About Kishore Kumar

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Kishore Kumar

Actor

Kishore Kumar was an Indian film playback singer and comic actor. He also achieved notable successes as a lyricist, composer, producer, director, ...

Height (approx.):in feet inches- 5 8 Weight (approx.):in kilograms- 75 kg Eye Colour:Black Hair Colour:Black Date Of Birth:Sunday, 04 Aug 1929 Age:97

Bio

NickName(s)

- Kishore Da

Profession(s)

- Playback Singer, Actor, Composer, Lyricist, Director, Producer, and Screenwriter

Real Name

Abhas Kumar Ganguly

Physical Stats

Height (approx.)

in feet inches- 5 8

Weight (approx.)

in kilograms- 75 kg

Eye Colour

Black

Hair Colour

Black

Career

Debut

As an Actor:

- - Shikari (1946)

As a Singer:

- - Song- "Marne ki duayen kyon mangu" from the film- Ziddi (1948)

Awards/Honours

1970:

- Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Roop Tera Mastana" from the film Aradhana

1976:

- Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Dil Aisa Kisi Ne Mera" from the film Amanush

1979:

- Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Khaike Paan Banaras Wala" from the film Don

1981:

- Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Hazaar Raahen Mudke Dekheen" from the film Thodisi Bewafaii

1983:

- Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Pag Ghungroo Baandh" from the film Namak Halaal

1984:

- Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Agar Tum Na Hote" from the film Agar Tum Na Hote

1985:

- Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Manzilein Apni Jagah Hain" from the film Sharaabi

1986:

- Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Saagar Kinaare" from the film Saagar

1971:

- Best Male Playback Singer for Aradhana

1972:

- Best Male Playback Singer for Andaz

1973:

- Best Male Playback Singer for Hare Rama Hare Krishna

1975:

- Best Male Playback Singer for Kora Kagaz

Personal Life

Date Of Birth

Sunday, 04 Aug 1929

Age:

97

Birthplace

Khandwa, Central Provinces (Now Madhya Pradesh), British India

Zodiac Sign

Leo

Nationality

Indian

Hometown

Khandwa, Central Provinces (Now Madhya Pradesh), British India

Schools

- Not Known

College(s)

- Christian College, Indore

Educational Qualification

- Graduate

Religion

Hinduism

Caste

Bengali Kanyakubja Brahmin

Address

- Gouri Kunj, Kishore Kumar Ganguly Marg, Juhu, Mumbai - 400049

Hobbies

Reading Novels, Driving, Playing Table Tennis and Football

Signature

Kishore Kumar

Relationships

Marital Status

Married

Affair(s)

- Ruma Guha Thakurta (Bengali Actress Singer)

- Madhubala (Bollywood Actress)

- Yogeeta Bali (Bollywood Actress)

- Leena Chandavarkar (Bollywood Actress)

Family

Spouse(s)

First Wife:

- Ruma Guha Thakurta (1950-1958)

Second Wife:

- Madhubala (1960-1969)

Third Wife:

- Yogeeta Bali (1975-1978)

Fourth Wife:

- Leena Chandavarkar (1980-1987; his death)

Parents

Father

- - Kunjalal Ganguly (Gangopadhyay), Lawyer

Mother

- - Gouri Devi

Siblings

Brother(s)

- - 2

- Ashok Kumar (Actor)

- Anoop Kumar (Actor)

Sister

- - 1

- Sati Devi

Children

Son(s)

- - 2

- Amit Kumar (singer; with Ruma Guha Thakurta)

- Sumit Kumar (singer; with Leena Chandavarkar)

Daughter

- - None

Favourites

Director

Alfred Hitchcock

Actor(s)

Danny Kaye (Hollywood actor), Ashok Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan,

Actress

Madhubala

Singer(s)

K. L. Saigal

Musician(s)

S. D. Burman, R. D. Burman

Money Factor

Salary (approx.)

- Rs. 35000/song (as in 1960-1970)

Net Worth

- $1 million (as in 1980)

Personal Details

Bio

NickName(s)
Kishore Da
Profession(s)
Playback Singer, Actor, Composer, Lyricist, Director, Producer, and Screenwriter
Real Name
Abhas Kumar Ganguly

Physical Stats

Height (approx.)
in feet inches- 5 8
Weight (approx.)
in kilograms- 75 kg
Eye Colour
Black
Hair Colour
Black

