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Lata Mangeshkar Remembers Kishore Kumar On His Birth Anniversary; 'He Was Very Sad Under That Happy Veneer'
Touted to be one of the most celebrated singers in Indian cinema, Kishore Kumar was one of the few ones who breathed life into lyrics with his melodious voice. It won't be wrong that there's a Kishore da song for every occasion and his songs continue to enthrall generations after generations. Had the music legend been alive today (August 4, 2021), he would have been 92!
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who teamed up with Kishore Kumar for many memorable tracks, recently shared her fond memories of singing with the 'King of Melody' in an interaction with Spotboye.
Speaking about the late singer's sense of humour, Lata recalled, "Kishoreda and I were born in the same year 1929. He was two months older than me, and would never let me forget that.Kishoreda bahot hasaate tthe(he used to make me laugh a lot) so much so that sometimes it used to be a big problem to stop laughing and get to work."
She continued, "Kishoreda would crack us up with his jokes and one-liners. It would become a problem when we had to sing a serious song together , I couldn't stop laughing. I had to firmly stop him from his masti , take a break and then sit down to sing a serious song about life love and heartbreak.Then we would go back to the laughter. He would sometimes make me laugh so much that I had tears streaming down my face with laughter."
When asked to pick up her favourite Kishore Kumar song, Lata said, "Oh, that's a tough one! I don't even remember all of them. But offhand I really like our songs for Gulzar saab in Aandhi-Tere bina zindagi se, Tum aa gaye ho, Iss modd se jaate hain-- all of them, Then, Gata rahe mera dil in Guide, Karvatein badalte rahen in Aap Ki Kasam, Gori gori gaon ki gori re in Yeh Gulistan Hamara, Ghum hai kisike pyar mein in Rampur Ka Laxman...so many of them."
Back in those early days, it was rumoured that Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar were fiercely competitive, so much so that if they sang a tandem, (two versions of the same tune), Kishore would insist that Lata sing her version first. He would then listen to her and sing his own version.
Addressing that part, Lata Mangeshkar told the entertainment portal, "Main yeh nahin kahungi ke hum competitive the balki yeh kahungi hum donon dil puri terah se laga kar gaate the. We gave our best for every duet. That isn't being competitive. It is being collaborative, nurturing a beautiful melody to ensure the best treatment."
The legendary singer further revealed that Kishore Kumar was a very sad man under his laughing facade.
She recalled, "He was very sad under that happy veneer. A month before he died he rang me up to say he wanted to meet me. I was alarmed by the tone of his voice. I immediately invited him home, but he refused to come home. 'There would be too many people there. Let's meet at a mutual friend's home,' he suggested. When we met he told me things about his life that left me stunned. What he said to me that day will remain with me only."
It might come across as a tad unbelievable but Kishore had a shrill voice as a kid. His older brother and actor Ashok Kumar had revealed in one of his throwback interviews, "At the age of ten, came a turning point. Once, when his mother was chopping vegetables, he rushed into the kitchen and hurt his foot. Kishore suffered immensely and would cry the whole day and night for a month. It was a blessing in disguise as the constant crying metamorphosed his shrill voice and it became melodious."
