Kishore Kumar - A Versatile Genius

Lovelorn Kishore

By MOHAN SAHAY

In rush to say or write something on some legendary figures, people at times present half-baked profile of the celebrity. This happened on August 4, 2006 when the nation paid tribute to a versatile genius of Hindi cinema –Kishore Kumar on his birth anniversary. Be it his songs, his contribution to films or his character majority of the writings on the singer in newspapers and commentators on television screen disappointed me.
No doubt, he was a lovelorn. Wonder how he did marry not one, two or three but four women that included Madhubala who lives as an icon of Indian beauty even after 35 years of her death like Marilyn Monroe an alluring beauty who continues to appear again and again in journals and on television screen. She had died in sleep committing suicide on August 5 1962.

Though an actor par excellence in his own stride, Kishore Kumar is remembered essentially as a singer. His songs of earlier days in films like, Naukri, Fantoosh, Nau Do Gyarah, Paying Guest, Dilli Ka Thag, Girl Friend, Naya Andaz, Shararat etc are haunting numbers. Before talking about Kishore’s numbers, I would like to throw some light on little known facts about the charismatic man.

After a lull in his career, Kishore sought into fame again and occupied top slot of the popularity chart in 1970s with the release of his songs of Aradhana , a Rajesh Khanna starrer. Sachin Dev Burman had composed music for the film. It was a coincident that with the arrival of Rajesh Khanna as a popular hero in 1970s, Kishore was the actor’s voice on screen. In his earlier days, Kihosre lent his voice to Dev Anand on screen. This is not a little known fact but a widely shared knowledge by music lovers and film buffs.

Many may not know that a film columnist writing the cover story for Filmfare in the 1970s had observed that Kishore Kumar …’ is an all time great playback singer and that he stood taller than Md. Rafi…’. This write up appeared immediately after runaway success of Kishore’s numbers of Aradhana.

In the next issue, there was a full page rejoinder in the film fortnightly – Filmfare that contested the columnist who rated Kishore as greater than Rafi. The rejoined went on to explain in detail how Md. Rafi was the greatest of all playback singers in the Hindi film world. Some facts cited by the mailer in his rejoinder reminded the columnist how ‘ Rafi Saheb was the only singer who has knowledge and who practice classical music. Rafi was the only singer who could sing at any scale of the musical notes…..’.

The rejoinder bore the signature of Kishore Kumar. The publisher of the magazine did not forget to add a photograph of Kishore in his rejoinder. That was the spirit and grace of the artiste. In all fairness it must be mentioned that all the leading male playback singers of the yesteryears – Md Rafi, Kishsore Kumar, Hemant Kumar , Mukesh, Manna Dey, Talat Memhmood and K.L.Sehgal occupied as unique position in the world of Hindi film music each having his own style and an in imitating voice of his own. We still await the birth of playback singers who could match the voice of the ‘magnificent seven’.

There was only one occasion when Kishore Kumar took the playback of Md Rafi in film Shararat. Rafi had lent his voice for Kishore on the screen in the song ‘’’azab hai dastaan teri aye zindagi….”. The lyricist was Hasrat Jaipuri and the music composed by Shanker Jaikishen.

I would not go in further details about Kishore Kumar in this article. Of many songs that he sang both on and off screen my choice of the best of Kishore’s 25 are the following. He poured his heart out in songs – ‘ mujhe tumse pyar kitna…’, ‘zindagi ka safar…’ and dukhi man mere You have to listen to the songs before passing judgment. Your comments are welcome.


Zindagi kaa safar hai ye kaisa safar…… Film SAFAR
Hamen tumse pyar kitna ke hum nahin jante…Film KUDRAT
Dukhi man mere sunmera kehna…………..Film FANTOOSH
Koi humdum na raha koi sahra na raha…...Film JHUMROO
Thandhi hawa ye chandani suhani…………Film JHUMROO
Hum hair rahi pyar ke hum se kooch na boliye.. Film Nau Do Gyarah
Mana janab ne pukara nahin…………………….Film PAYING GUEST
Hey nigahen mastana..duet with Asha…………….Film PAYING GUEST
Chhota sa ghar hoga badlkon ki chhaon mein…..Film NAUKARI
Ye raatein ye mausam nadi ka kinara..duet with Asha Film DILLI KA THAG
11. Mere mehboob kayamat hogi……..Film Mr. X IN BOMBAY
12. Tune mera dil liya…duet with Getta Dutt Film SHARARAT
13. Mere nindon mein tum mere khwabon mein tum..duet with Shamshad Begum Film NAYA ANDAZ
14. Kasti ka khamosh safar hai…with Sudha Malhotra Film Girl Firend
15. Mukho baar baar yaad na aa bewafa o bewa duet with Asha Bhosle Film RAGINI
16. Main bangali chhokra karun pyar ko namaskaram..duet with Asha Bhosle Film RAGINI
17. Ina mina dika……Film ASHA
18. Chhod do anchal jamana kyakahega…duet with Asha Bhosle Film PAYING GUEST.
19. C…A….T cat mane billi..duet with Asha Bhosle Film DILLI KA THAG
20. Ik ladki bhingi bhangi si….Film CHALTI KA NAAM GADI
21. Haye haye haye ye nigahen Film PAYING GUEST
22. Jeevan ke safar mein raahi… ( also rendered by Asha Bhosle ) Film MUNIMJI
23. Hum matwale nau jawan….Film SHARARAT
24. Chhoo kar mere man ko…. Film YARANA
25. Khush hai zamana aaj pehli tarikh hai… Non Filmy song


Ends