INFORMATION
| Artist Birthday : | 04/08/1929 (Age 58) |
| Born In : | Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh |
| Occupation(s) : | Singer, lyricist, composer, actor, film, producer, director, screenwriter |
| Genres : | Bollywood |
Kishore Kumar was the personification of the word multi-talented. The creative genius was not only a celebrated singer but also a commendable actor, visionary director, gifted lyricist, brilliant composer, a great screenwriter, and a good producer. Remembered as one of the most gifted individuals to ever step foot in Bollywood, Kishore Kumar is as legendary as it gets.
Kishore was born on 4 August 1929 and lived till 13 October 1987 as Abhas Kumar Ganguly. He was a member of a Bengali family from Khandwa, Central Provinces, (Madhya Pradesh). His father, Kunjalal Ganguly (Gangopadhyay) was a lawyer and his mother, Gouri Devi came from a wealthy Bengali family. Being the youngest of four siblings, he saw his eldest brother, Ashok, become a Bollywood actor.
While he was in college, his elder brother, Ashok Kumar, was already doing great in the industry. His excellent music ability was recognized by Khem Chand Prakash when he used to do small roles. Afterward, Kishore was guided by S.D Burman who then went ahead to brush his comics skills too. In 1958, Kishore came out with a movie, Chalti Ka Naam Gadi, which was produced and directed by him. The movie was an instant hit, and Kishore became the jewel of the Indian film industry.
But, his acting career never saw such admiration again, and he concentrated on becoming a better playback singer. His singing career kick-started with “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” from Aradhana that became the biggest chartbuster of its time. After singing hits continuously, his voice became more important than the actors who graced the movie. Before taking his last breath in 1987, Kishore had become one of the top personalities in Bollywood due to his honeyed voice and genuine charisma.
Meanwhile, Kishore was on a roller coaster ride in his personal life. He married four times from 1950 to 1980, to Bengali Singer Ruma Guha (with whom he has +one son), Bollywood actor Madhubala, Yogeeta Bali and finally to Leena Chandravarkar with whom he had one son.
Trough out his musical career he was awarded with eight Filmfare awards for Best Male Playback Singer. The singer also gave voice to many regional languages like Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Oriya, and Urdu.
Kishore Kumar’s life is not less than a dramatic Bollywood movie that had emotions, struggle, good times, action, suspense, and adventure. His admirers still consider him the best there was, and there will be.
