We talk about 85th birth anniversary of legendary entertainer, Kishore Kumar! He was more famous as a singer but he was equally good at writing, composing and acting. No one can take his place, ever!
Kishore Kumar and entertainment are the two sides of the same coin!
On Kishore da’s 85th birth anniversary today, how we wish that he was alive amongst us!
He was truly one of the most versatile performers to have been born and was loved by the whole country. He sang, he wrote, he danced and he acted. Everything he did left a lasting impression on the world, so much so that even today, 27years after his death, we all love him, miss him and seek his company in all our good and bad times.
Not many people are aware that he was not only an immensely talented singer and actor, but a writer and director as well. He produced, directed, composed music and acted for fun-caper, Jhumroo in 1961! A couple of years after that he wrote and directed a touching father-son drama, Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein where his real life son, Amit Kumar played his reel-life deaf and mute son.
It comes as a shock to know that he ruled the Hindi film industry as one of the top-most singers despite having no formal training in singing! He just had the passion to sing and kept on doing riyaaz. He used to mimic the first singing sensation of Hindi movies, K.L. Saigal, but soon developed his own style. It wasn’t long before people started noticing his hidden talents and his singing career flourished.
Kishore da was the golden voice behind superstars of that era like Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, but despite being at the top of his game, he was a loner! He married four times, three of them ended in a divorce while the fourth marriage with Leena Chandavarkar ended with his death. A gifted soul like him didn’t find the human company as a gift. So lonely he was that he gave names to the trees in his garden and called them his best buddies!
His loneliness didn’t mean sadness though!
He was a fun loving person who had his quirky side as well. Once when the producer didn’t pay his complete acting fees, he went on the set with half make-up on and only half-shave! A genuine softy at heart, he was also famous for helping his friends in need and waving off his entire fees if he thought the person was in actual need.
Kishore da’s generosity and purity of the heart reflected in his songs which are a rage even today! There won’t be a single soul who wouldn’t have heard his songs like Mere saamne waali khidki mein.., or Oh saathi re..! These are just two examples of his versatility; the list is way too long to be included here.
Time to put on the headphones and enjoy his numbers; there is one for every emotion and every occasion in life!
Happy Birthday, Kishore da! We miss you!
