdo each other in giving their best to him. 'Safar', 'Andaz', 'AmarPrem', 'Julie', 'Sharmilee' and 'Daag', would give some idea of the musical magic unleashed in Kishore's stunning vocals. Acting (cameos in 'Bombay To Goa' and 'Ansoo Aur Muskan' and leads in his own films) now became as incidental as filmmaking ('Door Ka Rahi'.'BadhtiKaNaamGaadi', 'ShabashDaddy'), and in the '80s, his reign continued with films like 'Karz', 'Dostana', 'Yaarana', 'Silsila', 'Namak Halaal', 'Saagar' and 'Mr. India'. But Kishore was decidedly disillusioned by the fall in musical standards and wanted to quit and settle down in hometown Khandwa, though as a singer, he was as accomplished as ever. But his health gave way and in October 1987, he passed away. As a person, Kishore was known for his kanjoosi, his eccentricities and moods, but those close to him insist that he was nothing of the kind. Every trait was deliberately acquired to shoo off or repel undesirable characters. Possessing an uproarious sense of humour, he would keep his colleagues in splits, go into the singers' cabin and sing a sad song so perfectly that it would draw out tears in the listener, come out and begin his fun feats again!

His penchant for making films in which he contributed all the major departments climaxed with his making a songless film called 'Door Wadiyon Mein Kahin', and composer Pyarelal reveals that the singer offered him the background score of this film. "But he later decided that since it was a Kishore Kumar film, it would perversely not have a background score at all!" That was Kishore - a titan by any standards as actor and singer, a gem of a human being, and a shrewd businessman. Most insiders opine that all his offbeat commercially unsuccessful films were deliberately produced to show losses after he was being regularly harangued by the income-tax authorities! Both on-screen and off it, Kishore Kumar had a method to his madness. But within the comedian lay a human being that was serious, courageous and principled. During the Emergency, Kishore refused to kowtow to the powers, and the national radio and TV blanked him out. He silently suffered the 'punishment' but did not yield. They don't make them like Kishore Kumar nowadays.