Career

Debut
- Shikari (1946), - Song- "Marne ki duayen kyon mangu" from the film- Ziddi (1948)
Awards/Honours
Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Roop Tera Mastana" from the film Aradhana, Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Dil Aisa Kisi Ne Mera" from the film Amanush, Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Khaike Paan Banaras Wala" from the film Don, Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Hazaar Raahen Mudke Dekheen" from the film Thodisi Bewafaii, Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Pag Ghungroo Baandh" from the film Namak Halaal, Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Agar Tum Na Hote" from the film Agar Tum Na Hote, Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Manzilein Apni Jagah Hain" from the film Sharaabi, Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Saagar Kinaare" from the film Saagar, Best Male Playback Singer for Aradhana, Best Male Playback Singer for Andaz, Best Male Playback Singer for Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Best Male Playback Singer for Kora Kagaz

Personal Life

Date Of Birth
4 August 1929
Birthplace
Khandwa, Central Provinces (Now Madhya Pradesh), British India
Zodiac Sign
Leo
Nationality
Indian
Hometown
Khandwa, Central Provinces (Now Madhya Pradesh), British India
Schools
Not Known
College(s)
Christian College, Indore
Educational Qualification
Graduate
Religion
Hinduism
Caste
Bengali Kanyakubja Brahmin
Address
Gouri Kunj, Kishore Kumar Ganguly Marg, Juhu, Mumbai - 400049
Hobbies
Reading Novels, Driving, Playing Table Tennis and Football
Lesser Known Facts
Did Kishore Kumar smoke?: No, Did Kishore Kumar drink alcohol?: No, He was born in a Bengali Family as Abhas Kumar Ganguly., His father,Kunjalal Ganguly (Gangopadhyay), was a lawyer while his mother, Gouri Devi, came from a wealthy Bengali Family., Kamavisadar Gokhale Family of Khandwa had invited his father, Gangopadhyay, tobe their personal lawyer., Kishore was the youngest of 4 siblings (2 brothers and 1 sister)., While Kishore Kumar was still a child, his eldest brother, Ashok Kumar, had become an established Bollywood actor., Later, his elder brother, Anoop Kumar, also ventured into acting with the help of Ashok Kumar., Spending time with his brothers, Kishore Kumar became interested in music and films., Soon, Kishore Kumar became a big fan of the renowned Bollywood singer- K. L. Saigal and started to emulate his singing style. In an interview, Kishore revealed that he considered K. L. Saigal his Guru., After visiting Bombay (now Mumbai), Abhas Kumar changed his name to Kishore Kumar and began his filmcareer as a chorus singer at Bombay Talkies, where his brother, Ashok Kumar, worked., Music Director Khemchand Prakash gave him a chance to sing Marne Ki Duayen Kyon Mangu for the film Ziddi (1948)., After his first song in Ziddi, he was offered many other songs. However, he was not very serious about a film career at that time., In the year 1949, Kishore Kumar settled in Bombay (now Mumbai). The same year, he bought a green coloured Morris Minor car. Reportedly, he buried the car beneath his house in 1961, after the divorce with his first wife, Ruma Guha Thakurta., He appeared as a Hero in the film Andolan (1951) directed by Phani Majumdar., Ashok Kumar wanted him to become an actor. However, Kishore Kumar was more interested in becoming a singer., The Legend Music Director, S. D. Burman, is credited with spotting Kishore Kumars talent for singing. In the year 1950, it was during the making of Mashaal that S. D. Burman visited Ashok Kumars house and heard Kishore Kumar imitating K. L. Saigal. After complimenting Kishore Kumar for his good voice, Burman suggested him to develop his own style of singing, instead of copying Saigal., He had also acted inHrishikesh Mukherjees directorial debut Musafir (1957)., The Music Director for the film, Naukri (1954), Salil Chowdhury, was initially dismissive of Kishore Kumar as a singer when he found that Kishore Kumar had not attained any formal training in music. However, after hearing his voice, he gave Kishore the song Chhota Sa Ghar Hoga, which was supposed to be sung by Hemant Kumar., As an actor, Kishore Kumar had appeared in several hit films like Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Half Ticket (1962), Padosan (1968), etc., Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) was his home production, in whichthe three Ganguly brothers and Madhubala were in lead roles., Music Director, Salil Chowdhury, had a duet in mind for the song Aake Seedhi Lagi Dil Pe from the film Half Ticket (1962) and wanted Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar to sing the song. However, due to unavailability of Lata, Kishore Kumar had to singboth the male and female parts of the song himself. The duet was actually picturised on Pran and Kishore Kumar, in which Kishore Kumar was dressed as a woman., Kishore Kumar is famous for his Yodeling style of singing, which he had learned from the records of Jimmie Rodgers and Tex Morton., The Legend Music Director, R. D. Burman and Kishore Kumar had a great bonding with each other and the duo had worked in several hit films like Taxi Driver (1954), Funtoosh (1956), Paying Guest (1957), Guide (1965), Jewel Thief (1967), Prem Pujari (1970), etc., Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle have performed several duets composed by R. D. Burman likeChhod Do Aanchal from Paying Guest (1957),Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka and Paanch Rupaiya Baara Aana from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958)., The film Jhumroo (1961), was produced and directed by Kishore Kumar. He also acted in and composed its music. He wrote the lyrics for the films title song- Main Hoon Jhumroo too., Ha had also produced and directed the 1964 film Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein. He composed the music and wrote the script for the film too. In the film, Kishore Kumar and his son, Amit Kumar, played the role of father and son, respectively., His songs Kora Kagaj Tha Ye Man Mera, Mere Sapnon Ki Rani, and Roop Tera Mastana from the 1969 film Aradhana, established him as a