Kishore Kumar Birth Anniversary: 5 Fascinating Facts About The Legendary Singer

Kishore Kumar is hailed as one of the most influential and versatile singers in Indian music history, also known for his roles as an actor and musician. He won eight Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer out of 28 nominations, holding the record for the most wins and nominations in that category.

To commemorate his 95th birth anniversary on August 4, here are some intriguing facts about the legendary Kishore Kumar.

Early Life

Kishore Kumar was born Abhas Kumar Ganguly in 1929, the youngest of four siblings, including Ashok, Sati Devi, and Anoop. His father, Kunjalal Ganguly, was a lawyer working for a wealthy family in Madhya Pradesh. Kishore’s elder brother, Ashok, began acting in films, and young Kishore often accompanied him on sets. He made his acting debut in Ashok’s film “Shikari” (1946) and his singing debut in 1948’s “Ziddi.” Interestingly, Kishore was the maternal uncle of composer Bappi Lahiri.

His Heart Was in Singing

Initially, Kishore Kumar acted in many successful films and modeled his singing style after the legendary KL Saigal. In later years, he was influenced by Pakistani singer Ahmed Rushdi. However, it was SD Burman who, after hearing Kishore sing at Ashok’s home in 1950, advised him to develop his unique style. Following this advice, Kishore incorporated yodeling skills from American singer Jimmie Rodgers and country music artists Tex Morton and developed his distinctive style.

Sang for Many Famous Actors

Thanks to SD Burman’s guidance, Kishore Kumar became the voice of Dev Anand from the 1950s to the 1970s. This collaboration continued with RD Burman, SD Burman’s son.

Kishore sang many of Rajesh Khanna’s best songs under RD Burman’s direction.

He sang the most songs for Rajesh Khanna (245), followed by Jeetendra, Dev Anand, and Amitabh Bachchan.

His Songs Were Once Banned

During the Emergency, Kishore Kumar was asked to sing for an Indian National Congress rally in Mumbai, which he refused. Consequently, All India Radio and Doordarshan banned his songs from 1976 until the end of the Emergency.

Kishore Kumar Married Four Times

Kishore Kumar’s first marriage was to Ruma Guha Thakurta (1950-1958) at the age of 21, which lasted for eight years and resulted in the birth of a son, Amit Kumar.

He later married to the most beautiful woman of the Indian cinema, Madhubala (1960-1969).A few years after Madhubala left the world. Reports suggest he converted to Islam to marry her.

After that, he married actress Yogeeta Bali in 1976; they divorced in 1978. In 1980. He reportedly stopped singing for Mithun Chakraborty after Yogeeta left him to marry Mithun.

He finally married actress Leena Chandravarkar, and they remained together until his death in 1987.