Musical Legends - Kishore Kumar

When we start talking on male singers in India, two-three names which first strike in our mind are Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar. These people with their melodious voice had created magic in Indian music. The magic they had created has not been recreated or matched by any of the following singers till date.


Kishore Kumar is the first singer who received eight Filmfare Awards as Best Playback Singer. Kishore Kumar was a versatile singer. He had many moods in his singing. Kishore had a unique style in his singing that is Yodelling, which therafter became Kishore's trademark.

Kishore Kumar was also one of the best comedian actors. Kishore Kumar also had produced 14 films. He also had composed music and written stories for those films. He has also written screenplays for 5 films. Kishore Kumar also had directed 12 films.

Before Kishore Kumar (August 4, 1929 - 13 October, 1987) stepped into Indian film industry, his elder brother Ashok Kumar was already an established actor. Kishore was 20 years younger than Ashok Kumar. Kishore Kumar was youngest amongst four siblings. His other brother Anoop Kumar was also an actor.

As Ashok Kumar was a successful actor in Bollywood, Kishore Kumar was visiting Mumbai regularly. Kishore Kumar's real name was Abhas Kumar which he changed before entering into film industry. Kishore Kumar began his career as chorus singer at Bombay Talkies. His debut film as an actor was Shikari in 1946.

His breakthrough film as singer was Aradhana in 1969 featuring actor Rajesh Khanna. Kishore Kumar came to fame with two songs from the film- Mere Sapnon ki Rani and Kora Kagaz Tha Yeh Man Mera. Since then Kishore Kumar sang in many films for Rajesh Khanna. His voice also suited best to actors Dev Anand and Amitabh Bachchan. He was expert in modulating his voice to suit to different heroes.

As an actor, Kishore Kumar is best remembered for his roles Padosan and his home production Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi along with his two elder brothers and wife Madhubala was appreciated by the the film fraternity.

The unconventional, the incomparable singer died on October 13, 1987 due to heart attack. A day before his death Kishore Kumar sang his last song Guru O Guru along with Asha Bhosle, for the film Waqt ki Aawaz (1988) which was composed by Bappi Lahiri. During his life time, Kishore Kumar acted in 50 films and he had sung for 200 films.

Kishore Kumar is considered to be a “versatile genius” with so many outstanding facets of his artistic personality. If overall as an artist, Kishore is versatile, only in singing domain he is a “versatile singer” in a true nature. Right from romantic to sad to soulful to motivating to semi-classical to qawwali to patriotic and to ghazals, Kishore had shown his tremendous variety in his god-given voice each and every time he had stood behind the microphone.