Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He was one of the most popular singers in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, notable for his

yodeling Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from the ...

and ability to sing songs in different voices. He used to sing in different genres but some of his rare compositions, considered classics, were lost in time. According to his brother and legendary actor

Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He ...

, Kishore Kumar was successful as a singer because his "voice hits the mike, straight, at its most sensitive point". Besides

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, he sang in many other Indian languages, including

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

, Assamese,

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

, Bhojpuri,

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

, Odia and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' He won 8 Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer and holds the record for winning the most Filmfare Awards in that category. He was awarded the

Lata Mangeshkar Award The Lata Mangeshkar Award is a national-level award instituted to honour works in the field of music. Various state governments of India present awards with this name. The state Government of Madhya Pradesh started this award in 1984. The award cons ...

by the

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

government in 1985. In 1997, the

Government initiated an award called the "Kishore Kumar Award" for contributions to Hindi cinema. In 2012, his unreleased last song sold for 15.6 lakh at the Osian's Cinefan Auction in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

Early life

Kishore Kumar was born in a

Bengali Brahmin The Bengali Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Bengali Brahmins, along with Baidyas an ...

Ganguly family in

Khandwa Khandwa is a city and a nagar nigam in the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Khandwa district, formerly known as East Nimar District. Khandwa is a major railway junction; the Malwa line conn ...

, Central Provinces (now in

) as Abhas Kumar Ganguly. His father, Kunjalal Ganguly (Gangopadhyay) was a lawyer and his mother, Gouri Devi came from a wealthy Bengali family and was a home-maker. Kunjalal Gangopadhyaya was invited by the Kamavisadar Gokhale family of Khandwa to be their personal lawyer. Kumar was the youngest of four siblings, the older three being Ashok (the eldest), Sati Devi, and Anoop. While Kumar was still a child, his brother Ashok became an actor in Hindi cinema. Later, Anoop also ventured into cinema with Ashok's help. Kumar graduated from Christian College,

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...

Early career

Kishore Kumar 2016 postcard of India (cropped)

After Ashok Kumar became a star of Hindi films, the

Ganguly family The Ganguly family in Bollywood is referred as the Hindu Bengali Brahmin family hailing from Madhya Pradesh. In a Bollywood film industry dominated by powerhouse families the Ganguly brothers and their family connections serve as an important ...

visited Bombay (now Mumbai) regularly. Abhas Kumar changed his name to 'Kishore Kumar' and started his cinema career as a chorus singer at

Bombay Talkies Bombay Talkies was a movie studio founded in 1934. During its period of operation, Bombay Talkies produced 40 movies in Malad, a suburb of the Indian city of Bombay. The studio was established in 1934 by Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani. After R ...

, where his brother worked. Music director

Khemchand Prakash Khemchand Prakash (12 December 1907 – 10 August 1949) was a music composer in the Hindi film industry. He had few peers in 1940s, the decade for Indian film music which started with Saigal very active on the scene and ended with Lata Mangeshkar ...

gave Kumar a chance to sing "Marne Ki Duayen Kyon Mangu" for the film ''

Ziddi ''Ziddi'' may refer to: * ''Ziddi'' (1948 film), a Hindi film * ''Ziddi'' (1964 film), a film by Pramod Chakravorty * ''Ziddi'' (1973 film), a Pakistani film in Punjabi language * ''Ziddi'' (1997 film), an Indian action film starring Sunny Deol and ...

'' (1948). After this, Kumar was offered many other assignments, but he was not very serious about a film career. Filmfare (1–15 November 1987) In 1949, he settled in Bombay. During the initial stage of his career, Kumar was deeply inspired by singer

K. L. Saigal Kundan Lal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. L. Saigal (11 April 1904 – 18 January 1947), was an Indian singer and actor who is considered the first superstar of the Hindi film industry, which was centred in Kolkata during Saigal's time, but is ...

and imitated his style of singing in some of his early films but later evolved his own, unique style. He had a great respect for poet and musician

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

who influenced him in many ways. He was an ardent admirer of Hollywood actor-singer Danny Kaye. He hung the portraits of all these three personalities at his ''Gouri Kun'' residence and would bow respectfully before them everyday as a rule. In his later career, Kumar was also heavily influenced by playback singer

Ahmed Rushdi ), Rushdi Sahab ( ur, ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Hyderabad Deccan, British India , death_date = , death_place = Karachi, Pakistan , origin = Pakistani , instrument = Vocalist , genre = ...

and his liking towards Rushdi was to the extent that former paid a tribute at Royal Albert Hall in London to the latter by singing some of his songs. Kumar employed

in many of his songs including; ''Yeh dil na hota bechara'', ''Zindagi ek safar hai suhana'', and ''Chala jata hoon''. The style eventually became an essential feature of his singing and was inspired by

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...

and

Tex Morton Tex Morton (born Robert William Lane in Nelson, New Zealand, also credited as Robert Tex Morton; 30 August 1916 – 23 July 1983) was a pioneer of New Zealand and Australian country and western music, vaudevillian, actor, television host and ...

. In the movie '' Half Ticket'', for one of the songs – "Aake Seedhi Lagi Dil Pe" – the music director

Salil Chowdhary Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam films. He composed music for films in 13 languages. This in ...

had a duet in mind and wanted Kumar and

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her con ...

to sing the song. However, since Lata Mangeshkar was not in town and Salil Chowdhury had to record that song before she could return, Kumar solved the problem by singing both the male and female parts of the song himself. The duet is actually for Pran and Kumar on the screen dressed as a woman. It just turned out to be fine as he did admirably well singing both in male and female voices. Music director

S. D. Burman Sachin Dev Burman (1 October 1906 – 31 October 1975) was an Indian music director and singer. A member of the Tripura royal family, he started his career with Bengali films in 1937. He later began composing for Hindi movies and became one o ...

is credited with spotting Kumar's talent for singing. During the making of ''Mashaal'' (1950), Burman visited Ashok's house, where he heard Kumar imitating K. L. Saigal. He complimented him and told him that he should develop a style of his own, instead of copying Saigal. Kumar eventually developed his own style of singing, which featured

, which he had heard on the records of

and

.S. D. Burman kept making Kishore sing for

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

from the 50s to the early 70s. S. D. Burman provided him the training and encouraged Kumar a lot, especially in the late 50s and early 60s, resulting in Kumar developing into a great singer in the future years. S. D. Burman recorded Kumar's voice for Dev Anand's ''

Munimji ''Munimji'' () is a 1955 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film starring Dev Anand and Nalini Jaywant, and directed by Subodh Mukherjee. The story idea was by Ranjan, screenplay was by Nasir Hussain and dialogues by Nasir Hussain and Qamar ...

'' (1954), ''

Taxi Driver ''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying ...

'' (1954), ''

House No. 44 ''House No. 44'' is a 1955 Hindi film directed by M. K. Burman and produced by Dev Anand for his banner Navketan Films. The movie stars Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik in a lead role. The film is also noted for its popular songs with music by S. D. ...

'' (1955), ''

Funtoosh ''Funtoosh'' is a 1956 Hindi film directed by Chetan Anand. The film stars Dev Anand, Sheila Ramani and K. N. Singh. It was the ninth highest-grossing film of 1956, and was declared a "Hit". The music of the movie was an instant hit and songs s ...

'' (1956), ''

Nau Do Gyarah ''Nau Do Gyarah'' (; the Hindi idiom means "to run away") is a 1957 Indian Hindi-language comedy thriller film produced by Dev Anand. It also classifies as a road movie. This was his brother, Vijay Anand's directorial debut. The film stars Dev ...

'' (1957), ''

Paying Guest ''Paying Guest'' is a 1957 Bollywood Romance drama film directed by Subodh Mukherjee. The film stars Dev Anand and Nutan along with Shubha Khote. The soundtrack, composed by Sachin Dev Burman, received a degree of popularity and made a lasti ...

'' (1957), ''

Guide A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Ex ...

'' (1965), ''

Jewel Thief ''Jewel Thief'' is a 1967 Indian Hindi-language spy thriller heist film directed by Vijay Anand. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Vyjayantimala and features four bond girl-like actresses portrayed by Tanuja, Helen, Faryal and Anju Mahen ...

