What you never knew about Kishore Kumar

The playback singer, actor, music director, lyricist, writer, director, producer and screenwriter turned 91 on August 4

To say that Abhas Kumar Ganguly aka Kishore Kumar was one of a kind is not a cliché, but a whopper of an understatement. For example, when he was a teenager, he would play musical beats on the bald pate of his father.

Kishore was the youngest of four siblings — the other three being the legendary Ashok Kumar, sister Sati Devi (wife of film magnate Sashadhar Mukherjee) and Anoop Kumar.

For those so inclined, the number ‘4’ thus seemed to play a significant role in his life — Kishore Kumar was born on August 4, married 4 times to actresses, acted in 4 Bengali (his mother tongue) films in his lifetime, directed 12 films and scored music for 16 films in his career. He passed away on an October 13.

Young Abhas made his debut with a cameo in the 1946 film ‘Shikari’. In the same year, he started out as a chorus singer in ‘Eight Days’.

His first film as a hero was ‘Sati Vijay’ in 1948. But his son Amit Kumar came to know that his Baba had actually recorded two ghazals even before in Ziddi. “They were Baba’s first recorded songs,” he says.

And there was always a method to Kishore’s madness. He would perform at the starry parties his elder brother hosted and charge 25 paise per song. However, for Kundan Lal Saigal’s songs, he would take a hefty one rupee.

He once met his idol, who praised his singing but said that Kishore moved his body too much.

“Baba never moved a muscle when singing a Saigal song from that day,” remembers Amit.

Kishore also tried his hand at several departments of cinema at Bombay Talkies. These interests continued even after he attained stardom. As writer, producer, director, editor, composer, lyricist, singer and actor, he was easily Hindi cinema’s biggest all-rounder.

At the time of his passing, he had several films planned, most of which were non-comic, which included a remake of ‘The Coffin of Dr Brown’.

Beneath his funny exterior lay a man who always craved to be taken seriously — most of his productions were intense subjects. It was the same with his work as a composer.

With sad songs, he was a switch-on/switch-off genius. Kavita Krishnamuthi Subramaniam remembers him cracking uproarious jokes, going in and recording a sad number that brought tears to everyone present in the studio, coming out and starting his antics again.

Quirks adorned his nature. When he planned ‘Door Wadiyon Mein Kahin’, the third film in the trilogy of ‘Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein’ and ‘Door Ka Rahi’, he decided to “have no songs because it is a Kishore Kumar film!” He initially asked Laxmikant-Pyarelal to do the background score, but soon informed them that since it was his film, it would have no background music either.

When his wife Leena Chandavarkar’s father refused to soften his stand on their marriage, Kishore joked, “We should run away, and either marry in church or convert to Islam and become Mohammed Ali and his begum!”

But what he actually did was bring around her parents. Kishore decided to go to Leena’s house and have a music session there.

When her entire family except her father came and sat in, accepting him tacitly, Kishore unleashed his ‘Johny Mera Naam’ hit “Nafrat karnewalon ke seene mein pyar bhar doon” (I will fill the hearts of those who hate me with love). Within minutes, the melted future father-in-law was beside them.

Kishore’s idols as actors were Topol, Marlon Brando and Danny Kaye, while his famous yodelling was inspired by Swiss singer Tex Norton and American artiste Jimmy Rogers.

However, Kishore never imitated any of his icons and refused a lucrative offer to sing a K L Saigal cover album. Kishore had huge respect for his older brother as an actor.

When Ashok Kumar acted in his films, Kishore would only discuss scenes with him on sets and never direct him, even though he would mimic his brother’s singing often.

And his mad streak helped ward off undesirable elements or circumstances. An interior decorator kept pestering the singer for work. Kishore told him, “I want you to re-do my entire living room. I want a floating sofa in a round pool of water. Heads of real eagles should be arranged all around this room.” The man disappeared.

When Ashok Kumar requested Kishore to do a cameo as a gardener who abuses the hero in his production ‘Ziddi’, he was reluctant. “All you have to do is abuse Dev!” his brother persisted.

“Oh, is that all? Okay, I will do it!” agreed Kishore. When the cameras rolled and Dev came in, Kishore began to mouth unprintable abuses. “Cut! Cut!” screamed a frantic Ashok. But Kishore refused to reshoot with the scripted lines.

This incident made Kishore bond with Dev Anand, and for almost 20 years after that, Kishore sang only for Dev apart from himself.