Think of Hindi movie songs, and think of a synonym to versatility, it was one man, Kishore Kumar aka Kishore-da was also fondly called 'guru.' Born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly, on 4th of August 1929 in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. Popularly known as ‘The multifaceted genius’, Kishore Kumar was a complete entertainer. He worked in the film industry in almost every capacity; singer, actor, composer, producer, director, screenwriter, scriptwriter, and also as a female playback singer.

Kishore Kumar's entry into the film industry was smooth; he quickly slid into filming through the influence of his elder brother Ashok Kumar. Kishore-da started his career in cinema as a chorus singer at Bombay Talkies, where his brother worked. Kishore-da's first film appearance was in SHIKARI (1946), in which Ashok Kumar played the lead role. Music director Khemchand Prakash gave Kishore-da the first chance to sing "Marne Ki Duayen Kyon Mangu" for the film ZIDDI starring Dev Anand. Kishore-da was a staunch admirer of K L Sehgal, so he used to emulate his style. He also starred in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s directorial debut MUSAFIR. Later his home production CHALTI KA NAAM GAADI and other comic roles in HALF-TICKET and PADOSAN became a phenomenon and people started calling him Indian Chaplin. Kishore-da was able to pick up both the harmonium and the piano on his own and played it well without any formal training.

If the vibrant and brighter side of Kishore’s personality was charismatic, the grey side of his character, which was sadly publicized more in media, was insane. I always believed that when a human is so full of natural talents that he crosses the level of genius.

Kishore had many shades. One reason for his crazy behavior off the studios was his marital life. He divorced from his first wife Ruma Ghosh because of Madhubala. Begum Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi, popularly known as Madhubala, put the only condition before him, and Kishore da converted to Islam and took up the name Karim Abdul, and they got married. Kishore da's parents did not approve this and Madhubala soon left his house.

Kishore later realized that she married him just to prove Dilip Kumar (Mohammed Yusuf Khan) that she could find any superstar or whomsoever, she wanted. In fact, both Dilip Kumar and Madhubala were committed to each other, but there was a spat between the two because of her father, Attaullah Khan Dehlavi. After working with Kishore-da in CHALTI KA NAAM GAADI, JHUMROO, and HALF-TICKET, Madhubala went ahead and accepted Kishore's proposal in a hurry and married a man she did not even know enough. She died of ventricular septal defect in 1969.

But the main reason for Kishore-da's dejection from socializing with the film fraternity was their initial approach. After his major hits in comic roles, he was never approached for any serious role, but only comic characters. That made Kishore-da very upset and compelled him to venture into filmmaking again on his own. If he made madness fashionable, he had the charisma to make you cry with his movies like DOOR WADIYON MEIN KAHIN and DOOR GAGAN KI CHHAON MEIN.

The mid- 1970's saw Kishore Kumar being pulled into national politics because he was an outspoken critic of Indira Gandhi during the Emergency. Once, Sanjay Gandhi asked Kishore da to sing for a Congress rally in Bombay; Kishore-da refused.  This refusal resulted in his songs being banned by All India Radio and Doordarshan, which certainly did not help his career. During these days, his personal life was also turbulent. In 1976, Kishore Kumar married his third wife, film actress Yogeeta Bali. However, this marriage also did not last.

Vishwas Nerukar has written a beautiful and definitive book; 'Kishore Kumar: The Many Faces of a Genius,' which includes complete filmography, discography, unreleased material and film posters of his films. To know the other side of Kishore-da, check this heart-warming documentary:

Millions of people are in love with Kishore-da's work and persona because they see him in his other avatars too. He can easily be called Leonardo da Vinci of Indian Cinema. But if you ask me, Kishore Kumar will always remain a singer first. Without discounting even a bit of his other abilities, my relation with Kishore-da will always be of a listener and a compelling singer. I worship the lordship of Kishore-da as a 'Trier of his songs' like millions of others.

We use the term ‘old is gold’ for the songs and array of singers with divine voices that made the Indian Music resemble a shrine. Picking a favorite singer from the pantheon of the legends is nothing less than blasphemy. Think of those names and try to compare Hemant Kumar's haunting bass with the treble of Talat Mahmood. Or seek to pick your favorite among the melodies of Mukesh, rhythmic ragas of Rafi at the top of his voice and Manna De's classical singing. Now ask yourself or a friend born before the 90s, who would you worship as the God of playback singing? A set of any sample you take, the answer would clearly pop-up to be Kishore Kumar. Not that he was a genius (he was a level above genius), Kishore-da made people want to sing like him. Have you ever dreamt of a voice that you would pray, was yours?