'' (1967), ''

Prem Pujari ''Prem Pujari'' is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film produced, directed and written by Dev Anand for Navketan Films, his directorial debut. The movie stars Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Shatrughan Sinha, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri a ...

'' (1970), and '' Tere Mere Sapne'' (1971). He also composed music for Kumar's home production ''

Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' () is a 1 January 1958 Indian musical comedy film directed by Satyen Bose. Starring Madhubala with the Ganguly brothers —Ashok Kumar, Anoop Kumar, and Kishore Kumar— the film revolves around a middle-aged man wh ...

'' (1958). Some of their songs were "Maana Janaab Ne Pukara Nahin" from ''

'' (1957), "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke" from ''

'' (1957), "Ai Meri Topi Palat Ke Aa" from ''

'' (1956), and "Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si" from ''

''.

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; Mangeshkar; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur and occasional actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian Cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in th ...

and Kishore performed duets composed by Burman including "Chhod Do Aanchal" from ''

'' (1957), "Ankhon Mein Kya Ji" from ''

'' (1957), "Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka" and "Paanch Rupaiya Baara Aana" from ''

'' (1958) and "Arre Yaar Meri Tum Bhi Ho Gajab" from '' Teen Deviyan'' (1965). As a singer, Kumar's work with many music directors in this period includes "Ye Raatein Ye Mausam" and "Hum Toh Mohabbat Karega" from ''

Dilli Ka Thug ''Dilli Ka Thug'' (''The Trickster of Delhi'') is a 1958 Hindi-language comedy film directed by S. D. Narang. It stars Kishore Kumar, Nutan, Madan Puri and Iftekhar. The music was by Ravi and the lyrics were by S.H. Bihari, Shailendra and Maj ...

'', "Piya Piya Mora Jiya" from '' Baap Re Baap'', "Hello Hello Ji" from ''Bombay Ka Chor'', "Micheal Hai Toh Cycle Hai" from ''Bewaqoof'', "Ae Haseeno Nazneeno" from ''Chacha Zindabad'', "Zaroorat Hai Zaroorat Hai" from ''Manmauji'' (1961), "Likha Hai Teri Ankhon Mein" from ''Teen Deviaan'', "Suno Jaana Suno Jaana", "Pyaar Baatke Chalo" and "Kya Teri Zulfein Hai" from ''Hum Sab Ustaad Hai'', "Khoobsurat Haseena" from ''Mr. X in Bombay'', "Gaata Rahe Mera Dil" from ''

'' (1965), "Sultana Sultana" from ''Shreeman Funtoosh'', "Machalti Hui" from ''Ganga Ki Lahren'', "Mera Dil Meri Jaan" and "Pyar Ka Jaahan Hotel" from ''Jaalsaaz'' and "Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechara" from ''

'' (1967). Music director C. Ramchandra also recognized Kumar's talent as a singer. They collaborated on songs including "Eena Meena Deeka" from '' Aasha'' (1957). Kumar's work includes "Nakhrewaali" from ''New Delhi'' (1956) by

Shankar Jaikishan Shankar may refer to: People *Shankar (name), including a list of people with the name * Sankar (writer) (Mani Shankar Mukherjee), Bengali writer * L. Shankar, Indian violinist * S. Shankar, Indian film director commonly credited as Shankar *Sanka ...

, "C.A.T. Cat Maane Billi" and "Hum To Mohabbat Karega" from ''

'' (1958) by

Ravi Ravi may refer to: People * Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director * Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist * Ravi (music director) (1926–201 ...

, and "Chhedo Na Meri Zulfein" from '' Ganga Ki Lahren'' (1964) by

Chitragupta Chitragupta (Sanskrit: चित्रगुप्त, 'rich in secrets' or 'hidden picture') is a Hindu deity assigned with the task of keeping complete records of the actions of human beings and punishing or rewarding them according to their ...

. In 1968,

Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work w ...

worked with Kumar on the soundtrack of the film ''

Padosan ''Padosan'' () is a 1968 Indian Hindi-language musical comedy film directed by Jyoti Swaroop and produced by Mehmood, N. C. Sippy and written by Rajendra Krishan. It is a remake of the Bengali-language film ''Pasher Bari'' (1952) based on a sh ...

'' (1968), in which Kumar sang "Mere Saamne Wali Khidki Mein" and "Kehna Hai." ''Padosan'' was a comedy featuring Kishore as a dramatist-musician,

Mehmood Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''. Siam Mahmud *Mahmood (singer) (born 1 ...

as a

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is ...

and dance teacher, and Sunil Dutt as a simpleton named Bhola. Kishore's character was inspired by his uncle, Dhananjay Bannerjee, a classical singer. The highlight of the film was a musical, comical duel between Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Mehmood: "Ek Chatur Nar Karke Singaar. In 1969,

Shakti Samanta Shakti Samanta (13 January 1926 – 9 April 2009) was an Indian film director and producer, who founded Shakti Films in 1957, which is most known for films such as ''Anand Ashram'' (1977), Anusandhan /'' Barsaat Ki Ek Raat'' (1981), ''anay abhi ...

produced and directed '' Aradhana''. Kumar sang three songs in the film; "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani", "Kora Kagaj Tha Ye Man Mera" and "Roop Tera Mastana". Shakti Samanta suggested that Kumar sing the other songs too. When the film was released, Kumar's three songs established him as a leading playback singer of Hindi cinema. Kumar won his first

Filmfare award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

for "Roop Tera Mastana".

Acting career

Kumar's first film appearance was in '' Shikari'' (1946), in which his brother, Ashok played the lead role. Kumar played the lead in the Bombay Talkies film ''Andolan'' (1951), directed by

Phani Majumdar Phani Majumdar was a pioneering Indian film director, who worked in Hindi cinema, most known for his film '' Street Singer'' (1938) starring K.L. Saigal noted for its song, ''Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye'', Meena Kumari classic ''Aarti'' (19 ...

. Although he got some acting assignments with the help of his brother, he was more interested in becoming a singer. But Ashok wanted Kumar to be an actor like him. Between 1946 and 1955, Kumar appeared in 22 films of which 16 were flops and since he was disinterested in taking up acting as a career, he would find ways to be in the bad books of the director or producer, so that they throw him from their films. It was only after the success of films such as '' Ladki'', ''

Naukari Naukri ( ''Job'') is a 1954 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Bimal Roy for Bimal Roy Productions. The lead actors were Kishore Kumar and Sheila Ramani. This film is about the dreams and aspirations of the educated youth getting shattered ...

'', ''Miss Malaysia'', ''

Char Paise ''Char Paise''() is a 1955 crime drama Bollywood film starring Kishore Kumar, Shyama in lead roles. Plot Gangsters first try unknowingly to do business with a plain-clothed police officer, and after failing, they try to disrupt his personal lif ...

'' and '' Baap Re Baap'' that Kumar developed an interest in acting seriously, which resulted in him having successful films as the lead actor between 1955 and 1966. Kumar starred in

Bimal Roy Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as '' Do Bigha Zamin'', '' Parineeta'', '' Biraj Bahu'', ''Devdas'', ''Madhumati'', '' Sujata'', '' ...

's ''

'' (1954) and

Hrishikesh Mukherjee Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his ca ...

's directorial debut '' Musafir'' (1957).

Salil Chowdhury Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam films. He composed music for films in 13 languages. This in ...

, the music director for ''Naukari'', was initially dismissive of Kumar as a singer when he found that Kumar had no formal training in music. However, after hearing his voice, Chowdhury gave him the song ''Chhota Sa Ghar Hoga'', which was supposed to be sung by

Hemant Kumar Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989), known professionally as Hemant Kumar and Hemanta Mukherjee, was a legendary Indian music composer and playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, as well as other Indian ...

. The commercially successful films of Kumar included '' Ladki'' (1953), ''

'' (1954), '' Baap Re Baap'' (1955), ''Paisa Hi Paisa'' (1956), ''

'' (1956), ''

Naya Andaz ''Naya Andaz'' () is a 1956 Indian Hindi-language film starring Kishore Kumar and Meena Kumari in lead roles. The music was composed by O. P. Nayyar. Plot Sukhan and Chand (Kishore Kumar) are the father and son, who hold diametrically opposi ...

