RMIM Archive Article "338".


From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian

#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject:  Kishore lives on
#
# Posted by: verma@cs.cornell.edu (Arun Verma)
# Source: Asian Age
# Author: Biswhwanath Ghose
#

"Chhukar mere man ko ...": He lives on By Biswhwanath Ghose - The Asian Age - 17th October 1996 It was the evening of September 16, 1981. Kishore Kumar picked up his fourth Filmfare award as the best playback signer, this time for Hazar Rahen Mudke Dekhin from the Rajesh Khanna - starrer Thodisi Bewafai. For the next one hour, the top singer took the audience down memory lane, joined by son Amit Kumar. But Kishoreda's main offering of the evening was - no, not any of his own old hits - but a popular number of late colleague Mohammed Rafi, whom he held in high esteem. A gesture one rarely saw in the egotistical film industry! People called him eccentric. He called himself mad. But such was the greatness of Kishore Kumar. In Amit Kumar's words: "His life was an open book yet he was a misunderstood man. Ask Sunil Dutt, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar, they will all tell you that his madness was cultivated, his eccentricities were a facade, perhaps it was the only way he could play - have fun with life." Kishore Kumar went on to bag three more Filmfare awards in a row and could have own more, had he not died on October 13, 1987. He was still singing when he died at the age of 58. Nine years later the country is yet to see, and perhaps will never see, a musical genius that Kishore Kumar was. A musical genius not because he happened to sing for almost all stars and almost all music directors (Naushad being a notable exception). Not because he happened to be the singer of some of the best sad solos and fun numbers, be it Zindagi ka Safar or Eena Meena Deeka. But because of the way he used the resonance in his voice to effortlessly put life into hundreds of compositions - not all memorable though - which made him the undisputed king of playback singing for ten long years from 1975 to 1985. Who else could have done it: The mellifluous rendering of Gulzar - R D Burman's Aane Wala Pal (Gol Mal) and Phir Wohi Raat Hai (Ghar). The devil - may - care tone in Kalyanji Anandji's Rote hue Aaten Hain Sab (Muqaddar Ka Sikander) and Apni to Jaise Taise (Laawaris). The comical note in Bappi Lahiri's Pag Ghungroo Baandh (Namak Halal) or the serenity in Manzilen Apni Jagah Hain (Sharaabi) or R D Burman's Saagar Kinare (Sagar). Each of the last three songs fetched Kishore Kumar at Filmfare award. As Bappi Lahiri once said: "When he sang, he pronounced each and every word clearly." And nobody knows better then Bappi, who owes all the hits under his belt till date - whether from Chalte Chalte to the more recent Namak Halal and Jeetendra - starrers like Himmatwala - to the great singer. And it is not just Bappi Lahiri. The careers of several other top music directors peaked when Kishore Kumar was singing for them. Like Kalyanji Anandji. During the recording of Mera Jeevan Kora Kagaz, Kalyanji was so moved by the song that he was in tears. Then there is Raajesh Roshan, whose Chhukar Mere Man Ko (Yaarana) is still remembered as Kishoreda's one of the best songs, and to some extent Laxmikant Pyarelal (remember My Name is Anthony Gonsalves and Om Shanti Om?!). R D Burman and father S D Burman, of course, rarely worked without Kishore Kumar. Even maestros - turned - music directors Shiv - Hari are best known for their Dekha Ek Khwab from Silsila. And what about the hundreds of not - so - memorable melodious numbers contained in LP records or cassettes gathering dust in music shops. Even a critic of Kishore Kumar has to appreciate songs like Mere Liye Soona Soona (Anand Aur Anand), Jeene Ko To Jeeten Hain Sabhi, Aisa Kabhi Hua Nahin (Yeh Vaada Raha) and Dilbar Mere (Satte Pe Satta). Then there was a mesmerising number Main Dil Tu Dhadkan from the film Adhikar. The film, with Rajesh Khanna in the cast, failed to take off and so did the song. But the singer had given it his best shot. Kishore Kumar, as a singer, is still alive. One just has to switch on the FM radio set to find that he is there, everywhere. He can never die. But with his death, the country definitely lost an entertainer. Gone are the days of the nites, when the versatile singer enthralled the audience for hours, often along with his son and somethings with his favourite music director R D. And what an entertainer he was. In 1978, Kishoreda was in Delhi to sing for the West Bengal flood relief fund. The venue was Rabindra Rangshala and he had just finished with his first song Mana Janab Ne Pukara Nahin when it started raining heavily. The audience panicked and so did the musicians, but not Kishore Kumar. "You have paid to hear me sing and so I will," the singer announced before going on to belt out another 15 numbers, standing drenched in between the crowd. Even the Filmfare award functions are no more the same without Kishore Kumar. No more is the award - winning music director's orchestra seen on the stage and no more does the award - winning singer perform. Many may still remember in 1984 Filmfare awards presentation ceremony at Shanmukhananda Hall in Bombay. Bappi Lahiri, who had won the best music director award for Sharabi, was present with full orchestra in attendance. He began the evening with Aana Jaana Laga Rahega from Geraftaar. The music director then called Anil Kapoor and both sang Yaar Bina Chain Kahaan Re (Saaheb). Finally, to a thunderous applause, Kishore Kumar walked on to the stage and started with then - popular De De Pyar De. The singing and the dancing over, the singer said: "Ab main woh gaana gaane ja raha hoon jiske liye aapne mujhe award diya hai. Thoda serious ho lein." And adjusting his fur cap and spectacles, he gave what was perhaps his most heart - rending performance ever, singing an equally heart - rending song, Manzilen Apni Jagah Hain, Raaste Apni Jagah Hain. The mellow mood that had overcome the audience then climaxed with the rendering of the evergreen Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna ...That was Kishore Kumar's style. But it was playback singing that really suffered with his death. No singer other than him has ever been able to match his voice with that of the "singer" on the screen. When he sang for Amitabh Bachchan, the audience was "convinced" that it was Amitabh who was singing. Imagine anyone else singing Pag Ghungroo Baandh or My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves for Amitabh! Same was the case with all actors he sang for, from Dev Anand to Dharmendra and of course, Rajesh Khanna. All of them owe much of their success to him. ------------------------------
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian