name	Sholay
director	Ramesh Sippy
producer	G.P. Sippy
screenplay	Salim-Javed
starring	DharmendraAmitabh BachchanSanjeev KumarHema MaliniJaya BachchanAmjad Khan
music	R. D. Burman
cinematography	Dwarka Divecha
editing	M.S. Shinde
studio	United ProducersSippy Films
distributor	Sippy Films
released
runtime	188 minutes
country
language	Hindi
budget
gross	(distributor's share) }}

''Sholay'' () is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It is considered by the ''Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema'' to be among the greatest films in Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan. The film, shot in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara, Karnataka, is the story of two criminals hired to capture a ruthless dacoit by the name of Gabbar Singh. The film drew its plot heavily from the conventions of Western films.

When first released, ''Sholay'' opened to a tepid response, but word of mouth convinced the audience to give the film a chance, and soon it became a box office phenomenon. It ran for 286 weeks straight (more than five years) in a theatre in Mumbai and achieved a still-standing record of 60 golden jubilees (50 consecutive weeks) across India. It is the first film in the history of Indian cinema to celebrate a silver jubilee (25 weeks) in over a hundred theaters across India. By some accounts, ''Sholay'' is the highest grossing film of all time in Indian cinema when inflation is considered, although such figures are not known with certainty.

The Indian Central Board of Film Certification initially mandated cuts of several scenes involving violence and death. As such, ''Sholay'' was released with a length of 188 minutes. After 15 years, the original director's cut of 204 minutes was made available. The music from the film was composed by R. D. Burman and became quite popular, with the songs topping a few music charts. Some songs have been remade by other artists and have appeared in other films. The dialogues themselves were also released to the public, which was not common at the time.

In 2005, Indiatimes ranked the film amongst the "Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films". The same year, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare Awards gave it an award called Best Film of 50 Years. The film topped the British Film Institute's poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time.

The film will be re-release in 3-D on August 15, 2012.

Plot

The film begins in a small village named Rampur, which is home to ex-policeman Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar). He summons an old colleague and requests him to track down a pair of small-time thieves he had once apprehended in the line of duty. Though the two petty criminals Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jaidev (Amitabh Bachchan) are notorious, the Thakur feels that they would be the ideal men to help him end the tyranny of Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan), an infamous dacoit wanted by the authorities for a 50,000 reward. After scenes show how the three fought together during a train robbery attempt, and how the criminals often get in and out of jail, and often settle their differences with a coin toss, Veeru and Jai are found and brought to Ramgarh. They are told by the Thakur that they are to hand over Gabbar alive to him for 20,000, plus the 50,000 reward.

Three of Gabbar's enforcers arrive in Ramgarh to collect supplies from the defenseless villagers, but they go back empty-handed due to Veeru and Jai's intervention. In Gabbar's camp, the tyrant interrogates the three about why they were defeated by only two men. His psychotic nature is shown when he subjects his men to a game of Russian roulette, but eventually they are shot dead.

Gabbar attacks Ramgarh during Holi, and in a tough battle, Veeru and Jai meet their match and are held at gunpoint. With his two recruits facing death, Thakur has a chance to throw a gun to Veeru. Instead of helping, he stands watching. With quick thinking, Veeru and Jai manage to save their lives. They then state their intentions to leave the villagers to defend themselves, due to the Thakur's cowardice. Before they can leave, Thakur tells them the real reason of why he wants Gabbar, and why he could not help them. Some time ago, Thakur had caught Gabbar and had him imprisoned only for him to escape and plot an evil revenge. Gabbar made his way to the Thakur's home and killed most of his family. The only person to survive this massacre was Thakur's younger daughter-in-law, Radha (Jaya Bhaduri). Thakur tracked down Gabbar, but this time the tyrant held the upper hand due to his gang, and cut off both of Thakur's arms. Thakur had hidden this disability from Veeru and Jai, but now it was clear why he could not physically help them in the first place. Feeling sorry for Thakur, Veeru and Jai decided to forget the reward, though Jai swore on his word to Thakur that he and Veeru will bring Gabbar alive as promised.

Living in Ramgarh, the cynical young Jai and lively Veeru find themselves growing fond of the villagers, especially two girls. Veeru is attracted to Basanti (Hema Malini), a feisty, talkative young woman who makes her living by driving a horse-cart, calling her mare as ''Dhanno'' (the name of the mare). Jai is drawn to Radha, Thakur's reclusive widowed daughter-in-law, who returns his affections very subtly.

Basanti and Veeru are captured and Jai follows. The three escape, but Jai is wounded by a gunshot, and with the bandits still following, they hide behind a rock at the foot of a bridge, due to shortage of ammunition. Jai orders Veeru to go back to the village with Basanti, and then return with some ammunition. Veeru, even though unaware of Jai's wound, hesitates, insisting that Jai return to the village instead, upon which Jai suggests that they resolve the matter by tossing a coin. The toss, as always seems to happen, is in Jai's favor, and Veeru heads back to the village with Basanti. Jai, slowly dying with only a few bullets remaining, manages to fend off advances by the bandits, and kills most of Gabbar's men. After failing in most of their advances (and unaware that Jai is alone), in one last attempt, the bandits throw a stick of dynamite, which lands on the bridge near him. Realizing he has only one bullet remaining, Jai attempts to shoot the bomb off the bridge, but ends up hitting the bomb itself, causing it not only to explode and kill all remaining bandits, but also to injure himself. Veeru returns to find Jai dying, and immediately wants to take him back, but Jai refuses. He jokingly laments on missing Veeru's marriage, and telling stories to Basanti's and Veeru's children. Some of the villagers rush to the scene, including Radha, who once again has to endure the anguish of losing someone. Veeru then notices Jai's coin lying on the ground, and, upon examination, discovers that both sides of the coin are the same, and realizes that Jai had cheated him on every coin toss, including the one that resulted in his demise.

Veeru goes after Gabbar in a rage. He catches Gabbar, and almost beats him to death, when the Thakur appears and reminds Veeru of his promise to hand over Gabbar to him alive. Veeru rubbishes the promise and is about to kill Gabbar anyway, when he is reminded that the promise was made by Jai and not him. Veeru tells Thakur that the only reason for him doing so was because it was Jai who made the promise, and leaves. Thakur then advances towards Gabbar, revealing spike-soled shoes, intended to torture Gabbar and beg for death. Thakur severely assaults Gabbbar, destroying his hands, and is about to kill him, when the police intervene, reminding Thakur that he, too, was once a police officer and that Gabbar must be arrested and dealt with by the law. As Gabbar is taken away, Thakur is denied vengeance, but walks away with solace that Ramgarh is free.

The film ends with Veeru, after Jai's funeral, leaving on a train. However, as he boards, he sees Basanti in one of the seats. As they embrace, the train steams off, with Thakur watching.

(In the alternate ending to the film, Gabbar actually dies as he is kicked into a spike that is protruding from the posts where Thakur's arms were cut off. Thakur then falls to his knees and is comforted by Veeru.)

Cast

Dharmendra as Veeru, the more jovial and naughty of the two friends

Hema Malini as Basanti, a talkative girl who is the coachwoman for the only horse-carriage in Ramgarh

Sanjeev Kumar as Thakur Baldev Singh, usually addressed as "Thakur Sahib"

Amitabh Bachchan as Jai (Jai Dev), the calmer and more thoughtful of the two friends

Jaya Bhaduri as Radha, a quiet girl who is the Thakur's widowed daughter-in-law

Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh, a dacoit, who leads a group in looting and plundering the villages in the region of Ramgarh. He has a sadistic personality and insists on killing whenever required to continue his status and to take revenge on his enemies

Satyen Kappu as Ramlaal

A.K. Hangal as Imam

Sachin as Ahmed

Iftekhar as Narmadaji, Radha's father

Mac Mohan as Sambha

Viju Khote as Kaalia

Jagdeep as Soorma Bhopali

Asrani as a Jailor

Keshto Mukherjee as Hariram

Leela Mishra as Mausi

Paidi Jairaj as the Police Commissioner

Helen as a gypsy dancer in a special appearance

Jalal Agha as a gypsy singer in a special appearance

Production

Origin

''Sholay'' began as a four line idea that Salim-Javed pitched to Ramesh Sippy. Sippy liked the concept and hired them to develop it. The original idea was simple. An army officer decides to hire two ex-soldiers to avenge the murder of his family. The officer was later changed to a policeman as Sippy felt that it would be difficult to get permission to film from the army. They completed the script in one month, borrowing many character names and personalities from their friends and acquaintances.