'' (1956), ''Bhagam Bhaag'' (1956)'','' '' Bhai Bhai'' (1956), '' Aasha'' (1957), ''

'' (1958), ''

'' (1958), ''Jaalsaaz (1959)'', ''Bombay Ka Chor (1962)'', ''Chacha Zindabad (1959)'', ''

Man-Mauji ''Man Mauji'' () is a 1962 Indian Hindi-language film starring Kishore Kumar and Sadhana in lead roles and directed by Krishnan–Panju. It was Jayalalitha's first Hindi film, in which she played Lord Krishna in a 3-minutes dance sequence with ...

'' (1962), ''

Jhumroo ''Jhumroo'' is a 1961 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Shankar Mukherjee. It stars Madhubala and Kishore Kumar in lead roles, with Chanchal, Anoop Kumar, Lalita Pawar and Jayant appearing in supporting roles. The screenplay ...

'' (1961), '' Half Ticket'' (1962), '' Mr. X in Bombay (1964)'', ''Shreeman Funtoosh'' (1965), ''Ek Raaz (1963)'', '' Ganga Ki Lahren (1964)'', '' Hum Sab Ustaad Hai'' (1965), ''Haal E Dil'', ''

Pyar Kiye Jaa ''Pyar Kiye Jaa'' () is a 1966 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed and produced by C. V. Sridhar. It stars Kishore Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Mehmood, Kalpana, Rajasree, Mumtaz, Om Prakash. It was a "semi-hit" at the box office. The ...

(1966)'', and ''

'' (1968). As an actor, his best period was between 1954 and 1966. His onscreen pairing with actresses Mala Sinha,

Vyjayanthimala Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen wit ...

Nutan Nutan Samarth Bahl (4 June 1936 – 21 February 1991), known mononymously as Nutan, was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning nearly four decades, she appeared in more than 70 films, mostly as a protagonist, in both b ...

Madhubala Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress and producer who worked in Hindi-language films. She ranked as one of the highest-paid entertainers in India in the post-independence era, ...

Meena Kumari Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as ''The Tragedy Queen'', she was active between 1939 and 1972. Kumari is widely considered one of ...

and

Kumkum Kumkuma is a powder used for social and religious markings in India. It is made from turmeric or any other local materials. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color. In Indi ...

gave the biggest hits in his career. ''

''(1958), his home production, had the three Ganguly brothers and

in main roles. Kumar played a car mechanic who has a romance with a city girl; (Madhubala) with a subplot involving the brothers. Kumar acted in and composed the music for ''

'' (1961), and wrote the lyrics for the film's title song, "Main Hoon Jhumroo". Later, he produced and directed ''

Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein ''Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein'' () is a 1964 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed, produced and written by Kishore Kumar. He also stars, along with Supriya Devi and Amit Kumar. ''Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein'', an adaptation of the American fil ...

'' (1964), where he starred with Bengali actress

Supriya Devi Supriya Devi (Supriya Choudhury; 8 January 1933 – 26 January 2018) was an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema for more than 50 years. She is best known for her portrayal of Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak's Bengali film '' Megh ...

. He also wrote the script and composed music for the film, which is about the relationship between a father (Kumar) and his deaf and mute son (played by his real-life son

Amit Kumar Amit Kumar (born 3 July 1952) is an Indian playback singer, actor, music composer. Kumar launched his own music production company, named Kumar Brothers Music. He predominantly worked in Bollywood and regional film songs since the 1970s, inc ...

Kishore Kumar with Meena Kumari in Naya Andaz(1956)

After 1966, as an actor, Kumar built up a notoriety for coming late for the shootings or bunking them altogether. His films flopped frequently after 1965 and he landed in income tax trouble. Kumar produced and directed some movies in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ''Pyar Zindagi Hai'', ''Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi'' (1978), ''Sabaash Daddy'', ''Zindagi'' (1981), ''Door Wadiyon Mein Kahin'' (1980) and ''Chalti Ka Naam Zindagi'' (1982)which was his last appearance as an actor.

1970s and 1980s

Kumar was a leading singer throughout 1970s and 1980s until his death in 1987. Kumar sang the most songs in his career for Rajesh Khanna. Kumar sang 245 songs picturised on Rajesh Khanna across 92 films, which is an unbeaten record for singer-actor combination. Kishore sang 245 songs for Rajesh Khanna, 202 for

Jeetendra Ravi Kapoor ( ; born 7 April 1942), known mononymously by his screen name Jeetendra, is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He also serves as the chairman of the Balaji Telefilms and Balaji Motion Pictures. Early lif ...

, 119 for

and 131 for Amitabh Bachchan.

and Kishore continued with music including "Phoolon Ke Rang Se" and "Shokhiyon Mein Ghola Jaaye" from ''

'' (1969), "Pal Bhar Ke Liye" from ''

Johny Mera Naam ''Johny Mera Naam'' () is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language crime action film directed by Vijay Anand. The film stars the director's brother, Dev Anand and Pran in the roles of brothers separated in childhood. Hema Malini, Jeevan, Premnath, I. S. ...

'', "Aaj Madhosh Hua Jaye Re," "Khilte Hain Gul Yahan" and "O Meri Sharmilee" from ''

Sharmilee ''Sharmeelee'' is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language romantic film produced by Subodh Mukherjee and directed by Samir Ganguly. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Raakhee, Narendra Nath, Nazir Hussain, Iftekhar, S N Banerjee, Anita Guha, Asit Sen. Ra ...

'' (1971), "Meet Na Mila" from '' Abhimaan'' (1973), and "Jeevan Ki Bagiya Mehkegi" from '' Tere Mere Sapne'' (1971). In 1975, S. D. Burman composed his last song for Kishore, "Badi Sooni Sooni Hai" for the film '' Mili''. R. D. Burman recorded several songs with Kumar in the 1970s, including "O Maajhi Re" from '' Khushboo'', "Yeh Shaam Mastaani" and "Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai" from ''

Kati Patang ''Kati Patang'' () is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film produced and directed by Shakti Samanta. It was a box office success. The film stars Asha Parekh as a woman pretending to be a widow, and her ensuing trials and tribulations ...

'' (1971), "Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aayi" from '' Buddha Mil Gaya'' (1971) and "Chingari Koi Bhadke", "Kuch To Log Kahenge (

Amar Prem ''Amar Prem'' () is a 1972 Indian Hindi romantic drama film directed by Shakti Samanta. It is a remake of the Bengali film ''Nishi Padma'' (1970), directed by Arabinda Mukherjee, who wrote screenplay for both the films based on the Bengali sh ...

)", "Zindagi Ke Safar Me Guzar Jaate Hain Jo Makam" from ''Aap Ki Kasam'' (1974), "Aane Wala Pal" from '' Golmaal'' (1979), "Hume Aur Jeene Ki Chahat Na Hoti" from ''Agar Tume Na Hote'' (1983), "Raha Pe Rahete Hai" from ''Namkeen'' (1985) and "Jab Bhi Koi Kangana" from ''

Shaukeen ''Shaukeen'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee dealing with the psychological aspects of people reaching the dusk of their life. The movie stars Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt, A.K. Hangal, Rati Agnihotri and ...

'' (1987). Although Kumar was not formally trained in classical music, R. D. Burman often had Kumar sing semi-classical songs, such as "Humein Tum Se Pyaar Kitna" from ''

Kudrat ''Kudrat'' () is a 1981 Indian Hindi-language drama film, written and directed by Chetan Anand. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini, supported by Raaj Kumar, Priya Rajvansh and Vinod Khanna. This is the second movie of the Rajesh Kh ...

'' and "Mere Naina Saawan Bhadon" from '' Mehbooba''. R. D. Burman recorded several duets pairing Kishore with

and

, including "Panna Ki Tamanna" and "Bahut Door Mujhe" from ''

Heera Panna ''Heera Panna'' is a 1973 Hindi romance film. Written, produced and directed by Dev Anand for Navketan films, the film stars Dev Anand, Zeenat Aman, Raakhee, Rehman, Jeevan, A.K. Hangal, Paintal and Dheeraj Kumar. The film's music was composed ...

'' (1973), "Neend Chura Ke Raaton Mein" from the film ''

Shareef Budmaash ''Shareef Budmaash'' () is a 1973 Bollywood action thriller film directed by Raj Khosla. The film stars Dev Anand, Hema Malini, Ajit, Jeevan in pivotal roles. Cast *Dev Anand as Inspector Ramesh / Rocky *Hema Malini as Seema * Ajit as Ranj ...