Admirers of other greats may or may not agree with this, but what distinguishes Kishore Kumar from other legends is, perhaps, the contemporariness of his voice, that’s the reason it remains youthful forever. Anyone who has heard even a bit of Hindi film music will instantly recognize the power, the playfulness and the pain of that voice. Decades from now, he will continue to be the most contemporary voice in the Hindi music. Hence it is not a surprise why Kishore songs have, perhaps, seen the maximum number of murders in the name of remixes, as the new generation grooves to his voice.

The genius of Kishore da was also in his ability to get under the skin of the actor; for whom he was singing. Be it the first superstar Rajesh Khanna (Kaka) or the one man Hindi film industry for decades, Amitabh Bachchan. Whenever Rajesh Khanna's success story is written, it cannot be written without the special mention of Kishore Kumar. For the first time when Kishore da was approached to sing for Kaka in ARADHANA, he refused the offer. The director Shakti Samanta asked Kaka to see Kishore-da at his home. Shakti Samanta later revealed the story about this refusal drama, that, Kishoreda wanted to meet him to observe his style and mannerism. When Rajesh Khanna listened to the song, ‘Mere Sapno Ki Rani Kab Ayegi Tu’, he was stunned how Kishore-da infused him in his singing. The rest is history.

It was the legendary senior Burman who first tapped Kishore's inner talents as a playback singer. During the making of MASHAL, S D Burman told Kishore that he was trying too hard to imitate K L Sehgal and persuaded him to develop his own style. Kishore-da had a very close association with S D Burman. Later his partnership with Rahul Dev Burman, Gulzar, and Anand Bakshi made him the king of Indian music industry. Kishore-da had a song for every mood. Just imagine the range of his songs from the heart-rending Chingaari Koi Bhadke (AMAR PREM) to the sheer frenzy of My Name Is Anthony Gonzalves (AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY). Kishore was a singer for every occasion, every emotion.

You think of any human emotion; love, infatuation, guilt, amusement, elation, jubilation, pity, friendship or betrayal, Kishore lent his voice and songs to give musical meaning to it. They conveyed everything from romance (Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas), loss (Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi), hope (Ruk Jaana Nahin) and desire (Dil Kya Kare Jab Kisi Se). Then the pride (Tum Sath Ho Jab Apne), fate (Hazaar Rahen Mudke Dekhi), tears (Mere Naina Sawan Bhado) or the swagger (Dilbar Mere Kab Tak Mujhe).

The magical insanity in his 'response-singing' (won't call it a Jugalbandi) with the maestro Manna De in PADOSAN, "Ek Chatur Naar Karke Singaar" is divine. Once Lata Mangeshkar was out of town and was not available for recording, Kishore-da proposed Salil Chowdhury that he will sing for both male and female voice. Salil-da with initial reluctance agreed to it and the song 'Aake Seedhi Lagi Dilpe Jaise Katariya' turned out to be a joyous rendition for all of us.

Who won't welcome Kishore da entering your heart yodeling with Chala Jata Hoon? Think of the soul-stirring hum that precedes 'Ye Jo Mohabbat Hai.' Feel the heart-thumping energy of 'Meri Umar Ke Naujawanon’ and 'Saara Zamana Hasino Ka Deewana' and the sadness of 'Ghunghroo Ki Tarah.' You must have hummed the sentimental philosophy of 'Aane Wala Pal' and been part of the poetic pain and joy of 'Tum Aa Gaye Ho'.

My little kids go crazy when they listen to 'Chil Chil Chillake Kajri Sunaye', and they play it on repeat mode. You would be surprised to know about my karaoke mate Gopinathan, an Indian origin third-generation Malaysian. Gopi does not have any clue of Hindi words, but he sings Kishore-da's songs so effortlessly as if he is living those emotions.

Kishore-da's songs will continue to be the anthems for many generations to come, because he was communicating emotions, and people could relate to it. Tune into any radio/FM channels once the ugly madness of Honey Singh and Mika tire out RJs and their listeners, go to any college function, or a social gathering of music lovers, What do you hear? The magnetic and inimitable (not when I am singing) voice of Kishore-da.