On the 4th August 1929, Kishore Kumar was born to a Bengali family in the small town of Khandwa (now in Madhya Pradesh). During those days, he was known as Abhas Kumar Ganguly. His father Kunjilal Ganguly was a lawyer and his mother was Gouri Devi. He was the youngest out of the four children. His brothers Ashok Kumar and Anoop Kumar entered the arena of Bollywood when he was still a child. Spending time with his brothers, he too got intrigued by the charm of Bollywood movies and music. Also, he was supported by his family all through.
Kishore Kumar was undoubtedly one of the most notorious voices of the Indian film industry. He could switch the effect of his voice created from melancholic emotiveness to euphoric joyfulness.
Kishore Kumar was born in a Bengali family, already rich with talent and culture in the small town of Khandwa (now in Madhya Pradesh). His former name was Abhas Kumar Ganguly, and he later came to be known as the very famous “Kishore-da”. He was the youngest in his family and would often accompany his brother Ashok Kumar who had already entered the arena of Bollywood when he was just a child. His mother’s name was Gauri Devi after whom his house in Juhu is named viz. ‘Gauri Kunj’.
Here are some quirky facts about his selfdom:
– Known for his funny and whacky sense of humour, KK put a ‘Beware of Kishore’ signboard outside his house at Warden Road. He had also put a board saying Mental Hospital instead of his family name in his house in MP.
-He is known to be very unsure and paranoid about getting paid. He always used to sing after his secretary had confirmed that the producer had made the payment. KK was very particular about his benefits. Once a producer paid him half in advance and said that he would like to pay the rest once the film is completed. The next day, Kishore Kumar shocked everybody when he appeared with half of his head and mustache shaved! He insisted on filming the movie till he was paid the full amount!
-He started his singing career as a chorus singer in Bombay Talkies.
-He was known for his pranks. Once he started pretending as if he had his son accompanying him everywhere. He would talk to the invisible kid and reply in a different voice. If he didnt like a song while recording, he would say in a child-like voice, “baba yeh gana achha nahi hai”. Then he would reply in his normal voice, “nahin beta aise nahi bolte, ghar pe jake bolna”! The industry took it as another of his jokes and used to address his imagined son as ‘manas putra’.