'' (1973), "Mujhko Mohabbat Mein Dhoka" and "Kisise Dosti Karlo" from '' Dil Deewana'' (1974), "Dhal Gayi Rang" from '' Heeralal Pannalal'' (1978), "Ek Main Hoon" from '' Darling Darling'' (1977), "Rimjhim Gire Sawan" from ''

Manzil For the convenience of those who read the Quran in a week the text may be divided into seven portions, each known as Manzil. The following division to 7 equal portions is by Hamza Al-Zayyat (d.156/772): # Al-Fatihah (chapter 1) through An-Nis ...

'' (1979), "Kya Yehi Pyar Hai" and "Hum Tum Se Mile" from ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...

'' (1981), "Jaan-e-Jaan Dhoondta" from ''

Jawani Diwani ''Jawani Diwani'' () is a 1972 Hindi-language musical romance film directed by Narender Bedi, and starring Randhir Kapoor, Jaya Bhaduri, Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy as leads. This was also Kader Khan's debut as a dialogue writer. The film is mo ...

'', "Kahin Na Jaa" and "Kaho Kaise Rasta" from '' Bade Dilwala'' (1983), "Sun Zara Shok Haseena" and "Kharishoo" from '' Harjaee'' (1981), "Waada Haanji Waada" from ''

The Burning Train ''The Burning Train'' is a 1980 Indian action thriller disaster film, produced by B. R. Chopra under the B. R. Films banner and directed by Ravi Chopra. The film featured a huge all-star cast, featuring Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Vinod Khanna, ...

'' (1980) and "Kaisi Lagrahi Hoon Mein" from '' Jhuta Sach'' (1984). Apart from the Burmans, Kumar worked with other famous music directors too. The composer duo

Laxmikant–Pyarelal Laxmikant–Pyarelal were an Indian composer duo, consisting of Laxmikant Shantaram Patil Kudalkar (1937–1998) and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma (born 1940). He is known by the nickname “Pyromaniac” due to his flaming style of music. Laxmikan ...

(L-P) composed many songs sung by him, including "Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi" from ''Mr. X in Bombay'', "Mere Naseeb Mein Aye Dost" from ''

Do Raaste ''Do Raaste'' (translation: ''Two Paths'') is a 1969 Indian Hindi film directed by Raj Khosla. It stars Rajesh Khanna as the dutiful son and Mumtaz as his love interest. Balraj Sahni and Kamini Kaushal play the eldest son and his wife. Prem Chop ...

'', "Yeh Jeevan Hai" from ''

Piya Ka Ghar ''Piya Ka Ghar'' ( My beloved's house) is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language comedy set in Mumbai in the 1970s. It is a remake of Raja Thakur's Marathi film ''Mumbaicha Jawai''. It portrays the difficulties of life in India's biggest city during the ...

'', "Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai" from '' Daag'', "Nahi Mai Nahi Dekh Sakta" from '' Majboor'', "Mere Diwanepan Ki Bhi" from ''

Mehboob Ki Mehndi ''Mehboob Ki Mehndi'' is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film produced and directed by H. S. Rawail. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Leena Chandavarkar. The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. It was base ...

'', "Naach Meri Bulbul" from ''

Roti Roti (also known as chapati) is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is popular in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Trini ...

'', "Chal Chal Chal Mere Haathi" from '' Haathi Mere Saathi'' and "Tu Kitne Baras Ki" from '' Karz''. L-P also worked with Kishore and Mohammed Rafi on duets for the films ''Zakhmee'', '' Dostana'', ''

Ram Balram ''Ram Balram'' is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Vijay Anand, which starred Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan in pivotal roles along with the supporting cast including Zeenat Aman and Rekha. The film marked the third time ...

'' and ''Deedaar-E-Yaar''. L-P composed "I Love You (Kaate Nahin Katate Yeh Din Yeh Raat)" for '' Mr. India'' (1987), a duet with Kishore and

Alisha Chinoy Alisha Chinai (born 18 March 1965) is an Indian pop singer known for her Indi-pop albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema. She began her singing career with the album ''Jadoo'' in 1985, and by the 1990s she had become known as the ' ...

recorded songs such as "Koi Hota Jisko Apna" from ''

Mere Apne ''Mere Apne'' is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language film written and directed by Gulzar and produced by Romu, Raj and N. C. Sippy. It was Gulzar's first directorial venture and was almost a frame by frame remake of the National Award-winning Bengali fi ...

'' and "Guzar Jaaye Din Din" from '' Annadata''. Ravindra Jain recorded "Ghungroo Ki Tarah" and the duets "Le Jaayenge Le Jaayenge" from ''

Chor Machaye Shor ''Chor Machaye Shor'' () is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Ashok Roy and produced by N. N. Sippy. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Mumtaz, Danny Denzongpa, Madan Puri, Asrani and Asit Sen. The music is by Ravindra Jain. Asrani e ...

'' and "Tota Maina Ki Kahani" from ''

Fakira ''Fakira'' is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language crime action film produced by N.N. Sippy and directed by C.P. Dixit. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Asrani, Aruna Irani, Danny Denzongpa, Asit Sen, Ramesh Deo and Madan Puri. The music ...

''.

Shyamal Mitra Shyamal Mitra (14 January 1929 – 15 November 1987) was an Indian versatile playback singer and music director along with Hemanta Mukherjee and Manna Dey. Mitra had also worked in many Hindi and Bengali films as a music director and film produce ...

recorded a duet of Kishore with Asha – Sara Pyaar Tumhara for the film ''Anandshram''.

Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, ...

recorded many of Kishore's duets with Lata Mangeshkar, including "Hazaar Raahein" and "Ankhon Mein Humne" from '' Thodisi Bewafaii'' and "Chandni Raat Mein" from ''

Dil-E-Nadaan ''Dil-e-Nadaan'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language romance film directed by C. V. Sridhar. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Prada and Smita Patil. It is a remake of Sridhar's 1978 Tamil film ''Ilamai Oonjal Aadukirath ...

'' (1982).

Hridaynath Mangeshkar Hridaynath Mangeshkar (Marathi pronunciation: �ɾud̪əjnaːt̪ʰ məŋɡeːʃkəɾ is an Indian music director. He is the only son of musician Deenanath Mangeshkar and younger brother of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. He is popularly kno ...

recorded "Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main" from ''

Mashaal ''Mashaal'' () is a 1984 Bollywood action film. Produced and directed by Yash Chopra, it starred Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Anil Kapoor and Rati Agnihotri. The role played by Anil Kapoor was first offered to Amitabh Bachchan and then to Kama ...

'' (1984). Kalyanji-Anandji recorded several songs with Kishore including ''"''Zindagi Ka Safar" and "Jeevan Se Bhari", from '' Safar'' (1970), "O Saathi Re" from ''

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar ''Muqaddar Ka Sikandar'' () is a 1978 Indian drama film produced and directed by Prakash Mehra, and written by Kader Khan, Vijay Kaul and Laxmikant Sharma. It stars Amitabh Bachchan, in his fifth of nine films with Prakash Mehra to date, along w ...

''(1978)'', ''"Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas" from ''Blackmail''(1973), "Neele Neele Ambar Par"from Kalaakaar(1983)'' and the chart buster

qawwali Qawwali (Punjabi language, Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nastaʿlīq, Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali language, Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali alphabet, Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Isl ...

"Qurbani Qurbani" from ''Qurbani''(1980). Kishore also worked with other composers including

Rajesh Roshan Rajesh Roshan Lal Nagrath (born 24 May 1955) is an Indian Hindi cinema music director and composer. He is the son of music director Roshan and singer Ira Roshan. Personal life Rajesh Roshan has a Punjabi Hindu father and Bengali Brahmin m ...

, Sapan Chakraborty and

Bappi Lahiri Bappi Aparesh Lahiri (born Alokesh Aparesh Lahiri; 27 November 1952 – 15 February 2022), also known as Bappi Da was an Indian singer, composer and record producer. He popularised the use of synthesised disco music in Indian music industry and ...

. Kumar sang "Bhool Gaya Sab Kuchh" (duet with Lata Mangeshkar) and "Dil Kya Kare Jab Kisise" for Rajesh Roshan's film ''

Julie Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...