The film drew heavily from the conventions of Western films, especially Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns, such as ''Once Upon a Time in the West'', and John Sturges' film ''The Magnificent Seven'', itself being a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film, ''Seven Samurai''. ''Sholay'' was also influenced by the westerns of Sam Peckinpah, such as ''The Wild Bunch'' (1969) and ''Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' (1973); and also by ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969). Some plot elements were also borrowed from the Indian films ''Mera Gaon Mera Desh'' and ''Khote Sikkay''.

The character of Gabbar Singh was modeled on a real-life dacoit of the same name who menaced the villages around Gwalior in the 1950s. Any policeman captured by the real Gabbar Singh had his ears and nose cut off, and was then released as an object lesson to other policemen.

Casting

Sippy at first wanted Shatrughan Sinha to play the part of Jai, but Amitabh Bachchan lobbied hard to get the part for himself. The producers considered Danny Denzongpa for the role of the bandit chief, but he was committed to Feroz Khan's ''Dharmatma''. Amjad Khan was a second choice. He prepared himself for the part by reading a book titled ''Abar Abhishapta Chambal'', which told of the exploits of Chambal dacoits. The book was written by Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, the father of Jaya Bhaduri.

During the film's production, four of the leads became romantically involved. Bachchan married Jaya Bhaduri four months before filming started. This caused problems when shooting had to be postponed because Jaya became pregnant with her daughter Shweta Bachchan. Dharmendra had begun wooing Hema Malini during their earlier film ''Seeta Aur Geeta'' and used the location shoot of ''Sholay'' to further pursue her. During their romantic scenes, Dharmendra would pay the light boys to spoil the shot, thereby ensuring many retakes. The couple eventually married in 1980, five years after the film's release.

Filming

The film was a lavish production for its time. It took two and a half years to make, and went 300,000 over budget. One reason for its high cost was that Ramesh Sippy re-filmed scenes many times to get his desired effect. The "Yeh dosti" sequence took 21 days to shoot while two short scenes where Radha is lighting lamps took 20 days due to lighting problems. Another shoot for the scene in which Gabbar kills the son of the Imam lasted 19 days. The train robbery sequence, shot on the Mumbai-Pune railway route near Panvel, took more than 7 weeks to shoot.

Much of the film is set in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara, a city near Bangalore, Karnataka. The filmmakers had to build a road from the Bangalore highway to Ramanagara for convenient access to the sets. One part of Ramanagara town was renamed "Sippynagar" after the director of the film.

''Sholay'' was the first Indian film to have a stereophonic soundtrack, and to be presented in the 70 mm widescreen format. However, since actual 70mm cameras were deemed too expensive at the time, the film instead was shot on traditional 35mm film and the 4:3 picture was subsequently blown up, cropped and matted to a 2.20:1 frame. Speaking about it, director Ramesh Sippy said : }}

Alternate versions

An alternate director's cut of ''Sholay'', where Gabbar Singh dies at the end, was not shown in theaters but was later released on video. Also there are some additional scenes with some different dialogues. Gabbar's death scene, and the scene in which the imam's son is killed were cut from the film by the Censor Board, as was the scene in which Thakur's family is killed, as the censors claimed that there are rules about people taking the law into their own hands and not being punished for it; this was not permitted as it may corrupt naive viewers. For this reason the ending of the film had to be re-shot for a 'U' rating.

The censored theatrical version was 188 minutes long, and was the only one seen by audiences for fifteen years after 1975. The original, unedited cut of the film finally saw the light of day in 1990 on a British VHS release. Since then, Eros Labs has released two versions on DVD. The "director's cut" of the film, from Eros/B4U, preserves the full frame as shot, and is 204 minutes in length. The widescreen version, from DEI/Eros is 198 minutes long. The DVD packaging does not always state which version is inside.

Reception

Critical response

The critic K.L. Amladi of ''India Today'' called the film a "dead ember" and added, "Thematically, it's a gravely flawed attempt." ''Filmfare'' said that the film was an unsuccessful mincing of Western style with Indian milieu, making it a "imitation western—neither here nor there." Trade journals and columnists initially called the film a flop.

Over time the critical reception to ''Sholay'' has improved to where it is now regarded among the greatest Hindi language films, and a classic. On the film's 35th anniversary, the ''Hindustan Times'' said that it was a "trailblazer in terms of camera work as well as music," and that "practically every scene, dialogue or even a small character was a highlight." In 2006, The Film Society of Lincoln Center described it as "an extraordinary and utterly seamless blend of adventure, comedy, music and dance", labeling it an 'indisputable classic'. In the obituary of the producer, The ''New York Times'' said that ''Sholay'' "revolutionized Hindi filmmaking and brought true professionalism to Indian script writing".

Box office

''Sholay'' was released on 15 August 1975 in Mumbai. Due to lackluster reviews and a lack of effective visual marketing tools, it didn't do well in the first two weeks, but it picked up from the third week due to a positive word of mouth, and became an "overnight sensation", according to Taran Adarsh.

During the period when the film was not doing well commercially, the director and writer considered re-shooting some scenes so that Amitabh Bachchan's character would not die. When business picked up, they abandoned this idea. ''Sholay'' went on to earn a still-standing record of 60 golden jubilees (50 consecutive weeks) across India. It was the first film in the history of Indian cinema to celebrate a silver jubilee (25 consecutive weeks) at over a hundred theaters across India. At Mumbai's Minerva theater, it was shown continuously for over five years. ''Sholay'' was the longest running film in Indian cinema until ''Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'' broke its record in 2001.

''Sholay'' earned about in India in its first run, which was many times its budget, earning it an "All Time Blockbuster" status. That level of earnings was a record that remained unbroken for nineteen years, which is the longest time for having held the record. It doubled its original gross over re-releases during the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, bringing the distributor's share to . Official box office records are not kept in India, but it is often cited that after adjusting the figures for inflation, ''Sholay'' is the highest grossing film in the history of Indian Cinema. Other sources place the adjusted figure lower, but still put it near the top of the List of highest-grossing Bollywood films.

Awards

''Sholay'' was nominated for nine Filmfare Awards after its release but won only one : M. S. Shinde won the award for Best Editing. He had edited 300,000 feet of film into 20,000 feet. After the censors mandated cuts, the film showed 18,000 feet and ran for 3 hours and 20 minutes. It received a special award at the 50th Filmfare Awards as the Best Film of 50 Years.

''Sholay'' was nominated for the following categories of the Filmfare Awards in 1975:

Best Film

Best Director – Ramesh Sippy

Best Actor – Sanjeev Kumar

Best Actor in Supporting Role – Amjad Khan

Best Actor in Comic Role – Asrani

Best story – Salim-Javed

Best Music – Rahul Dev Burman

Best Lyrics – Anand Bakshi for song "Mehbooba Mehbooba"

Best Male Playback Singer – Rahul Dev Burman for song "Mehbooba Mehbooba"

The following were conferred on ''Sholay'' at the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards (Hindi section):

Best Actor in Supporting Role – Amjad Khan

Best Cinematographer (Colour) – Dwarka Divecha

Best Art Director – Ram Yedekar

''Sholay'' received more honors in the years that followed. It was declared as the "Film of the Millennium" by BBC India in 1999, and in 2002 topped the British Film Institute's poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time. In 2006, ''Sholay'' was voted as the best film by the people of Iran in a survey conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting's Research Centre.

Soundtrack

name	Sholay
type	soundtrack
artist	R. D. Burman
cover	Sholay CD cover.jpg
released
genre	Feature film soundtrack
length
label	Universal Music India Pvt. Ltd.
producer	}}

R. D. Burman composed the music for the film, and the lyrics were given by Anand Bakshi. It is revered as one of the best Hindi soundtracks by Samir Dave of Planet Bollywood. Burman himself sang "Mehbooba Mehbooba", picturised on Helen and Jalal Agha, and for which he received his sole Filmfare Award nomination for playback singing. The songs picturized in the film were the following:

Several songs from the soundtrack made the ''Binaca Geetmala'' list of top filmi songs. "Mehbooba Mehooba" was listed at #24 on the Binaca Geetmala annual list 1975, and at #5 on the Binaca Geetmala annual list 1976. "Koi Haseena" was listed at #30 in 1975, and #20 in 1976. "Yeh Dosti" was listed at #9 in 1976.