leading Bollywood playback singer. He also won his first Filmfare Award for Roop Tera Mastana., Kishore Kumars voice is supposed to be the reason behind the stardom of Rajesh Khanna; as many of his films had songs of Kishore Kumar, which were chartbusters of that period., Kishore Kumar is considered the most versatile singer of Bollywood; as he was known for moulding his voice-pitch according to the actor on the screen., Besides Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Kumar became the voice for many other actors too includingDharmendra,, In an interview, Kishore Kumar revealed that the song Badi Sooni Sooni Hai from the film Mili (1975) was the most favourite song of his. It was also the last song composed by S. D. Burman., In the 1970s, Kishore Kumar recorded several songs with R. D. Burman. The duo has given a number of melodious songs to the Indian Cinema like- Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai and Yeh Shaam Mastaani from Kati Patang (1971), O Maajhi Re from Khushboo, Chingari Koi Bhadke from Amar Prem, Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aayi from Buddha Mil Gaya and more., Although Kishore Kumar had no formal training in classical music, R. D. Burman often had Kishore sing semi-classical songs likeMere Naina Saawan Bhadon from Mehbooba andHumein Tum Se Pyaar Kitna from Kudrat., His last appearance as an actor was for the filmDoor Wadiyon Mein Kahin (1980)., Kishore married 4 times. When he proposed to his second wife, Madhubala, she was suffering from Ventricular Septal Defect (hole in the heart) and was planning to go to London for treatment., To marry Madhubala, Kishore Kumar converted to Islam and reportedly, changed his name to Karim Abdul. Kishore Kumars parents refused the marriage and never truly accepted Madhubala as Kishores wife., According to sources, the 1971 classic film- Anand was initially offered to Kishore Kumar and Mehmood, instead of Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna. However, whenHrishikesh Mukherjee visited Kishore Kumars house, he wasshooed away by Kumars watchman. Actually, Kishore Kumar, who was not paid by a Bengali organizer for a stage show had instructed his watchman to shoo away that Bengali, if he ever visited his house, and the gatekeeper, unknowingly, shooed awayHrishikesh Mukherjee., Reportedly, Kishore Kumar often used to get paranoid about not being paid and would sing only after receiving full payment by the producers. On one such occasion, when he came to know that he had not been fully paid, he visited the set with makeup on only one side of his face. When the director asked him, he repliedAadha Paisa to Aadha make-up. (Half make-up for half payment). On another occasion, when a producer named R. C. Talwar did not pay his dues, Kishore arrived at his residence shoutingHey Talwar, De De Mere Aath Hazaarevery morning until Talwar paid up., To pay his tax arrears, he also used to do live shows., In spite of his No Money, No Work principle, sometimes he recorded free even when the producers were willing to pay him more. On one such occasion, he helped Bipin Gupta (actor-turned-producer)by giving him Rs. 20,000 for the filmDal Mein Kala (1964)., There are many reports about Kumarsseemingly eccentric behavior. He had placed a signboard at the door of his Warden Road Flat that said, Beware of Kishore. According to one reported incident, whenproducer-director, G. P. Sippy, visited his bungalow, he saw Kishore going out in his car and when Sippy asked Kishore to stop his car, he increased his cars speed. Sippy chased Kishore to MadhIsland where he finally stopped his car. When Sippy questioned his abnormal behaviour, Kishore refused to recognise him and threatened to call the police. When next day, they met, an angry Sippy questioned Kishore about his strange behaviour the previous day, Kumar replied that Sippy must have dreamt the incident and said that he was in Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh) on the previous day., Kishore Kumar had endorsed the Brylcreem and was also a user of it., He never enjoyed the media attention and had devised his own way to stay away from the limelight. In his living room, he had placed skulls and bones in red lights and sounds backing them to shoo away the unwanted visitors., He loved to play Table Tennis., Throughout his life, Kishore Kumar was a loner. In an interview with Pritish Nandy, Kumar said that he had no friends. Once, when a journalist asked Kishore how lonely he must be, he took her to his garden, named some of the trees and introduced them to the journalist as his closest friends. On his loneliness, Kishore said-, Kishore Kumar holds the record (8 times) for winning the most number of Filmfare Awards for the Best Playback Singer, so far., He was a habitual reader of Novels., On 13 October 1987, on his elder brother, Ashok Kumars 76th birthday,he died of a heart attack in Mumbai at 4:45 pm. His body was cremated at his hometown Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh., His last song was Guru Guru- a duet with Asha Bhoslefor the filmWaqt Ki Aawaz(1988). The song was composed by, He gave his last interview to Lata Mangeshkar., On 4 August 2014, on his 85th birth anniversary, search engine Googleshowed a special Doodle on its home page for Kishore Kumar., Reportedly, Kishore Kumar had never been an alcoholic or a smoker throughout his life; however, one thing that he was addicted to was tea., His songs are considered evergreen and even today, a wide range of people across the globe listens to Kishore Kumars songs., Whether it is Kumar Sanu,, Among the Cricketers, Sanjay Manjrekar,, Reportedly, an official biopic on Kishore Kumar is being made by Anurag Basu; featuring, In July 2017, the Khandwa District Collector stayed the demolition of the Ganguli House in Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh), the ancestral house of legendary singer Kishore Kumar and his brothers.The collector, Abhishekh Singh, said,, During his last days, the singer wanted to return to Khandwa, a wish which remained unfulfilled with his death on October 13, 1987. When asked why did he want to leave Mumbai for Khandwa, he said-
Signature
Kishore Kumar