''. Their other songs include "Yaadon Mein Woh" from ''

Swami Swami ( ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to a male or female ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas. It is used eit ...

'', " Chhookar Mere Man Ko Kiya Toone Kya Ishaara" from '' Yaarana'', "Kaha Tak Ye Manko Andher Chalenge" from ''Baton Baton Mein'', "O Yara Tu Yaro Se Hai Pyar", and "Laharon Ki Tatah Yaadien" (1983) and ''Kahiye, Suniye'' (duet with Asha Bhosle) from ''

Baton Baton Mein ''Baton Baton Mein'' () is a 1979 Indian romantic comedy film, produced and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film stars Amol Palekar and Tina Munim in leading roles. David, Pearl Padamsee, Asrani and Ranjit Choudhary appear in supporting role ...

''.

also recorded many songs with Kumar, including ''Pag Ghunghroo Bandh'' from ''

Namak Halaal ''Namak Halaal'' () is a 30 April 1982 Indian masala film, directed by Prakash Mehra and written by Kader Khan. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Smita Patil, Parveen Babi, Waheeda Rehman, Om Prakash, Ranjeet, Satyen Kappu in piv ...

'' (1982), ''Manzilen Apni Jagah Hai'' from ''

Sharaabi ''Sharaabi'' ( en, Drunkard, italic=yes) is a 1984 Indian Hindi comedy drama film produced and directed by Prakash Mehra. This was Mehra's sixth film with Amitabh Bachchan. Sharaabi stars Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Prada in lead roles along wi ...

'' (1984), "Chalate Chalte Mere Ye Geet Yad Rakhana" from ''Chalte Chalte'' (1975) and "Saason Se Nahi Kadmose Nahi" from ''Mohabbat'' (1987) and duets with Lata Mangeshkar such as "Albela Mausam" and "Pyar Ka Tohfa" from ''

Tohfa ''Tohfa'' () is a 1984 Indian Hindi-language melodrama comedy film produced by D. Ramanaidu under the Suresh Productions banner and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. It stars Jeetendra, Sridevi and Jaya Prada. The film upon its release was a massi ...

'' (1984). The Kishore and Bappi pair also recorded hits in Bengali, including "Chirodini Tumi Je Amar" from ''

Amar Sangi ''Amar Sangee'' () is a 1987 Indian Bengali-language film directed by Sujit Guha and produced by Dipti Pal. The film features actors Prosenjit Chatterjee and Vijayeta Pandit in the lead roles. The musics of the film was composed by Bappi Lahir ...

'' (1987) and "E Amar Gurudakshina" from '' Gurudakshina'' (1987). Another Bengali musician was Ajay Das, who composed many hit songs in Kumar's voice. He also recorded a duet song ''Hello Hello Kya Haal Hai'' with

for

Naushad Naushad Ali (25 December 1919 – 5 May 2006) was an Indian music director for Hindi films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularising the ...

in 1975 for the movie '' Sunehra Sansar'', the only song of Kishore. He also worked with music directors Basu and Manohari Singh for duets such as "Wada Karo Jaanam" and "Dariya Kinare" for the film '' Sabse Bada Rupaiya'' and "Aa Humsafar" for the film ''Chatpatee''.

Indian Emergency

During the Indian Emergency (1975–1977),

Sanjay Gandhi Sanjay Gandhi (14 December 1946 23 June 1980) was an Indian politician and the younger son of Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi. He was a member of parliament, Lok Sabha and the Nehru–Gandhi family. During his lifetime, he was widely expected ...

asked Kishore to sing for an

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

rally in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

, but he refused. As a result, Information and broadcasting minister

Vidya Charan Shukla Vidya Charan Shukla (2 August 1929 – 11 June 2013) was an Indian politician whose political career spanned six decades. He was predominantly a member of the Indian National Congress, but also had spells in Jan Morcha, Janata Dal, Samaj ...

(1975–1977) put an unofficial ban on playing Kumar songs on state broadcasters

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

and Doordarshan from 4 May 1976 till the end of Emergency.

Later years

Kishore Kumar's son

became a singer in Hindi cinema in 1974 with the song "Apne Bas Ki Baat Nahi", composed by Kumar for the film ''Badthi Ka Naam Daadi''. Amit Kumar became popular with success of the song "Bade Achche Lagte Hai". Kishore continued singing for several actors even in 1980s. Kumar performed stage shows right from 1969 to earn money to pay his income tax arrears. Kumar stopped singing for Amitabh Bachchan in the year 1981, after Bachchan refused to appear as a guest in the film ''Mamta Ki Chhaon Mein'', which Kishore produced. Kishore declined to give voice for Amitabh in ''Naseeb'', ''Coolie'', ''Mard'' and ''Desh Premee''. Kishore said he would give his voice to Randhir Kapoor in the film '' Pukar'', also starring Amitabh. Since Kishore shared good rapport with R. D. Burman, he agreed to sing in ''Mahaan'', ''Shakti'' and ''Bemisal''. Later, Kishore called a truce by singing for Amitabh in a solo song in ''Shahenshah'' and later in '' Toofan''. Kishore sang the song "Mera Geet Adhura Hai" for his production ''Mamta Ki Chaon Mein'' and picturised the song on Rajesh Khanna. Kishore had directed the film, but died in 1987 and Rajesh Khanna helped Amit Kumar in releasing the film in 1989. He also temporarily stopped singing for

Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, producer and politician who predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali language films. He is a former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament. He is the recipient of three ...

after

Yogeeta Bali Yogeeta Bali Chakraborty (born 13 August 1952) is a former Indian Bollywood actress. She was active in the late 1970s and through the 1980s. Biography Yogeeta Bali was born on 13 August 1952. She is the niece of actress Geeta Bali. Bali mar ...

divorced him and married Chakraborty. However, he later sang for Chakraborty in '' Surakshaa'' (1979), and in the 1980s in many films, including ''Boxer'', ''Jaagir'', ''Faraib'' and ''

Waqt Ki Awaz ''Waqt Ki Awaz'' () is a 1988 Indian action drama film directed by K. Bapayya. The film stars Mithun Chakraborty and Sridevi. Moushumi Chatterjee, Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Ranjeet, Gulshan Grover and Asrani are featured in supporting roles. Up ...

''. In the mid-1980s, Kishore sang for

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...

in his first Hindi film as a leading man, ''

Woh Saat Din ''Woh'' (English: It) is a 52-episode Indian horror thriller television series which aired on Zee TV in 1998. The series starred Indian film director Ashutosh Gowarikar, and dwarf actor Lilliput in the title role. It is a Hindi-language TV s ...

'' and also recorded for '' Mr. India''. (1987) the song "Zindagi Ki Yahi Reet Hai Haar Ke Baad Hi Jeet Hai". He sang duets with Alka Yagnik such as "Tumse Badhkar Duniya Mein Na Dekha" for ''

Kaamchor ''Kaamchor'' is a 1982 Bollywood drama movie. Produced by Rakesh Roshan, the film was directed by K. Viswanath, a remake of his Telugu film ''Subhodayam'' (1980). The film stars Rakesh Roshan, Jaya Prada, Tanuja, Sujit Kumar, Suresh Oberoi, Shr ...

'' in 1982, "Humnashi Aaake from Ek Daku Saher Mein" and sang "Teri Meri Prem Kahani" in ''Pighalta Aasman''. He also recorded for newcomers like

Aditya Pancholi Aditya Pancholi (born 4 January 1965) is an Indian actor, producer and playback singer working in Hindi cinema. Acting career 1985–87: Television movies and serials He was signed for a few television video films produced by Hiba, which ...

for the song "Mere Dil Mein Utar Jana" for the film ''

Laal Paree ''Laal Paree'' is a 1991 Bollywood romance fantasy film directed by Hannif Chippa, starring Aditya Pancholi and introducing Jahnvi in the role of the mermaid. Plot Shankar falls in love with a girl, unaware of that she is a mermaid. Dr Jacob ...

'' (1991). He had recorded the duets "Kaho Kahan Chale" for the film ''Bulundi'', "Pyar Ka Dard Hai" from ''Dard'' and "Tum Jo Chale Gaye" from ''Aas Paas'', a few days before his heart attack in 1981. He suffered his first heart attack on 24 January 1981 in Kolkata in the noon hours and within a gap of another four hours, suffered his second heart attack. The first solo song sung by him, after recovery from his two attacks was "Mere Sang Sang Aya" from ''Rajput'' (1982) and the duet with Asha – "Mausam Bheega Bheega" from ''Gehra Zakham''.

Collaboration with other singers

Kishore Kumar is credited with the highest number of multi-singer and male duet hits with the finest singers of different eras. Kishore Kumar sang the highest number of duets with

(687 duets). He also sang duets with

, Mohammed Rafi,

Manna Dey Prabodh Chandra Dey (May 1, 1919 − October 24, 2013), known by his stage name Manna Dey, was an internationally acclaimed and celebrated Indian playback singer, music director, and a musician. As a classical vocalist, he belonged to the Bhe ...

, Mahendra Kapoor,

Geeta Dutt Geeta Dutt (born Geeta Ghosh Roy Chowdhuri; 23 November 1930 – 20 July 1972) was an Indian playback singer and a famous Hindi and Bengali classical artist, born in Faridpur before the Partition of India. She found particular prominence as a ...

, Sulakshana Pandit,

S. Janaki Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer from Andhra Pradesh. She is referred to respectfully as "Janaki Amma" and Nightingale of South India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in ...

etc. In the song "Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyar" from ''

Amar Akbar Anthony ''Amar Akbar Anthony'' is a 1977 Indian Hindi-language masala film directed and produced by Manmohan Desai and written by Kader Khan. The film stars an ensemble cast of Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi, ...

'', Kishore sang one song with

, Mohammed Rafi and

Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It also means god of 3 worlds, heaven, hell & earth, which in turn represents Hindu god Shiva. It is commonly used as a male given name in India. Peopl ...

, the most legendary singers in Hindi films. This was probably the only time that all of them rendered their voices for one song.

Bhajans

Kishore Kumar sang

Bhajans Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

like "Aao Kanhai Mere Dham" from Mere Jeevan Saathi (1972), "Devi Mata Rani" from Swarag Se Sunder (1986), "Jai Bholenath Jai Ho Prabhu" from Kunwara Baap (1974), "He Re Kanhaiya" from Chhoti Bahu (1971), "Jab Ram Naam Le Le" from Abhi Toh Jee Le (1977), "Kahe Apno K Kaam Nahi Aye Tu" from Raampur Ka Lakshman (1972), "Krishna Krishna, Bolo Krishna" from Naya Din Nai Raat (1974), "Prabhuji Teri Leela Aparampaar" from Humsafar (1953) etc.

Qawwali

Kishore Kumar recorded Qawwalis like all time hit "Vaada Tera Vaada" from Dushman (1971), "Hum Toh Jhuk Kar Salam Karte Hai" from Fakira (1976), "Mehfil Mein Paimana Jo Laga Jhumne" from Chunaoti (1980), "Is Ishq Mein" from Mr. Romeo (1974), "Kya Cheez Hai Aurat Duniya Mein" from Zorro (1975), "Haal Kya Hai Dilon Ka" from Anokhi Ada (1973), a semi qawwali "Jab Se Sarkar Ne Nashabandi Tod Di" from 5 Rifles (1974), the chart buster qawwali "Qurbani Qurbani Qurbani" from Qurbani (1980) etc.

Ghazals

Kishore Kumar sang

Ghazals The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a p ...

like "Peechhli Yaad Bhula Do" from Mehndi (1983), "Aisi Haseen Chandni" from Dard (1981), "Yun Neend Se Woh Jaan-E-Chaman" from Dard Ka Rishta (1982), "Tera Chehra Mejhe Gulab Lage" from Aapas Ki Baat (1981) etc.

Personal life

Kumar married four times. His first wife was

singer and actress

Ruma Guha Thakurta Ruma Guha Thakurta (21 November 1934 – 3 June 2019) was an Indian actress and singer primarily associated with Bengali language films. She founded Calcutta Youth Choir in 1958. Early life Ruma Guha Thakurta was born on 3 November 1934 to ...

aka Ruma Ghosh. Their marriage lasted from 1950 to 1958. Kumar's relationship with actress

was the subject of much media attention. Madhubala had worked with Kumar in many films including his home production ''

'' (1958) and ''

'' (1961). According to Madhubala's sister Madhur Bhushan, after Madhubala's relationship with actor

Dilip Kumar Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from ...

faded, Madhubala got involved with Kishore who was going through a divorce with

. Their love affair went on for three years through

and Half Ticket. Madhubala was ill and was planning to go to London for treatment. She had a

ventricular septal defect A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a defect in the ventricular septum, the wall dividing the left and right ventricles of the heart. The extent of the opening may vary from pin size to complete absence of the ventricular septum, creating one ...

(hole in the heart). The couple had a civil wedding in 1960 and Kumar reportedly

converted to Islam Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...

and changed his name to Karim Abdul. His parents refused to attend the ceremony. The couple also had a Hindu ceremony to please Kumar's parents. Their marriage ended with Madhubala's death on 23 February 1969. Kumar's third marriage was to

, and lasted from 1976 to 4 August 1978. Kumar was married to

Leena Chandavarkar Leena Chandavarkar (born 29 August 1950) is an Indian former actress who appeared in Bollywood movies as a leading actress and now appears in reality shows. She was an actress during the late 60s and early 70s. She played leading heroine opposi ...

from 1980 until his death. He had two sons,

with Ruma, and Sumit Kumar with Leena Chandavarkar. Kumar is said to have been paranoid about not being paid. During recordings, he would sing only after his secretary confirmed that the producer had made the payment. On one occasion, when he discovered that his dues had not been fully paid, he appeared on set with makeup on only one side of his face. When the director questioned him, he replied "Aadha paisa to aadha make-up." (Half make-up for half payment). On the sets of '' Bhai Bhai'', Kumar refused to act because the director M. V. Raman owed him 5,000. Ashok Kumar persuaded him to do the scene but when the shooting started, Kishore walked a few paces and said, ''Paanch Hazaar Rupaiya'' (five thousand rupees) and did a somersault. After he reached the end of the floor, he left the studio. On another occasion, when producer R.C. Talwar did not pay his dues in spite of repeated reminders, Kumar arrived at Talwar's residence shouting "''Hey Talwar, de de mere aath hazaar''" ("Hey Talwar, give me my eight thousand") every morning until Talwar paid up. In spite of his "no money, no work" principle, sometimes Kumar recorded free even when the producers were willing to pay. Such films include those produced by Rajesh Khanna and

Danny Denzongpa Tshering Phintso "Danny" Denzongpa (born 25 February 1948) is an Indian actor, singer and film director who primarily works in Hindi films. He has acted in over 190 films since 1971. In 2003, Denzongpa was awarded the Padma Shree, India's four ...

. On one occasion, Kishore helped actor-turned-producer

Bipin Gupta Bipin Gupta (21 August 1905 – 9 September 1981) was an Indian actor and artist during the 1930s and 1960s. He acted in Bengali and Hindi cinema, most notably in ''Baiju Bawra'' (1952), ''Jagriti'' (1954), ''Gharana'' (1961) and '' Khilona'' ...

by giving him 20,000 for the film ''

Daal Me Kala ''Daal Mein Kala'' is a 1964 Hindi-language film starring Kishore Kumar, Nimmi and Agha. On the run for unpaid bills, an unemployed slacker is mistaken for a professor Plot When Bombay-based Rajaram and Rajendra Kumar are unable to pay thei ...

'' (1964). When actor Arun Kumar Mukherjeeone of the first persons to appreciate Kishore's singing talentdied, Kumar regularly sent money to Mukherjee's family in Bhagalpur. According to Kumar's eldest son

, Kumar did a lot of charity and free shows for jawans and cancer patients but he never spoke about it. Kumar was a homebody and avoided the trappings of stardom. He was an early riser and went to bed early. He loved authentic Bengali food, and was deeply emotional, a side which he seldom expressed and was also philosophic. Kumar was fond of Biblical films and liked sitting in a cemetery. The film '' Anand'' (1971) was originally supposed to star Kishore and

Mehmood Ali Mehmood Ali (29 September 1932 – 23 July 2004), popularly known simply as Mehmood, was an Indian actor, singer, director and producer best known for playing comic roles in Hindi films.