Despite the soundtrack's success, at the time, the songs from ''Sholay'' attracted less attention than the dialogues—a rarity for Bollywood. This prompted the producers to release audio-cassettes with only dialogues.

Among the songs, two versions of "Yeh Dosti" were released, an extended version which was cited as the 'happy version' and a shorter one called the 'sad version'. "Yeh Dosti" has been called the perfect friendship song. This song was remixed in the 2010 Malayalam film ''Four Friends''.

The song "Mehbooba Mehbooba", performed and composed by Burman, is often featured on Bollywood hit song compilations. The song has been highly anthologized, remixed, and recreated. It was remixed and sung by Himesh Reshammiya, along with Asha Bhosle, for his debut film ''Aap Kaa Surroor''. Another recent version is one created by the Kronos Quartet for their Grammy-nominated album ''You've Stolen My Heart''. However, "Mehbooba Mehbooba" itself is said to be based on the Demis Roussos song "Say You Love Me", which was inspired by a classic Cypriot song called "Ta Rialia".

Legacy

''Sholay'' has inspired many films and television broadcasts, and has spawned a whole sub-genre of films, namely the "Curry Western", which is a play on the term Spaghetti Western. ''Sholay'' is also considered the most important of the early Masala films, which popularized this genre in India. The film was also a watermark for scriptwriters, who were not paid very well until ''Sholay''. Film scriptwriting has become a more respected and lucrative profession since then.

After ''Sholay'', Amitabh Bachchan went on to become one of the biggest stars in the Indian film industry. However, some of the supporting actors never escaped the shadow of their hit film. After 35 years, even the minor characters are used in ads, promos, films and sit coms. Amjad Khan, who played the bandit Gabbar Singh played many villainous roles later in his career. He played Gabbar Singh again in the 1991 spoof ''Ramgarh Ke Sholay''. He also reprised the role in a commercial for biscuits. Comedian Jagdeep, who played Soorma Bhopali in the film, attempted to use his ''Sholay'' success to create a spinoff. He directed and played the lead role in the 1988 film ''Soorma Bhopali''. Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan also played cameos in the film.

Another attempt to trade on ''Sholay''s fame was Ram Gopal Varma's film ''Aag'' (2007), which was pulled from theaters after two weeks. ''Aag'' was originally also called ''Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay'' and was apparently meant to be a tribute to and "in the spirit of Sholay." The name was changed to ''Aag'' after legal action was taken by the makers of the original ''Sholay''. Amitabh Bachchan played the villain, Babban Singh. The movie was a disaster.

Due to television and home media, ''Sholay'' is widely available and still popular. In 1996, ''Sholay'' was first shown on the Indian government-run Doordarshan television channel, and drew good ratings. To this day, a visit to the "Sholay rocks" (where the film was shot) is offered to tourists traveling through Ramanagara, located on the road between Bangalore and Mysore.

''Sholay'' has been the subject of at least two books. Wimal Dissanayake and Malti Sahai's ''Sholay, A Cultural Reading'' (1992), attempts a comprehensive scholarly study that sets the film within the broader history of popular cinema in India. Anupama Chopra's ''Sholay: The Making of a Classic'' (2001) is an inside look at the film's production, based on interviews with the director, stars, and crew members.

In 2004, ''Sholay'' was digitally remastered and shown again to packed theaters in India, including the Minerva, where it had run successfully 29 years earlier. As of 2011, Subhash Ghai was reportedly in negotiations to convert the film to 3D format.

}}

References

Further reading

External links

''Sholay'' at Bollywood Hungama

''Sholay'' 30th Annivesary site at BBC Asian Network

University of Iowa article

Category:1975 films Category:1970s adventure films Category:Indian action films Category:Hindi-language films Category:Indian films Category:Films directed by Ramesh Sippy Category:Compositions by Rahul Dev Burman Category:Buddy films Category:Indian epic films Category:Indian action films Category:1970s action films Category:1970s adventure films Category:Masala films Category:Indian musical films Category:Films featuring an item number

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name	Lata Mangeshkar
background	solo_singer
birth date	September 28, 1929
Birth place	Indore, Central India Agency, British India
instrument	Vocals
genre	Film music (playback singing)
occupation	Singer
years active	1942–present }}

Lata Mangeshkar (born September 28, 1929) is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages, though primarily in Hindi. She is the elder sister of singer Asha Bhosle, Hridayanath Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar. She is the second vocalist to have ever been awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

Mangeshkar was featured in the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world. The claim was that she had recorded approximately 25,000 solo, duet, and chorus-backed songs in 20 Indian languages between 1948 to 1974. Over the years, while several sources have supported this claim, others have raised concerns over its veracity, claiming that this number was highly exaggerated and that Mangeshkar's younger sister, Asha Bhosle, had more song recordings than she had. In 2011 ''Guinness'' officially acknowledged Bhosle as the most recorded artist in music history.

Early life

Lata Mangeshkar was born in Sikh Mohalla, Indore, in the Central India Agency (now part of Madhya Pradesh). Her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar who belonged to a Gomantak Maratha Samaj family from Goa, was a classical singer and theater actor. Her mother Shevanti (Shudhamati) who was from Thalner, Maharashtra, was Deenanath's second wife. The family's last name used to be Hardikar; Deenanath changed it to Mangeshkar in order to identify his family with his native town, Mangeshi in Goa. Lata was named "Hema" at her birth. Her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father's plays, ''BhaawBandhan''. Lata is the eldest child of her parents. Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridayanath are her siblings in sequence.

Mangeshkar took her first lessons from her father. At the age of five, she started to work as an actress in her father's musical plays (''Sangeet Natak'' in Marathi). On the first day in the school, she started teaching songs to other children. When the teacher stopped her, she was so angry that she stopped going to the school. Other sources cite that she left school because they would not allow her to bring Asha with her, as she would often bring her younger sister with her.

Singing career

Early career in the 1940s

In 1942, when Mangeshkar was 13, her father died of heart disease. Master Vinayak (Vinayak Damodar Karnataki), the owner of Navyug Chitrapat movie company and a close friend of the Mangeshkar family, took care of them

Mangeshkar sang the song "Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani Haus Bhaari" which was composed by Sadashivrao Nevrekar for Vasant Joglekar's Marathi-language movie ''Kiti Hasaal'' (1942), but the song was dropped from the final cut. Vinayak gave her a small role in Navyug Chitrapat's Marathi movie ''Pahili Mangalaa-gaur'' (1942), in which she sang "Natali Chaitraachi Navalaai" which was composed by Dada Chandekar. Her first Hindi song was "Mata Ek Sapoot Ki Duniya Badal De Tu" for the Marathi film, ''Gajaabhaau'' (1943). Mangeshkar moved to Mumbai in 1945 when Master Vinayak's company moved its headquarters there. She started taking lessons in Hindustani classical music from Ustad Amanat Ali Khan . She sang “Paa Lagoon Kar Jori” for Vasant Joglekar's Hindi-language movie ''Aap Ki Seva Mein'' (1946), which was composed by Datta Davjekar. Mangeshkar and her sister Asha played minor roles in Vinayak's first Hindi-language movie, ''Badi Maa'' (1945). In that movie, Lata also sang a bhajan, “Maata Tere Charnon Mein.” She was introduced to music director Vasant Desai during the recording of Vinayak's second Hindi-language movie, ''Subhadra'' (1946).

Following the partition of India in 1947, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan migrated to newly formed Pakistan, so Mangeshkar started to learn classical music under Amanat Khan Devaswale. Pandit Tulsidas Sharma, a pupil of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, also trained her.

After Vinayak's death in 1948, music director Ghulam Haider mentored her as a singer. Haider introduced Mangeshkar to producer Sashadhar Mukherjee, who was working then on the movie ''Shaheed'' (1948), but Mukherjee dismissed Mangeshkar's voice as "too thin." An annoyed Haider responded that in the coming years the producers and the directors would "fall at Lata's feet" and "beg her" to sing in their movies. Haider gave Lata her first major break with the song “Dil Mera Toda,” from the movie ''Majboor'' (1948).

Initially, Mangeshkar is said to have imitated the acclaimed singer Noor Jehan, but later she developed her own style of singing. Lyrics of songs in Hindi movies are primarily composed by Urdu poets and contain a higher proportion of Urdu words, including the dialogue. Actor Dilip Kumar once made a mildly disapproving remark about Mangeshkar's Maharashtrian accent while singing Hindi/Urdu songs; so for a period of time, Lata took lessons in Urdu from an Urdu teacher named Shafi.

One of her first major hits was “Aayega Aanewaala,” a song in the movie ''Mahal'' (1949), which was composed by music director Khemchand Prakash and lip-synced on screen by actress Madhubala.

1950s

In the 1950s, Mangeshkar sang songs composed by various music directors of the period, including Anil Biswas (in films such as Tarana and Heer), Shankar-Jaikishan, Naushad, S. D. Burman, C. Ramchandra, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury, Khayyam, Ravi, Sajjad Hussain, Roshan, Kalyanji-Anandji, Vasant Desai, Sudhir Phadke, Hansraj Behl, Madan Mohan, and Usha Khanna.

Mangeshkar sang many raga-based songs for Naushad in movies such as ''Baiju Bawra'' (1952), ''Mughal-E-Azam'' (1960), and ''Kohinoor'' (1960). ''Ae Chorre Ki Jaat Badi Bewafa'', a duet with G. M. Durrani, was her first song for composer, Naushad. The duo, Shankar-Jaikishan, chose Mangeshkar for ''Aag'', ''Aah'' (1953), ''Shree 420'' (1955), and ''Chori Chori'' (1956). Before 1957, composer Sachin Dev (S. D.) Burman chose Mangeshkar as the leading female singer for his musical scores in ''Sazaa'' (1951), ''House No. 44'' (1955), and ''Devdas'' (1955). However a rift developed between Lata and Burman in 1957, and Lata did not sing Burman's compositions again until 1962.

Mangeshkar won a Filmfare Best Female Playback Award for Salil Chowdhury's composition “Aaja Re Pardesi,” from ''Madhumati'' (1958). In the early fifties, Lata Mangeshkar's association with C. Ramchandra produced songs in movies such as Anarkali, Albela, Asha, Pehli Jhhalak, Shin Shinkai Bublaa Boo, Azad and Amardeep. For Madan Mohan, she performed for films like Adalat, Railway Platform, Dekh Kabira Roya and Chacha Zindabad.

1960s

Mangeshkar's song "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" from ''Mughal-E-Azam'' (1960), composed by Naushad and picturized on Madhubala, still remains famous . The Hawaiian-themed number "Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh" from ''Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai'' (1960) was composed by Shankar-Jaikishan and picturized on Meena Kumari.

In 1961, Mangeshkar recorded two popular bhajans, "Allah Tero Naam" and "Prabhu Tero Naam", for Burman's assistant, Jaidev. In 1962, she was awarded her second Filmfare Award for the song "Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil" from ''Bees Saal Baad'', composed by Hemant Kumar.

On June 27, 1963, against the backdrop of the Sino-Indian War, Mangeshkar sang the patriotic song "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" (literally, "Oh, People of My Country") in the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India. The song, composed by C. Ramchandra and written by Pradeep, is said to have brought the Prime Minister to tears.

In 1963, Mangeshkar returned to collaboration with S. D. Burman. She also sang for R. D. Burman's very first film ''Chhote Nawaab'' and later for his films such as ''Bhoot Bangla'' (1965), ''Pati Patni'' (1966), ''Baharon ke Sapne'' (1967) and ''Abhilasha'' (1969). She also recorded several popular songs for S. D. Burman, including "Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai", "Gata Rahe Mera Dil" (duet with Kishore Kumar) and "Piya Tose" from ''Guide'' (1965), and "Hothon Pe Aisi Baat" from ''Jewel Thief'' (1967).

During the 1960s, Lata Mangeshkar continued her association with Madan Mohan which included the songs "Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha" from ''Anpadh'' (1962), "Lag Ja Gale" and "Naina Barse Rim Jhim" from ''Woh Kaun Thi?'' (1964), "Woh Chup Rahen To" from ''Jahan Ara'' (1964), and "Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega" from ''Mera Saaya'' (1966).

The 1960s also witnessed the beginning of Mangeshkar's association with Laxmikant-Pyarelal, the music directors for whom she sang the most popular songs in her career. She sang for ''Parasmani'' (1963) which was their first film together.

She also sang several playback songs for Marathi films, composed by Marathi music directors including Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Vasant Prabhu, Srinivas Khale, Sudhir Phadke and herself (under the name ''Anandghan''). During the 1960s and 1970s, she also sang several Bengali songs, composed by music directors like Salil Chowdhury and Hemant Kumar.

In this period Lata Mangeshkar has recorded duets with Mukesh, Manna Dey, Mohammed Rafi, and Kishore Kumar.

1970s

In 1972, Meena Kumari's last film, ''Pakeezah'' released. It featured popular songs including "Chalte Chalte" and "Inhi Logon Ne" sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and composed by Ghulam Mohammed. She recorded many popular songs for S. D. Burman's last films, including "Rangeela Re" from ''Prem Pujari'' (1970), "Khilte Hain Gul Yahaan" from ''Sharmeelee'' (1971), and "Piya Bina" from ''Abhimaan'' (1973).

Lata Mangeshkar's most notable songs in 1970s were composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal (Laxmi-Pyare) and Rahul Dev Burman. She recorded several songs composed by Laxmi-Pyare in 1960s and 1970s, many of them written by the lyricist Anand Bakshi. She also recorded many hit songs with Rahul Dev Burman in the films ''Amar Prem'' (1972), ''Caravan'' (1971), ''Kati Patang''(1971), and ''Aandhi'' (1975). The two are noted for their songs with the lyricists Majrooh Sultanpuri, Anand Bakshi and Gulzar.

In 1973, she won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Beeti Na Bitai" from the film ''Parichay'', composed by R. D. Burman, and written by Gulzar. In 1974, she sang her only Malayalam song "Kadali Chenkadali" for the film ''Nellu'', composed by Salil Chowdhury, and written by Vayalar Ramavarma. In 1975, she again won the national award, this time for the song "Roothe Roothe Piya" from the film ''Kora Kagaz'', composed by Kalyanji-Anandji.

From 1970s onwards, Lata Mangeshkar has also staged many concerts in India and abroad, including several charity concerts. Her first concert overseas was at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 1974. She also released an album of Mirabai's bhajans, ''Chala Vaahi Des'', composed by her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar. Some of the bhajans in the album include "Saanware Rang Raachi" and "Ud Jaa Re Kaaga". In the early 70s, she released other non-film albums, such as her collection of Ghalib ghazals, an album of Marathi folk songs (koli-geete), an album of Ganesh aartis (all composed by her brother Hridaynath) and an album of ''abhangs'' of Sant Tukaram composed by Shrinivas Khale.

In late 1970s and early 1980s, she worked with the children of composers she had earlier worked with. Some of these composers included Rahul Dev Burman (son of Sachin Dev Burman), Rajesh Roshan (son of Roshan), Anu Malik (son of Sardar Malik), and Anand-Milind (sons of Chitragupt).

1980s onwards

From 1980s onwards, Lata Mangeshkar worked with music directors including Shiv-Hari, Ram Laxman, and A. R. Rahman. She recorded some non-film songs, including ghazals with Jagjit Singh.

In 1990, Mangeshkar launched her own production house for Hindi movies which produced the Gulzar-directed movie ''Lekin...''. She won her third National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her rendition of the song "Yaara Sili Sili" from the film, which was composed by her brother Hridayanath. During the 1990s, she recorded with music directors including Jatin-Lalit and Nadeem-Shravan. She has sung for Rajshri Productions, including ''Maine Pyar Kiya'' (1989) and ''Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!'' (1994).

