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It’s Kishore Kumar’s birthday today. The inimitable Bollywood singer who mesmerized the audience with his mellifluous renderings for generations together and continues to inspire and enthrall millions more even today was a bit weird personality. He was considered a very practical person when it comes to money and would never go for recording if the payment was not made. To top it all, he was also a successful actor, producer, director and, music composer, a real multi-talented personality, one of the best Bollywood has ever seen.
When Lata Mangeshkar was fighting for royalty to be given to singers, it was Kishore Kumar who stood in support. While the melody queen had a big fallout with legendary Mohammed Rafi on this matter, it was the Yodeling king who took forward the demand of royalty along with Lataji that eventually turned out to be a big boon for all the singers.
Trees were his friends
Kishore Kumar was considered to be a big loner who never made friends with those in the industry. He always loved to be at home with himself and his family. When a reporter during an interview at his home inquired about the same, the famous singer pointed out at the trees and told him the names of each tree saying that these are his real friends.
He drove Hrishikesh Mukherjee out of his house
Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna starrer Anand is considered a classic. But before the famous director thought of casting Kaka and Big B in the movie, Hrishikesh Mukherjee was keen on casting Kishore Kumar and Mehmood. Nevertheless, when the Guddi director approached Kishoreda for the role, he was driven out of the house.
When he had ‘Beware of Kishore’ signboard outside his flat
Kishore Kumar was very eccentric and many times this eccentricity contributed to his weird behaviour that was both irritating and shocking to others. Once when he was living in his Warden Road flat, he decided to put up a signboard that said, “Beware of Kishore.” Incidentally, when producer HS Rawail came to him with some work offer and tried to shake hands with him, the Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi producer bite his hand and asked, “Did you not see the signboard?”
KL Saigal fan
During the early fifties and even late forties, the one name that was shining bright in Bollywood’s music world was KL Saigal. He inspired many young singers like Mukesh, Lata Mangeshkar, Talat Mehmood who later became big singers of their times. Even Kishore Kumar was a big KL Saigal fan and in his earlier days used to mimic him while singing.
Used his debt in song panch rupaiyaa barah aana
To date, every Kishore fan remembers his versatile singing in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi’s song “Paanch ruapiya barah ana.” But indeed it was not just for the reel. Once Kishore Kumar owed a debt of 5.75 and being so money-minded he always remembered that and used it in the song.
