Kishore Kumar

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Pictureized over Rajesh Khanna (in the film "Kata Patang") as he plays piano at a 1970s Bollywood movie cocktail party, the voice of Kishore Kumar sings. "pyaar diwaanaa hotaa hai, mastaanaa hotaa hain." Love is mad, it's intoxicating. The song is Jazzy sophistication, with a rumba beat and soaring strings. The lyrics, inebriated speaking of the fatal destiny of those who fall in love. " shamaa kahe parawaane se, pare chalaa jaa." The lamp says to the moth, move away "meree tarah jal jaayegaa, yahaa naheen aa." You'll burn up like me; don't come here. "wo naheen sunataa, us ko jal jaanaa hotaa hain." It (the moth) doesn't listen; it is compelled to burn.* The melancholy fatal lyrics are sung as if laughing with tenderness to the sentiment. Kishore Kumar's vocals elevate the song to a timeless ode of the mysterious nature of life, joy, and love. A laughing madness and joy, all in the name of the spontaneous here and now of the song. That was Kishore Kumar, that was his gift to Hindi Cinema.

"Rangoli" [1962] Kishore Kumar was the yodeling, jazzy, sometimes whistling voice of Bollywood's swinging 1970s. his voice was picturized over every major hero of the time and recognized as THE singing voice for Rajesh Khanna and Dev Anand. Besides being a legendary playback singer, Kishore Kumar was also an actor and composer. In a string of hilarious hits in the 1950s and 60s Kishore was Hindi films favorite comic hero. In actuality he was the only hero in post 50s Bollywood to actually sing for himself. In his personal life Kishore married four time. His second wife was the actress Madhubala, and his fourth was Leena Chandavarkar. His life was full of ups and downs but in the end history has left him on a pedestal because Kishore Kumar has left us with 100s of song of incredible depth and beauty.