Mangeshkar has sung for almost all the Yash Chopra films and films from his production house Yash Raj Films at that time, including ''Chandni'' (1989), ''Lamhe'' (1991), ''Darr'' (1993), ''Yeh Dillagi'' (1994), ''Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge'' (1995), ''Dil To Pagal Hai'' (1997) and later on ''Mohabbatein'' (2000), ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge'' (2002) and ''Veer Zaara'' (2004).

A. R. Rahman recorded a few songs with Mangeshkar during this period, including "Jiya Jale" (''Dil Se..''), "Khamoshiyan Gungunane Lagin" (''One Two Ka Four''), "Ek Tu Hi Bharosa" (''Pukar''), "Pyaara Sa Gaon" (''Zubeidaa''), "Lukka chuppi" (''Rang de Basanti'') and "O Paalanhaare" (''Lagaan''). She made an appearance in the film ''Pukar'' singing this song.

In 1999, Lata Eau de Parfum, a perfume brand named after her, was launched.

In 1999, Mangeshkar was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha. However, she did not attend the Rajya Sabha sessions regularly, inviting criticism from several members of the House, including the Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah, Pranab Mukherjee and Shabana Azmi. She stated the reason for her absence as ill-health; it was also reported that she had not taken a salary, allowance or a house in Delhi for being a Member of Parliament.

In 2001, Lata Mangeshkar was awarded Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. In the same year, she established the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune, managed by the Lata Mangeshkar Medical Foundation (founded by the Mangeshkar family in October 1989). In 2005, she designed a jewellery collection called Swaranjali, which was crafted by Adora, an Indian diamond export company. Five pieces from the collection raised £105,000 at a Christie's auction, and a part of the money was donated for the 2005 Pakistan earthquake relief. Also in 2001, she recorded her first Hindi song with the composer Ilaiyaraaja, for the film ''Lajja''; she had earlier recorded Tamil and Telugu songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

Lata Mangeshkar's song "Wada Na Tod" is in the film ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (2004) and on the film's soundtrack.

On June 21, 2007, she released an album ''Saadgi'', featuring eight ghazal-like songs written by Javed Akhtar and composed by Mayuresh Pai.

Lata Mangeshkar records songs for Madhur Bhandarkar ''Kitne Ajeeb Rishte Hain Yahan Par'' for ''Page 3'' (2005), ''Daata Sun Le'' for ''Jail'' (2009) and, ''Kyun Yahan Hota Hai'' was recorded years ago for ''Corporate'' (2006), but is only being used in ''Heroine'' (2012).

Non-singing career

Music direction

Lata Mangeshkar composed music for the first time in 1955 for Marathi movie ''Ram Ram Pavhane''. Later in 1960s, she composed music for following Marathi movies under the pseudonym of ''Anand Ghan''.

1960 - ''Ram Ram Pavhana''

1963 - ''Maratha Tituka Melvava''

1963 - ''Mohityanchi Manjula''

1965 - ''Sadhi Manase''

1969 - ''Tambadi Mati''

She won Maharashtra State Government's Best Music Director Award for the film ''Sadhi Manase''. The song "Airanichya Deva Tula" from the same film received best song award.

Production

Lata Mangeshkar has produced four films:

1953 - ''Vaadal'' (Marathi)

1953 - ''Jhaanjhar'' (Hindi), co-produced with C. Ramchandra

1955 - ''Kanchan'' (Hindi)

1990 - ''Lekin...'' (Hindi)

Awards and recognitions

Lata Mangeshkar has won several awards and honors, including Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award), Padma Bhushan (1969), Padma Vibhushan (1999), Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1989), Maharashtra Bhushan Award (1997), NTR National Award (1999), Bharat Ratna (2001), ANR National Award (2009), three National Film Awards, and 12 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. She has also won four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards. In 1969, she made the unusual gesture of giving up the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award, in order to promote fresh talent. She was later awarded Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.

In 1984, the State Government of Madhya Pradesh instituted the ''Lata Mangeshkar Award'' in honour of Lata Mangeshkar. The State Government of Maharashtra also instituted a Lata Mangeshkar Award in 1992.

In 1974, The Guinness Book of Records listed Lata Mangeshkar as the most recorded artist in the history, stating that she had reportedly recorded "not less than 25,000 solo, duet and chorus backed songs in 20 Indian languages" between 1948 and 1974. Her record was contested by Mohammed Rafi, who was claimed to have sung around 28,000 songs. After Rafi's death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of World Records stated Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings", but also stated Rafi's claim. The later editions of Guinness Book stated that Lata Mangeshkar had sung no fewer than 30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987.

Although the entry has not been printed in Guinness editions since 1991, several sources claim that she has recorded thousands of songs, with estimates ranging up to figures as large as 50,000. However, even the earliest Guinness claim of 25,000 songs (between 1948–1974) was claimed to be exaggerated by several other sources, with one of them stating that the number of songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Hindi films till 1991 was found to be 5250. Mangeshkar herself stated that she does not keep a record of the number of songs recorded by her, and that she did not know from where Guinness Book editors got their information. In 2011 Asha Bhosle was officially acknowledged by ''Guinness'' as the most recorded artist in music history, surpassing Mangeshkar.

See also

Playback singer

Asha Bhosle

List of Indian playback singers

Bollywood songs

References

Further reading

. A collection of articles written by Lata Mangeshkar since 1952. . . A collection of articles written by Lata Mangeshkar since 1952.

External links

Category:1929 births Category:Indian female singers Category:Indian film singers Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Living people Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Marathi people Category:Kollywood playback singers Category:People from Indore Category:Marathi playback singers Category:Telugu playback singers Category:Kannada playback singers Category:Hindi-language singers Category:Marathi-language singers Category:Bengali-language singers Category:Gujarati-language singers Category:Tamil-language singers Category:English-language singers Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:Recipients of the Maharashtra Bhushan Award Category:Malayalam playback singers Category:Bhojpuri cinema

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name	Kishore Kumar
background	solo_singer
spouse	Rama Devi, Madhubala, Yogeeta Bali, Leena Chandawarkar
Relatives	Anoop Kumar, Ashok Kumar(Brothers), Sati Devi (Sister)
birth name	Abhas Kumar Kanjilal Ganguly
birth date	August 04, 1929
Birth place	Khandwa, Central Provinces and Berar
death date	October 13, 1987
Death place	Bombay, Maharashtra
genre	Playback, Rabindra Sangeet, Bengali songs, rock and roll
occupation	Singer, actor, director, musician, producer
years active	1946–1987 }}

Kishore Kumar (4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987), born Abhas Kumar Kanjilal Ganguly was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter. Kishore Kumar sang in many Indian languages including Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Malayalam and Oriya. He won 8 Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer and holds the record for most number of Filmfare Awards won in that category. He was awarded the "Lata Mangeshkar Award" by the Madhya Pradesh government and from that year onwards, the Madhya Pradesh Government initiated a new award called the "Kishore Kumar Award" for contributions to Hindi cinema.

Early life

Kishore Kumar was born into the Ganguly family in Khandwa, Central Provinces and Berar (now in Madhya Pradesh) as Abhas Kumar Ganguly. His father Kunjalal Ganguly (Gangopadhya) was a lawyer. His mother Gouri Devi came from a wealthy Bengali family. Kishore was the youngest of four siblings, the other three being Ashok Kumar (the eldest), Sati Devi, and Anoop Kumar. The composer Bappi Lahiri is also related to Kishore Kumar on his mother's side.

While Kishore was still a child, Ashok Kumar became a Bollywood actor. (Later, Anoop Kumar also ventured into cinema with the help of Ashok Kumar). Spending time with his brothers, Kishore also started to take a keen interest in movies and music. He became a fan of singer-actor Kundan Lal Saigal, whom he considered his guru, and tried to follow Saigal's singing style.

Career

After Ashok Kumar became a Bollywood star, the Ganguly family used to visit Bombay regularly. Abhas Kumar changed his name to Kishore Kumar and started his cinema career as a chorus singer at Bombay Talkies, where his brother worked. Kishore Kumar's first film as an actor was ''Shikari'' (1946), in which Ashok Kumar played the lead role. Music director Khemchand Prakash gave Kishore Kumar a chance to sing "Marne ki duayen kyon mangu" for the film ''Ziddi'' (1948). After this, Kishore Kumar got many other assignments, but he was not very serious about a film career. In 1949, he decided to settle in Mumbai.

