Yeh Shaam Mastani, Dil Kya Kare, O Maajhi Re, you`ve heard these evergreen songs time and again by the legendary singer Kishore Kumar.Kishore Da, whose mellifluous voice could leave many moist-eyed with its heart-wrenching pathos, soul-stirring melancholy and deep anguish.
Like in the past,members of versatile singer and actor Kishore Kumar`s family gather at his Juhu bungalow today and performed the "shradh" rituals. Once Leena Chandavarkar, the legend`s wife said that the entire Ganguly clan was present during the rites held on "pitru amavasya".
Leena said her 22-year-old son Sumeet, who started his playback career with Ram Gopal Varma`s soon to be released `Naach`, was working very hard to make a name for himself in the industry. "He is absolutely original and does not imitate his father," she added.
"Sumeet tells me that Dada`s voice (Amit Kumar) sounds just like Baba (Kishore). So I tell him, you are just 22 and you will not sound like a 40-year-old or 70-year-old. My husband always said you don`t get fame and success overnight, you have to work very hard for it and that is what I tell my son," she said.
Kishore, whose original name was Abhas Kumar Ganguly, started his singing career at 18, though he did not know even the rudiments of music. He left his birthplace, Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh and moved to Mumbai where his elder brother, Ashok Kumar, was already an established actor. However, opportunities did not come easily to Kishore. Initially, he imitated the style of legendary singer KL Sehgal, whom he idolised.
He sang his first song in 1948, `Marne ki duayen kyon maangu` for Dev Anand in the film `Ziddi`. He then approached S.D. Burman, under whose music direction he rendered many hits. His uninhibited antics and spontaneity made him one of the greatest comedians of Indian cinema. His exuberance lit up the screen as he sang and danced in films such as `Asha` and `Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi`.
The 1960s were tough times for Kishore as he encountered personal and professional problems. But he shot back to the top with `Aradhana`, following which he became the permanent voice of superstar Rajesh Khanna. His hits vary from the sad `Zindagi ke safar mein` to the flippant `Rafta rafta`.
He was married four times, to leading actresses Ruma Devi, Madhubala, Yogita Bali and Leena Chandavarkar, in that order. The actor-singer managed to remain at the top till the mid-Eighties before succumbing to a heart attack in 1987.