, the director of the film, was asked to meet Kishore to discuss the project. However, when he went to Kumar's house he was driven away by the gatekeeper due to a misunderstanding. Kumarhimself a

had not been paid for a stage show organized by another Bengali man and had instructed his gatekeeper to drive away this "Bengali", if he ever visited the house. Consequently, Mehmood had to leave the film as well, and new actors ( Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan) were signed up for the film. Many journalists and writers have written about Kumar's seemingly eccentric behavior. He placed a sign that said "Beware of Kishore" at the door of his Warden Road flat. Once, producer-director

H. S. Rawail Harnam Singh Rawail (21 August 1921 – 17 September 2004), often credited as H. S. Rawail, was an Indian filmmaker. He debuted as a director with the 1940 Bollywood film ''Dorangia Daku'' and is best known for romantic films like ''Mere M ...

, who owed him some money, visited his flat to pay the dues. Kumar took the money and when Rawail offered to shake hands with him, reportedly Kishore put Rawail's hand in his mouth, bit it and asked "Didn't you see the sign?". Rawail laughed off the incident and left quickly. According to another reported incident, once Kumar was due to record a song for producer-director

G. P. Sippy Gopaldas Parmanand Sipahimalani (14 September 1914 — 25 December 2007), better known as G. P. Sippy, was an Indian film producer and director who worked in the Bollywood industry. Biography Sippy was born in Sindh, British India (now in Pak ...

. As Sippy approached his bungalow, he saw Kumar going out in his car. Sippy asked Kumar to stop his car but Kumar increased his speed. Sippy chased him to

Madh Island Madh Island (Marathi pronunciation: əɖʱ is a group of several quaint fishing villages and farmlands in northern Mumbai. Geography The area is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, and the Malad creek on the east. There are few beaches li ...

where Kumar finally stopped his car near the ruined

Madh Fort Madh Island (Marathi pronunciation: əɖʱ is a group of several quaint fishing villages and farmlands in northern Mumbai. Geography The area is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, and the Malad creek on the east. There are few beaches li ...

. When Sippy questioned his strange behavior, Kumar refused to recognize or talk to him and threatened to call the police. The next morning, Kumar reported for the recording session. An angry Sippy questioned him about his behaviour the previous day but Kumar said that Sippy must have dreamt the incident and said that he was in Khandwa on the previous day. Once, a producer went to court to get a decree that Kumar must follow the director's orders. As a consequence, he obeyed the director to the letter. He refused to alight from his car until the director ordered him to do so. After filming a car scene in Bombay, Kumar drove until he reached

Khandala Khandala is a hill station in the Western Ghats in the state of Maharashtra, India, about from Lonavala, 12 kilometres from Khopoli and from Karjat. Khandala is located at the top end of the Bhor Ghat, a major ''ghat'' (meaning valley i ...

because the director forgot to say "Cut". In the 1960s, a financier named Kalidas Batvabbal, who was disgusted with Kumar's alleged lack of cooperation during the shooting of '' Half Ticket'', reported to the income tax authorities, who raided his house. Later, Kumar invited Batvabbal to his home, asked him to enter a cupboard for a chat and locked him inside. He unlocked Batvabbal after two hours and told him, "Don't ever come to my house again". Kumar was a loner; in a 1985 interview with

Pritish Nandy Pritish Nandy (born 15 January 1951) is an Indian poet, painter, journalist, parliamentarian, media and television personality, animal activist and maker of films, TV and streaming content. He was a parliamentarian in the Rajya Sabha from Mahara ...

he said that he had no friendshe preferred talking to his trees instead. Once, when a reporter made a comment about how lonely he must be, Kumar took her to his garden, named some of the trees there and introduced them to the reporter as his closest friends.

Death

By September 1987, Kishore Kumar had decided to retire as he was unhappy with kind of songs and tunes being made by music directors and was planning to return to his birthplace

."Kishore Kumar – A Tribute". '' Filmfare'' magazine. November 1987. On 13 October 1987, his brother Ashok Kumar's 76th birthday, he died of a heart attack in Bombay at 4:45 pm. His body was taken to Khandwa for cremation. Kishore had recorded his last song, "Guru Guru", a duet with

for the film ''Waqt Ki Awaz'' (1988) composed by

for Mithun Chakraborty and Sridevi, the day before he died. Recalling the day of Kishore Kumar's death and his last lines before he took his last breath, his wife

was quoted as saying: "On the morning of October 13 (the day Kishore Kumar passed away in 1987), he looked pale and as though in deep sleep. As I went near him, he woke up and asked, ‘Did you get scared? Today is my holiday’.” That day he had several meetings at home. During lunch he told me that we’d watch the film River Of No Return in the evening. A little later, I heard him move furniture in the next room. When I went to see what was happening, I saw him lying on the bed. Nervously he said, ‘I’m feeling weak’. I ran to call the doctor. He got angry and said, ‘If you call the doctor, I’ll get a heart-attack’. Those were his last lines. His eyes were wide open and he was breathing out. I thought he was fooling as usual but that was the end."

Legacy

Singers like

Kumar Sanu Kedarnath Bhattacharya (born 20 October 1957), better known as Kumar Sanu, is an Indian playback singer. He is known as the King of Melody in Bollywood. He is famous for singing thousands of Bollywood Hindi songs. Apart from Hindi, he has al ...

, Ayushmann Khurrana,

Vinod Rathod Vinod Rathod (born 12 September 1962) is an Indian playback singer who primarily sings in Bollywood films. Rathod is the son of late classical musician, Pandit Chaturbhuj Rathod. Music career His career started when Usha Khanna after listeni ...

Abhijeet Bhattacharya Abhijeet Bhattacharya (born 30 October 1958), better known as Abhijeet, is a Bollywood playback singer. Abhijeet has sung 6034 songs in over 1000 films. Personal life Abhijeet was born to a Kanpur-based Bengali businessman turned editor Dhir ...

Sudesh Bhosale Sudesh Bhosale is an Indian playback singer who primarily sings for Bollywood films. Bhosale is known for his ability to mimic actor Amitabh Bachchan, having sung for him in various films. Career Bhosale was born on 1 July 1960 to Sumantai ...

were influenced by Kishore Kumar's style of singing. Singer Arijit Singh has also shared his fondness for Kishore Kumar. Many other singers like

Mohit Chauhan Mohit Chauhan (born 11 March 1966) is an Indian playback singer, known for his work in Hindi films. He was a part of the Silk Route band. Chauhan has received two Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer and three Zee Cine Award For Bes ...

, Shaan,

Neeti Mohan Neeti Mohan (born 18 November 1979) is an Indian singer. She sings mainly in Hindi and few Tamil films, but has also done songs in Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Punjabi, and English. Born in Delhi, she was one of the winners of the Channel ...

Shilpa Rao Shilpa Rao (born Apeksha Rao; 11 April 1984) is an Indian singer born and raised in Jamshedpur. She completed her Post Graduation in Applied Statistics from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, before working as a jingle singer for three years. During ...

, Sunidhi Chauhan, KK have been inspired by Kumar.

Kingdom of Dreams Kingdom of Dreams is an entertainment complex located in the Indian city of Gurgaon. Owned by the Great Indian Nautanki Company (GINC), a joint venture between Apra Group and Wizcraft, and opened in 2010, the facility consisted of two auditori ...

, a project of the Great Indian Nautanki Company jointly owned by Wizcraft International Entertainment and Apra Group launched a musical comedy Jhumroo on 7 April 2012 which is a tribute to Kumar and his legacy to music and Hindi films. The musical comedy features 19 retro songs of Kumar's. A statue of Kumar was installed on Southern Avenue,

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

on 22 October 2018. An album titled ''Baba Mere'' made by Kumar's son Amit was released on his 86th birthday. It shows Kumar's granddaughter Muktika Ganguly waking up in the middle of the night and in her dreams she meets her grandfather. The album is on a big canvas and is like a film. Amit Kumar termed the album as the greatest tribute to his father Kishore Kumar. In 2015, the UK-based newspaper '' Eastern Eye'' placed Kumar fourth in their "Greatest 20 Bollywood Playback Singers" list. Kumar was also included among the top ten most searched Indian singers on

Google Search Google Search (also known simply as Google) is a search engine provided by Google. Handling more than 3.5 billion searches per day, it has a 92% share of the global search engine market. It is also the most-visited website in the world. The ...

in 2016. In the ''Outlook'' Music Poll conducted by

Outlook Outlook or The Outlook may refer to: Computing * Microsoft Outlook, an e-mail and personal information management software product from Microsoft * Outlook.com, a web mail service from Microsoft * Outlook on the web, a suite of web applications ...