Kishore Kumar played hero in the Bombay Talkies film ''Andolan'' (1951), directed by Phani Majumdar. Although Kishore Kumar got some assignments as an actor with help of his brother, he was more interested in becoming a singer. He was not interested in acting, and his elder brother Ashok Kumar wanted him to be an actor like himself.

He starred in Bimal Roy's ''Naukri'' (1954) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's directorial debut ''Musafir'' (1957). Salil Chowdhury, the music director for ''Naukri'' was initially dismissive of him as a singer, when he came to know that Kishore Kumar didn't have any formal training in music. However, after hearing his voice, he gave him the song ''Chhota sa ghar hoga'', which was supposed to be sung by Hemant Kumar.

Kishore Kumar starred in films ''New Delhi'' (1957), ''Aasha'' (1957), ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958), ''Half Ticket'' (1962), and ''Padosan'' (1968). ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'', his home production, starred the three Ganguly brothers and Madhubala. The film is about romance between a city girl (Madhubala) and a car mechanic (Kishore Kumar), with a subplot involving the brothers.

Music director S. D. Burman is credited with spotting Kishore Kumar's talent as a singer, and advancing his singing career. During the making of ''Mashaal'' (1950), Burman visited Ashok Kumar's house, where he heard Kishore imitating K. L. Saigal. He complimented Kishore and told him that he should develop a style of his own, instead of copying Saigal. Kishore Kumar did not have a formal training in music. He kept Burman's advice in mind and eventually developed his own style of singing, which featured the yodeling that he had heard on the gramophone records of Tex Morton and Jimmie Rodgers bought by his brother Anoop Kumar.

S. D. Burman recorded with Kishore for Dev Anand's ''Munimji'' (1954), ''Taxi Driver'' (1954), ''House No. 44'' (1955), ''Funtoosh'' (1956), ''Nau Do Gyarah'' (1957), ''Paying Guest'' (1957), ''Guide'' (1965), ''Jewel Thief'' (1967), ''Prem Pujari'' (1970), and ''Tere Mere Sapne'' (1971). He also composed music for Kishore Kumar's home production ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958). Some of their initial films included the songs "Maana Janaab Ne Pukara Nahin" from ''Paying Guest'', "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke" from ''Nau Do Gyarah'' (1957), "Ai Meri Topi Palat Ke Aa" from ''Funtoosh'', and "Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si" and "Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka" from ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958). Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar performed duets composed by S. D. Burman including "Chhod Do Aanchal" from ''Paying Guest'' (1957), "Ankhon Mein Kya Ji" from ''Nau Do Gyarah'' (1957), "Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka" and "Paanch Rupaiya Baara Aana" from ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958), "Chhedo Na Meri Zulfein" from ''Ganga Ki Lahren'' (1964), and "Arre Yaar Meri Tum Bhi Ho Gajab" from ''[Teen Devian|Teen Deviyan]'' (1965).

C. Ramchandra was another music director who recognized Kishore Kumar's talent as a singer. Their collaborations include "Eena Meena Deeka" from ''Aasha'' (1957). Kishore Kumar's work includes "Nakhrewaali" from ''New Delhi'' (1956) by Shankar Jaikishan, and "C.A.T. Cat Maane Billi" and "Hum To Mohabbat Karega" from ''Dilli Ka Thug'' (1958) by Ravi.

Kishore Kumar produced, directed, and acted in ''Jhumroo'' (1961). He wrote the lyrics for the title song, "Main Hoon Jhumroo," and composed music for all the songs in the film. Later, he produced and directed ''Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein'' (1964). He wrote the script and composed music for the film. Its based on the relationship between a father (Kishore Kumar) and his deaf and mute son (played by his real-life son, Amit Kumar). He made another two films called ''Door Ka Rahi'' (1971) and ''Door Waadiyon Mein Kahin'' (1980).

In the 1960s, as an actor, Kishore Kumar built up a notoriety for coming late for the shootings, or bunking them altogether. His films flopped frequently, and he landed in income tax trouble. As a singer, his work in this period includes "Zaroorat Hai Zaroorat Hai" from ''Manmauji'' (1961), "Gaata Rahe Mera Dil" from ''Guide'' (1965), and "Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechara" from ''Jewel Thief'' (1967).

In the late 1960s, Rahul Dev Burman worked together on the soundtrack of the film ''Padosan'' (1968), in which Kishore Kumar sang the songs "Mere Saamne Wali Khidki Mein" and "Kehna Hai." ''Padosan'' was a comedy film starring Kishore Kumar as a dramatist-musician, Mehmood as a Carnatic music and dance teacher, and Sunil Dutt as a simpleton named Bhola. Kishore Kumar's character in was inspired by the personality of his uncle, Dhananjay Bannerjee (a classical singer). The highlight of the film was a musical, comical duel between Kishore Kumar-Sunil Dutt and Mehmood: "Ek Chatur Nar Karke Singaar."

In 1969, Shakti Samanta produced and directed the film ''Aradhana'', for which the music was composed by S. D. Burman. Burman fell ill after recording some duet songs with Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. Afterwards, his son and assistant Rahul Dev Burman took over the recording. R. D. Burman got Kishore Kumar to solo sing the songs "Mere Sapno Ki Rani" and "Roop Tera Mastana". Kishore Kumar won his first Filmfare award for the song "Roop Tera Mastana."

1970s and 1980s

In 1970s and 1980s Kishore Kumar sang for Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Dev Anand, Shashi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff.

S. D. Burman and Kishore Kumar continued to work together, including "Phoolon Ke Rang Se" and "Shokhiyon Mein Ghola Jaaye" from ''Prem Pujari'' (1969), "Aaj Madhosh Hua Jaaye Re," "Khilte Hain Gul Yahan" and "O Meri Sharmilee" from ''Sharmilee'' (1971), "Meet na mila" from ''Abhimaan'' (1973), "Pyaar Ke Is Khel Mein" from ''Jugnu'', "Phoolon Ke Dere Hain" from ''Zameer'' (1974}. In 1975, S. D. Burman composed his last song for Kishore Kumar. S. D. Burman went into a coma for the second time, soon after Kishore recorded the song "Badi Sooni Sooni Hai Zindagi" for the film ''Mili''.

R. D. Burman frequently used Kishore Kumar as the male singer and recorded several songs with him in the 1970s. Some Kishore Kumar-R. D. Burman songs include "O Maajhi Re" from ''Khushboo'', "Yeh Shaam Mastaani" and "Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai" from ''Kati Patang'' (1971), "Chingari Koi Bhadke" and "Kuchh To Log Kahenge" from ''Amar Prem'' (1972), "Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aayi" from ''Buddha Mil Gaya ''(1971), "Musafir Hoon Yaaron" from ''Parichay'' (1972), "Diye Jalte Hain" from ''Namak Haraam'' (1973), "Meri Bheegi Bheegi Si" from ''Anamika'' (1973), "Zindagi Ke Safar Mein" from ''Aap Ki Kasam'' (1974), "Agar Tum Na Hote" and "Humein Tum Se Pyaar Kitna" from ''Kudrat'', "Mere Naina Saawan Bhadon" from ''Mehbooba'', and "Chingari Koi Bhadke (Amar Prem)" and "Jab Bhi Koi Kangana" from ''Shaukeen'' (1986).

R. D. Burman recorded several duets pairing Kishore Kumar with Asha Bhosle and with Lata Mangeshkar. Some of these duets include "Panna Ki Tamanna" from ''Heera Panna'' (1973), "Neend Chura Ke Raaton Mein" from the film ''Shareef Budmaash'', "Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai" from Sanjay Dutt's debut film ''Rocky'' (1981), "Sagar Kinare" from ''Sagar'' in [1985], "Aap Ki Aankhon Mein Kuchh" from ''Ghar'', "Jaane Ja Dhoondta" and "Nahi Nahi" from ''Jawani Diwani'', "Kharoshoo" from ''Harjai'' (1982).

