Kishore Kumar: Quintessential Versatility

Paying tribute the most versatile singer of Indian cinema, Kishore Kumar on his birth day. While driving I listened to some of my favorite romantic songs of Kishore da, I could not guess any other Indian singer who can match this legend. I was so much into the songs, as soon as I reached home and googled some of best of kishore da to just yoodle.

Acting wise, he’s most noted for playing a motormouth or a loud caricature or the eminently lovable romantic in a slew of comedies, including Half Ticket, Padosan and Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. He along with Mukesh and Rafi formed the triumvirate of playback singers who dominated Hindi music back in the days when a film’s songs decided its box office success.

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.

If he could bring the house down with Cheel cheel chillake or sing for both the hero and the heroine with Le gayi mera dil teri zulmi nazariya, he could also hold his own against a schooled veteran in classical music like Manna Dey in Ek Chatur Naar. And if he could shame Tarzan with his yodelling, he could also see the world through the eyes of a drunken large-hearted man with Kucch toh log kahenge and woo his ladylove (or the hero’s) with a playful Bhanwre ki gunjan or a tenderly lustful Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si. Such was his versatility that R D Burman went on record to denounce the other two singers in favour of Kishore Kumar, with whom he formed a partnership that remains unparalleled even today in terms of musical artistry.

Kishore Kumar was a genius. His repertoire varied. and his legacy phenomenal. He was perfectly at ease with all kinds of music from the fun & frolic my name is anthony gonsalves; to the melancholy manzilen apni jagah hai from the soft wooing numbers (ek ajnabi hasina se) to the boisterous declaration of intent (haal kya hai dilon ka na pucho sanam). He also was great at the rebel anthem – muqaddar ka sikandar – and the whimsical folksy philo number -which Mukesh did very well – like ruk jaana nahin …

Behind the joie de vivre lay a child’s heart that dreamed of a brighter day; behind the lover and romantic lay a restless soul; behind the comedian who elicited laughs from his audience was a loner and an eccentric.

But there is one debate that will always, always have the world divided into three factions – who ruled the roost during Bollywood’s Golden Era of music, Kishore, Rafi or Mukesh?

And for that, we’re blessed. May we never decide.

Thank you for the laughter when we wanted to cry, Abhas Kumar Ganguly – and thank you for the dreams.