On Kishore Kumar’s 97th birth anniversary, Filmfare’s Editor-in-Chief, Jitesh Pillaai, looks back at the life, music and magic of the legendary singer.
In his words:
He never died. Thirty-three years after he went away, his voice still rules the airwaves. Long after all the imitations have faded away, Kishore Kumar’s voice continues to live on forever. So who was he? Was he the genius director who made films with either did super-hit business or bombed beyond measure? Was he the mercurial lover who married 4 times and had liaisons with top actresses? Or was he the voice that soothed you on a hard tiring day.
Kishoreda was a lived-in voice; you could meet experience, you could feel pathos, you could find joy in that yodel.
After he passed away, his musical soulmate, RD Burman, too lost his inspiration. He chugged along for seven years indifferently after Kishore. The jewels they produced reflected life, be it Main Shaayar Badnaam, Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, Jaane Kya Sochkar, or Hume Tumse Pyaar Kitna. Kishore reserved the same empathy for Dada Burman too. Be it Dada’s swan song Badi Sooni Sooni, or Aaye Tum Yaad Mujhe, or Gaata Rahe, or the incredibly sexy Roop Tera Mastana.
There was the gurgling lilt of a child in him, the melancholy of a deserted island, the rumbustiousness of a circus clown in his voice. He made an average composition sparkle. He was known to be mercurial, run away from recordings, and was whimsical. He wanted to retire and settle in his native place, Khandwa, far from the madding crowds. He was at the peak of his form when he died of a heart attack. Songs like Aye Zindagi from Namumkin (1988) and Oh Yaara from Kaash (1987) bear testimony to the fact that he was in the peak of his prowess when he passed away.
So what makes Kishoreda still stand the test of time? Is it his Remy Martin vocals that inveigle you into dropping everything and just being with him for the moment? Is it because he touches something in your soul or transforms you forever?
He reminds you of loss, he makes you happy and he allows your wounds to heal. Yeah, that’s it. He was a healer. The voice magically allowed your scars to heal and promised you hope that everything, like the movies, would eventually turn out great.
In a country that has no sense of preservation or archiving history, his voice continues to reign. Happy birthday, legend. He would have been 97 today.
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