Apart from the Burmans, Kishore Kumar worked with other music directors as well. The composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal (L-P) composed many songs sung by him. Some of their songs include "Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi" from ''Mr. X In Bombay'', "Mere Naseeb Mein Aye Dost" from ''Do Raaste'', "Yeh Jeevan Hai" from ''Piya Ka Ghar'', "Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai" from ''Daag: A Poem of Love'', "Nahi Mai Nahi Dekh Sakta" from ''Majboor'', "Mere diwanepan ki bhi" from ''Mehboob Ki Mehndi'', "Naach Meri Bulbul" from ''Roti'', "Chal Chal Mere Haathi" from ''Haathi Mere Saathi'', "Gaadi Bula Rahi Hai" from ''Dost'', "Ruk Jaana Nahi" from ''Imtihaan'', "Ek Ritu Aaye" from ''Gautam Govinda'', "My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves" from ''Amar Akbar Anthony'', "Bahut Khoobsurat Jawan Ek Ladki" from ''Dostana'' and "Om Shanti Om" as well as "Paisa Yeh Paisa" from ''Karz''. Laxmikant-Pyarelal composed several Kishore-Lata duets, including "Achchha To Hum Chalte Hain" from ''Aan Milo Sajna'', "Gore Rang Pe Na Itna" from ''Roti'', "Main Solah Baras Ki" from ''Karz'', and "Din Mahine Saal" from ''Avtaar'', "Tu Kitne Baras Ki" from ''Karz''. L-P also got Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi to sing duets for the films ''Dostana'', ''Ram Balram'' and ''Deedaar-E-Yaar''. L-P composed a duet with Kishore Kumar and Alisha Chinoy, "I love you (Kaate Nahin Katate Yeh Din Yeh Raat)" from ''Mr. India'' in (1987). Salil Chowdhury recorded songs like "Koi Hota Jisko Apna" from ''Mere Apne'' and "Gujar Gaye Din Din" from ''Annadata''. Ravindra Jain recorded "Ghungroo Ki Tarah" and the duet "Tota Maina Ki Kahani" from ''Fakira''. Khaiyyaam recorded beautiful duets with Lata Mangeshkar such as "Hazar Rahein" from ''Thodisi Bewafai'', ''Aankhon Mein Humne Aapke Sapne Sajaye Hain'', ''Chandani Raat Mein Ek Bar''. Hridaynath Mangeshkar recorded ''Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main'' from ''Mashaal''. Kalyanji-Anandji recorded several songs with Kishore Kumar including ''Zindagi Ka Safar'' and ''Jeevan Se Bhari Teri Aankhein'', from ''Safar'', ''Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas'' from ''Black Mail'', ''Apne Jeevan Ki Uljhan'' from ''Uljhan'', ''Mera Jeevan Kora Kagaz'' from ''Kora Kagaz'', ''O Saathi Re'' from ''Muqaddar Ka Sikandar'', ''Khaike Paan Banaraswala'' from ''Don'', ''Neele Neele Ambar Par'' from ''Kalakar'' and ''Pal Bhar Ke Liye'' from ''Johny Mera Naam''.

Other composers including Rajesh Roshan, Sapan Chakravarty, Jaidev, Chitragupta (composer), Usha Khanna, Sohnik Omi, Prem Dhawan, Vanraj Bhatia and Bappi Lahiri also worked with Kishore Kumar. Rajesh Roshan's film ''Julie'' featured songs sung by Kishore Kumar, ''Bhool Gaya Saab Kuchh'' (duet with Lata Mangeshkar) and ''Dil Kya Kare Jab Kisise''. Their other songs include ''Chhookar mere man ko'' from ''Yaarana'', ''Tune Abhi Dekha Nahin'' from ''Do Aur Do Paanch'' and ''Kahan Tak Ye Man Ko Andhere Chhalenge'' from ''Baaton Baaton Mein''. Bappi Lahiri also recorded many songs with Kishore Kumar, including ''Pag Ghunghroo Bandh'' from ''Namak Halal'' (1982), ''Manzilen Apni Jagah Hai'' from ''Sharaabi'' (1984) and ''Chalte Chalte Mere Ye Geet'' from ''Chalte Chalte'' (1976), ''Saason Se Nahi Kadmose Nahi'' from ''Mohabbat'' in (1987) and duets with (Lata Mangeshkar)) like ''Taa thaiya'' from ''Himmatwala'' in (1984), ''Albela Mausam'' from ''Tohfa'' in (1985) and another duet ''Pyar Ka Tohfa'' from the same film.

During the Indian Emergency (1975–1977), Sanjay Gandhi asked Kishore Kumar to sing for an Indian National Congress rally in Mumbai, but he refused. As a result, Information and broadcasting minister Vidya Charan Shukla (1975-1977) put an unofficial ban on playing Kishore Kumar songs on the All India Radio and Doordarshan from 4th May, 1976 till the end of the Emergency.

Later years

Kishore Kumar produced and directed some movies in the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as ''Badhti Ka Naam Daadhi'' (1978), ''Zindagi'' (1981) and ''Door Wadiyon Mein Kahin'' (1980): His last appearance as an actor.

With patronage from R. D. Burman and Rajesh Roshan, Kishore Kumar's son Amit Kumar became a Bollywood singer in the 1980s. Kishore Kumar also continued singing for several actors. He also did some stage shows, apparently to earn money to pay his income tax arrears. Kishore Kumar stopped singing for Amitabh Bachchan in the mid-1980s, after Bachchan did not do a guest appearance in a film produced by him but called a truce with him by singing for him in ''Toofan''. He also temporarily stopped singing for Mithun Chakraborty, after Yogeeta Bali divorced him and married Chakraborty. However, later Kumar sang for him in many films like ''Disco Dancer'', ''Muddat'', and ''Pyar Ka Mandir''.

In the mid-1980s, Kishore Kumar sang for Anil Kapoor in Kapoor's debut film as a leading man, ''Woh Saat Din'' and also recorded ''Mr. India''. He sang a duet with Alka Yagnik, "Tumse Badhkar Duniya Mein Na Dekha" for ''Kaamchor'' in (1986). He also recorded some songs for the film ''Saagar'' with R. D. Burman. By this time, he had decided to retire and was planning to go back to his birthplace, Khandwa.

On 13 October 1987, his brother Ashok's 76th birthday, he died of a heart attack in Mumbai at 4:45 pm. His body was taken to Khandwa for cremation. He had recorded his last song a day before he died. The song was ''Guru Guru'', a duet with Asha Bhosle, for the film ''Waqt Ki Aawaz'' (1988) composed by Bappi Lahiri for Mithun Chakraborty and Sridevi.

Kishore Kumar's song ''Pal Bhar Ke Liye'' from the film ''Johny Mera Naam'' (1970) was used in an episode of ''The Simpsons'' titled "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore." His songs have been featured in several films, including ''Such a Long Journey'' (1998) and ''Side Streets'' (1998). Sony TV organised the television singing contest ''K for Kishore'' to search for a singer like Kishore Kumar.

Personal life

Kishore Kumar married four times. His first wife was Bengali singer and actress Ruma Guha Thakurta aka Ruma Ghosh. Their marriage lasted from 1950 to 1958.

Kishore's second wife was actress Madhubala, who had worked with him on many films including his home production ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958) and Jhumroo (1961). When Kishore Kumar proposed to her, Madhubala was sick and was planning to go to London for treatment. At this time, she didn't know that she had a ventricular septal defect, and her father wanted her to wait and consult the London doctors first. Furthermore, at the time he was married to Ruma. After his divorce, because Kishore Kumar was Bengali Hindu and Madhubala Muslim, they had a civil wedding ceremony in 1960. His parents refused to attend. The couple also had a Hindu ceremony to please Kumar's parents, but Madhubala was never truly accepted as his wife. Within a month of her wedding she moved back to her bungalow in Bandra because of tension in the Kishore Kumar household. They remained married but under great strain for the remainder of Madhubala's life. The doctors in London told Madhubala that she would not live for long. The marriage lasted for nine years, and ended with Madhubala's death on 23 February 1969.

Kishore Kumar's third marriage was to Yogeeta Bali, and lasted from 1976 to 4 August 1978. Kishore was married to Leena Chandavarkar from 1980 until his death. Kishore Kumar sired two sons, Amit Kumar (playback singer) with Ruma, and Sumit Kumar with Leena Chandavarkar.