Magazine in June 2010, three songs were tied for the No. 2 place: One was sung by Kishore. The song was "Kuch to log kahenge logon ka kaam hai kehna" (''Amar Prem'', 1972). This poll was published in ''Outlook''. The jury included people in the Indian music industry. There have been appeals to the Government of India to honour the singer-actor posthumously with Bharat Ratna(India's Highest Civilian Award).

his contemporary once said that “Kishore had the best voice of all playback singers. He made singing sound so effortless. He had no classical training but could surpass me in a song because of his wonderful musical instinct and natural singing flair.” Hindi films Playback Singer

has said that: ::It is impossible for anyone to take Kishore Kumar's place. Kishore Kumar was one of a kind. He swayed everyone with his mellifluous voice and even made everyone around him always happy. He has been a true gem to the music industry. Actor Rajesh Khanna said "Kishore Kumar was my soul and I was his body." Actress

said: ::I did several films with Kishore Kumar. He was always full of fun and frolic. You couldn’t really predict what he was up to. It was wonderful working with him. Being a singer, he was so quick in his rhythm and quick in his reflexes while dancing. It was easy to match his steps and he was comfortable with me too. He used to tell me, ‘Aap to taal mein karte hai sab to bahut hi achha lagta hai mujhe. Betaali ho jati hai to mushkil padta hai.’ (It’s nice that you dance in rhythm. It’s difficult if rhythms don’t match.) Hindi film superstar Amitabh Bachchan called Kishore Kumar a multitalented genius who shall remain a phenomenal star. Former cricketer and batsman

Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...

said: ::Kishore Kumar's music has been a constant companion of mine and I feel his songs are truly timeless. Kumar's unreleased song was sold for Rs 15.6 lakh at the Osian's Cinefan Auction, New Delhi in 2012, the highest price bid for any Indian singer. The song was "Tum hi to woh ho", written by Kulwant Jani with music by Usha Khanna. This was for a film called "Khel Tamasha" by Rakesh Kumar, which never got made. The song was recorded just three days before his death in October 1987. Today Kumar's popularity spans across many countries of South Asia, especially

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. Digitally-colorized version of Kumar's film''Half Ticket'' (in 2012)has been released theatrically.

Sony TV Sony Television, Sony TV, or Sony HD may refer to any of the following television-related products from Japanese conglomerate Sony: * Television sets designed and manufactured by Sony Corporation in Japan ** Trinitron, television hardware brand (196 ...

organised the television singing contest '' K For Kishore'' to search for a singer like Kumar. Today Kumar's popular songs continue to be remixed or recreated. Kishore Kumar memorial in Khandwa

In his memory, the government of Madhya Pradesh has set up a memorial on the outskirts of Khandwa. It is open to public and has his life sized statue in a lotus-shaped structure. It also houses a mini-theatre and museum dedicated to him. On his birth and death anniversary each year, a function is held and many fans participate. The mini-theatre also screens his films on these days. A large number of musical tributes, special programmes and functions are inspired on his birth and death anniversaries every year. As well as fans of Kumar and music lovers from Khandwa make offerings of 'doodh jalebi', which was Kumar's favourite dish at his memorial annually on his birth anniversary.

In popular culture

* Kumar was commemorated on his 85th birth anniversary by Search Engine Google which showed a special doodle on its Indian home page for him on 4 August 2014. * Kumar's song "Pal Bhar Ke Liye" from the film ''

'' (1970) was used in an episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'' titled " Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore". His songs have also been featured in several films, including '' Such a Long Journey'' (1998) and '' Side Streets'' (1998). * In 1996, nine years after his death, Kumar's vocals from the song ''Saala Main Toh Saab Ban Gaya'' were used in the movie, ''

Raja Hindustani ''Raja Hindustani/Prema Bandham''(/ప్రేమ బంధం) is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Dharmesh Darshan. It tells the story of a cab driver from a small town who falls in love with a rich young woman. ...

'' and picturised on

Aamir Khan Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi films. Through his career spanning over 30 years, Khan has established himself as one of the most notable actors of Indian ci ...

. Kumar originally sung it for

and it is from the film, ''

Sagina ''Sagina'' (like ''Colobanthus'' called "pearlworts") is a genus of 20–30 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. These are flowering herbs native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere extending south to tropical m ...

.'' * The Bengali drama movie

Kishore Kumar Junior ''Kishore Kumar Junior'' (''KKJ'', released 2018) is a Bengali drama film directed by Kaushik Ganguly, starring Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Aparajita Auddy in lead roles. The film was a sleeper hit. Plot This film is about a singer who sings onl ...

directed by

Kaushik Ganguly Kaushik Ganguly (born 4 August 2012) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor in Bengali cinema. Multiple National Award winner Actor-Director, Kaushik Ganguly is known for making films that explore various aspects sexuality, like ' ...

was dedicated to Kumar and his fans. * A Bengali chart buster song "''Amar Shilpi Tumi Kishore Kumar''" sung by singer

was dedicated to the memory of Kishore. * Kumar's song "Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani" from the film ''

''(1972) was recreated in the 2019 movie

Student of the Year 2 ''Student of the Year 2'' is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language teen romantic action comedy film directed by Punit Malhotra and produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. A standalone sequel to the 2012 film ''Student of the Year'', it stars Ti ...

, a sequel to

Student of the Year ''Student of the Year'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama film directed by Karan Johar, written by Rensil D'Silva and Niranjan Iyengar on the basis of an uncredited story by Johar, and produced by Hiroo Yash ...

, with music composed by

Vishal–Shekhar Vishal–Shekhar are an Indian music composer, production, singing and songwriting duo consisting of Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani from Mumbai. Known predominantly for their work as music composers in Hindi cinema, Vishal–Shekhar have a ...

, and sung by

Vishal Dadlani Vishal Dadlani (born 28 June 1973) is an Indian singer, songwriter and music composer. He is one half of the duo Vishal–Shekhar, Front Man and vocalist of one of India's leading rock bands called Pentagram. As a singer he has sung various ...

and

Payal Dev Payal Dev is an Indian playback singer and music composer who sings and composes music for Bollywood films. She sang "Ab Tohe Jane Na Doongi" from the film ''Bajirao Mastani,'' as well as "Bhare Bazaar" from '' Namaste England''. Dev made her de ...

, and Kishore Kumar (only singing the lyric tune of Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani). * An official biopic on his life and times is being made by director

Anurag Basu Anurag Basu (born 8 May 1974) is an Indian director, screenwriter, actor and producer. He began his directing career in television, moving to feature films in 2002. Basu achieved initial success with his films tackling the themes of passion and ...

, which stars

Ranbir Kapoor Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India''s Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the re ...

as Kishore Kumar.

Discography

Filmography

Awards

; Filmfare Awards Won: Nominated: ; Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Winner: * 1971 – Best Male Playback Singer for '' Aradhana'' * 1972 – Best Male Playback Singer for '' Andaz'' * 1973 – Best Male Playback Singer for '' Hare Rama Hare Krishna'' * 1975 – Best Male Playback Singer for ''

Kora Kagaz ''Kora Kagaz'' ( translation: Blank Paper) is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language drama film produced by Sanath Kothari and directed by Anil Ganguly. The film stars Vijay Anand, Jaya Bhaduri, A.K. Hangal, Achala Sachdev and Deven Verma. The film's mu ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Kishore 1929 births 1987 deaths People from Khandwa Bengali Hindus Indian male playback singers Indian male film actors Indian male comedians Bollywood playback singers Yodelers Bengali musicians Bengali male actors Assamese playback singers Musicians from Mumbai Male actors in Hindi cinema Hindi-language film directors Film directors from Mumbai Film producers from Mumbai Indian film score composers 20th-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian singers 20th-century Indian composers Male actors from Mumbai Music of Bengal 20th-century comedians Indian male film score composers 20th-century Indian male singers Filmfare Awards winners