Relationships

Marital Status
Married
Affair(s)
Ruma Guha Thakurta (Bengali Actress Singer), Madhubala (Bollywood Actress), Yogeeta Bali (Bollywood Actress), Leena Chandavarkar (Bollywood Actress)

Family

Spouse(s)
Ruma Guha Thakurta (1950-1958), Madhubala (1960-1969), Yogeeta Bali (1975-1978), Leena Chandavarkar (1980-1987; his death)
Parents
- Kunjalal Ganguly (Gangopadhyay), Lawyer, - Gouri Devi
Siblings
- 2, Ashok Kumar (Actor), Anoop Kumar (Actor), - 1, Sati Devi
Children
- 2, Amit Kumar (singer; with Ruma Guha Thakurta), Sumit Kumar (singer; with Leena Chandavarkar), - None

Favourites

Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Actor(s)
Danny Kaye (Hollywood actor), Ashok Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan,
Actress
Madhubala
Singer(s)
K. L. Saigal
Musician(s)
S. D. Burman, R. D. Burman

Money Factor

Salary (approx.)
Rs. 35000/song (as in 1960-1970)
Net Worth
$1 million (as in 1980)

Updated: Saturday,Aug 22, 2026 13:02 PM GMT+05:30

The above information is sourced from various websites/ media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the figures. Please use the "Suggest Edit" page to send us correction and more information.

Quick Facts

Basic

Date Of Birth
4 August 1929
Birthplace
Khandwa, Central Provinces (Now Madhya Pradesh), British India
Zodiac Sign
Leo
Nationality
Indian
Hometown
Khandwa, Central Provinces (Now Madhya Pradesh), British India

Relationships

Marital Status
Married
Affair(s)
Ruma Guha Thakurta (Bengali Actress Singer), Madhubala (Bollywood Actress), Yogeeta Bali (Bollywood Actress), Leena Chandavarkar (Bollywood Actress)
Spouse(s)
Ruma Guha Thakurta (1950-1958), Madhubala (1960-1969), Yogeeta Bali (1975-1978), Leena Chandavarkar (1980-1987; his death)
Parents
- Kunjalal Ganguly (Gangopadhyay), Lawyer, - Gouri Devi
Siblings
- 2, Ashok Kumar (Actor), Anoop Kumar (Actor), - 1, Sati Devi
Children
- 2, Amit Kumar (singer; with Ruma Guha Thakurta), Sumit Kumar (singer; with Leena Chandavarkar), - None

Net Collection

Salary (approx.)
Rs. 35000/song (as in 1960-1970)
Net Worth
$1 million (as in 1980)
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