Kumar is said to have been paranoid about not being paid. During recordings, he would sing only after his secretary confirmed that the producer had made the payment. Once, when he discovered that his dues hadn't been fully paid, he landed up for shooting with make-up on only one side of his face. When the director questioned him, he replied "Aadha paisa to aadha make-up." (Half make-up for half payment). On the sets of ''Bhai Bhai'', Kishore Kumar refused to act because the director M V Raman owed him five thousand rupees. Ashok Kumar persuaded him to do the scene. But, when the shooting started, he walked across the floor and, each time he walked a few places, he said, ''Paanch Hazzar Rupaiya'' (five thousand rupees) and did a somersault. After he reached the end of the floor, he went out of the studio, jumped into his car, and ordered his driver Abdul to drive away. On another occasion, when producer R. C. Talwar did not pay his dues in spite of repeated reminders, Kishore turned up at Talwar's residence one morning and started shouting "''Hey Talwar, de de mere aath hazaar''" ("Hey Talwar, give me my eight thousand"). He did this every morning until Talwar paid him.

The film ''Anand'' (1971) was originally supposed to star Kishore Kumar and Mehmood Ali in the lead. Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the director of the film, was asked to meet Kishore Kumar to discuss the project. However, when he went to Kishore Kumar's house, he was driven away by the gatekeeper due to a misunderstanding. Kishore Kumar (himself a Bengali) hadn't been paid for a stage show organized by another Bengali man, and had instructed his gatekeeper to drive away this "Bengali", if he ever visited the house. When Hrishikesh Mukherjee (also a Bengali) went to Kishore Kumar's house, the gatekeeper drove him away, mistaking him for the "Bengali" that Kishore Kumar had asked him to drive away. Consequently, Mehmood had to leave the film as well, and new actors (Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan) were signed up for the film.

In spite of his "no money, no work" principle, sometimes Kishore Kumar recorded for free even when the producers were willing to pay. Such films include those produced by Rajesh Khanna and Danny Denzongpa. On one occasion, Kishore Kumar helped actor-turned-producer Bipin Gupta, by giving him Rs. 20,000 for the film ''Dal Mein Kala'' (1964). When actor Arun Kumar Mukherjee died, Kishore Kumar regularly sent money to his family in Bhagalpur. Mukherjee was one of the first persons to appreciate Kishore's singing talent.

Many journalists and writers have written about Kishore Kumar's seemingly eccentric behavior. Kishore Kumar had put a "''Beware of Kishore''" sign at the door of his Warden Road flat, where he stayed for some time while his bungalow was being done up. Once, producer-director H. S. Rawail, who owed him some money, visited his flat to pay the dues. Kishore Kumar took the money, and when Rawail offered to shake hands with him, he reportedly put Rawail's hand in his mouth, bit it, and asked "Didn’t you see the sign?". Rawail laughed off the incident and left quickly. Kishore Kumar was a loner, and in an interview with Pritish Nandy (1985), he said that he had no friends – he preferred talking to his trees instead. Once, when a reporter made a comment about how lonely he must be, Kishore Kumar took her to his garden. He then named some of the trees in his garden, and introduced them to the reporter as his closest friends.

According to another reported incident, once Kishore Kumar was to record a song for producer-director G. P. Sippy. As Sippy approached his bungalow, he saw Kishore going out in his car. Sippy pleaded him to stop his car, but Kishore only increased the speed of his car. Sippy chased him to Madh Island, where Kishore Kumar finally stopped his car near the ruined Madh Fort. When Sippy questioned his strange behavior, Kishore Kumar refused to recognize or talk to him and threatened to call police. Sippy had to return. Next morning, Kishore Kumar reported for the recording. An angry Sippy questioned him about his behavior on the previous day. However, Kishore Kumar insisted that Sippy must have seen a dream, and claimed that he was in Khandwa on the previous day.

Once, a producer went to court to get a decree that Kishore Kumar must follow the director's orders. As a consequence, Kishore Kumar obeyed the director to the letter. He refused to alight from his car until the director ordered him to do so. Once, after a car scene in Mumbai, he drove on till Khandala because the director forgot to say "Cut". In the 1960s, a financier named Kalidas Batvabbal, patently disgusted with Kishore Kumar's alleged lack of cooperation during the shooting of ''Half Ticket'', gave him away to the income tax authorities. Kishore had to face a raid at his house. Later, Kishore invited Batvabbal home, tricked him by asking him to enter a cupboard for a "chat" and locked him inside. He unlocked Batvabbal after two hours and told him "Don’t ever come to my house again."

Filmography

List of songs

Awards

; Filmfare Awards

Winner:

! Year	! Song	! Film	! Music director	! Lyricist
1969	"Roop Tera Mastaana"		Sachin Dev Burman	Anand Bakshi
1975	"Dil Aisa Kisi Ne Mera"	''Amanush''	Shyamal Mitra	Indeevar
1978	"Khaike Pan Banaras Wala"		Kalyanji-Anandji	Anjaan
1980	"Hazaar Raahen Mudke Dekheen"	''Thodisi Bewafaii''	Khayyam	Gulzar
1982	"Pag Ghungroo Baandh Ke Meera Nachi"	''Namak Halaal''	Bappi Lahiri	Anjaan
1983	"Hamen Aur Jeene Ki"	''Agar Tum Na Hote''	Rahul Dev Burman	Gulshan Bawra
1984	"Manzilen apni jagah"	''Sharaabi''	Bappi Lahiri	Anjaan
1985	"Saagar Kinaare"	''Saagar''	Rahul Dev Burman	Javed Akhtar

Nominated:

! Year	! Song	! Film	! Music Director	! Lyricist
1971	"Zindagi Ek Safar"		Shankar-Jaikishan	Hasrat Jaipuri
1971	"Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai"	Kati Patang	Rahul Dev Burman	Anand Bakshi
1972	"Chingari Koi Bhadke"	Amar Prem	Rahul Dev Burman	Anand Bakshi
1973	"Mere Dil Mein Aaj"	''Daag: A Poem of Love''	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Sahir Ludhianvi
1974	"Gaadi Bula Rahi Hai"		Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi
1974	"Mera Jeevan Kora Kagaz"	''Kora Kagaz''	Kalyanji Anandji	M.G.Hashmat
1975	"Main Pyaasa Tum"	''Faraar''	Kalyanji Anandji	Rajendra Krishan
1975	"O Manjhi Re"		Rahul Dev Burman
1977	"Aap Ke Anurodh"	''Anurodh''	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi
1978	"O Saathi Re"	Muqaddar Ka Sikander	Kalyanji-Anandji	Anjaan
1978	"Hum Bewafa Harghiz"		Rahul Dev Burman	Anand Bakshi
1979	"Ek Rasta Hai Zindagi"	''Kaala Patthar''	Rajesh Roshan	Sahir Ludhianvi
1980	"Om Shanthi Om"		Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi
1981	"Hameh Tumse Pyar"	''Kudrat''	Rahul Dev Burman	Majrooh Sultanpuri
1981	"Chhookar Mere Mann Ko"		Rajesh Roshan	Anjaan
1983	"Shayad Meri Shaadi"	''Souten''	Usha Khanna	Sawan Kumar
1984	"De De Pyar De"	Sharaabi	Bappi Lahiri	Anjaan
1984	"Inteha Ho Gayi"	Sharaabi	Bappi Lahiri	Anjaan
1984	"Log Kehete Hai Main"	Sharaabi	Bappi Lahiri	Anjaan

; Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

Winner: 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''

See also

Kishore Kumar filmography

List of songs by Kishore Kumar

List of Indian playback singers

Hindi songs

References

Further reading

External links

Category:1929 births Category:1987 deaths Category:Bengali people Category:People from Khandwa Category:Indian male singers Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian film singers Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in India Category:Indian comedians Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Yodelers Category:Bengali musicians Category:Bengali actors Category:Assamese playback singers Category:Converts to Islam Category:People from Mumbai Category:Hindi film actors Category:Hindi-language film directors Category:Indian film directors Category:Indian film producers Category:Indian film score composers

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