A Darker Truth
When anyone mentions Kishore Kumar today, one’s instant reaction is that he was a very famous comedian and then the second most popular reaction would be that he was a great singer. Must say, that is a lot to achieve in a single lifetime. But the truth is that is just the tip of the iceberg. Kishore Kumar was a lot more than that.
Trying something new and excelling in it came naturally to Kishore. Due to his second wife -Madhubala’s heart condition, his acting career took a slump for 9 crucial years. But he saw this as an opportunity and created some really deep and meaningful movies in the time available.
As a film maker, Kishore’s style was vastly different from that of the jovial comedian that everyone saw. Being a realist to the core, his films were stark and naked - with a strong message and equally strong direction. Very to the point, it made quite a few people uncomfortable. He was labeled as an eccentric and his films were considered as not being commercially viable. But that’s exactly what they were not - he made those films not for main stream success, but for satisfaction.
One of his productions titled Door Gagan Ki Chaaon Mein features him in the title role. The story is that of a soldier, who is anxious to get home after a long and strenuous war only to see that his home has been torched to the ground and the only survivor of this catastrophe is his son who is so badly traumatized that he can’t speak. The movie is about the unspoken bond that the two develop between each other - one which starts of as slow and halting, but gradually becomes the epitome of love and devotion. The film also stars his son Amit and the duo has doe such a beautiful job - it is moving and brings tears to your eyes.
Then who can ever forget Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi - a light hearted comedy of errors which stars all the three brothers - Ashok, Kishore and Anup plus his second wife. In a hilarious and rib cracking comedy, Kishore has exhibited his versatility in direction - he showed everyone that he is not closed to anything.
It is really sad that of the 18 films that he made, only eight saw the light of day and even those were grossly under rated. When it came to expressing himself through films, Kishore Kumar let a deeper, intellectual side of him be seen. Unfortunately, not too many could see that part of him as they were too busy laughing at his antics in other films. If they would have made that effort, they would have seen another facet to this gem of a man.
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January 23rd, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Rafi might have not sounded tired towards the end but listen to the songs from 1979/1980 I still say voice did not have the smooth quality from 1960`s.Rafi voice was more flexible but only in singing range from very low to high pitch.K.K had a limited mid range voice but alway manage to sing in tune wheather high or low notes were applied to songs.It is claerly the known fact that Kishore da ruled the music scene from 1970-1987…Rafi could not have been no1when he died.Just look at Kishore da`s output during this time Rafi had limited takers in the film Industry.
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
# Manish Kumar Says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
Mohd Rafi’s voice was more melodious & flexible than Kishore Kumar’s. Mohd Rafi did not sound tired in 1979 or 1980 when he left he left while #1.
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After all the writeups you did, Manish bhai you did end up comparing the legends. Didn’t you?
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
Dipak: Mohd Rafi’s voice was more melodious & flexible than Kishore Kumar’s. Mohd Rafi did not sound tired in 1979 or 1980 when he left he left while #1.
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:14 am
I must say that Rafi was excellent alway putting in that 100 per effort around the 1979/1980 he sounded tired..(maybe it was god`s way was saying his time had come).Rafi`s time from 1940`s to 1980 is a long time to keep up singing songs.Kishore Kumar often had some second rated songs..from 1985..on wards L-P were having problems with Lata and R.D Burman was producing slow sounding music (listen to Kumar Gaver films).This also the time T-Seriers began producing old music with Kumar Sanu and Sonu Nigam….It was not surprise that Kishore Kumar was tired of Bombay music scene since majority of his fellow singers (friendsboth Rafi and Mukesh)had died and therefore he wanted to go his home town…..
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:45 am
I clearly remember wheather it was Rafi or Kishore Kumar in the early Rajesh Khanna times people really wanted to hear those songs again and again.sometime only went Cinema to hear those songs(college kids use to sing them to impress their girlfriends) especially man …..as a ten year old I can only comment that Rafi songs were easy to sing than Kishore Kumar who had a mid range nasal voice which was hard to keep for long….Rafi has a Pure Voice just like lata…..(ladies found hard to sing like Lata).
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:25 am
Please any more comments from KK fans…I am feeling lonely…
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:22 am
As Kishore Kumar fan I will never say than Rafi (greatest singer fan or no even KK commented )was in any way worse than KK.Rafi`s luck ran out in the 1970 as (S.D and R.D Burman) started creating sounds with Kishore….Rafi did shine even in the 1970`s and yes he could have some sang KK songs better…but we will never know..26,000 for Rafi Saab is a great deal of achievement by any means ….KK got it right when he sang Yeh jo Public hey yeh sab jante hey …..
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:10 am
My only regret in life as far as music is concerned is not to see the last Kishore Kumar show in London…I did have a chance to see his son Amit but it was not the same…Amit was not the same as his father .In the second half of the show Kavita krisnamuthy come to sing as Amit had too must too drink..poor Faguni Patak had to come and sing with Amit forgetting his line and holding his song book upside down.
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:02 am
Yes finally the daar roti singing has been replaced by fast food..listen now and forget by the time you go home from the Cinema….
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:56 pm
One major difference in music today (available 24/7 via digital gadgets and yes sounds digital at times..and the late 1960`s when Radio,records and tape recorder were the only means of listening to your favorite songs often only one to a household and often shared with the company of friends or neighbours.The decline of good music with passing of Mukesh and Rafi began with the V.C.R …in the Homes (at the same time many song writers and Music Directors had past away or no longer created Film music…It was sad but true that Pankaj udhas and friends…took over since Kishore Kumar..(last of the three Great singer)finally said good bye…1987…
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:39 pm
I think we should not give too much attention to Kishore Kumar memorial.Kishore Kumar`s high energy upbeat singing wih Asha and R.D Burham will last as longer as there demand for good Hindi music.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:35 pm
I remember Kishore did create a happy go lucky sounds especially when the 1960`s ended and Muskesh (not so much Rafi) stopped singing depressing sad songs that my father liked….New Kishore Kumar era was like the Beatle Sounds of the 1960`s upbeat…easy on the ear…..Punjabi sound had just ended and the Bengali sound had just been taken up by the masses…if you go by singers and music directors from 1940/1950/1960 to 1970`s.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I remember even in the single household like our (1960-1970) there great differences in musically taste my father and uncle liked Raj Kapoor films and so also favoured Mukesh no matter what song or hero he was singing for.My younger uncle and myself preferred Rafi and Kishore Kumar (Rajesh khanna had just started to get popular ).My younger uncle always said romatic songs and classical belong to Rafi and Kishore can have the nu-style or sad songs.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:19 pm
I must say the people who were born during the 1940/1950 and 1960`s might remember more of Rafi sounds when his was the King.However people born after 1960s onwards would likely to have listen to Kishore a lot more .Kishore had a monoply due to high demand for his singing style from 1970 onwards.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 pm
In my humble opionion Rafi-Lata were very well matched especially if you listen to 1950-1960 music .Same goes with classical songs sang by this pair.However Kishore Kumar-Asha generated a lot of high energy sound which is has been around since the 1970`s.Even today`s dhol based Punjabi sounds of the past ten years could match upto to KK-Asha R.D Burham era .I was thinking tea as Rafi-Lata (music and sugar) and Coffee as Kishore Kumar with Asha (cream and sugar) both different yet enjoyed by millions around the world..no single monopoly.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:58 pm
In my humble opionion Rafi-Lata were well matched in singing style and pure sound created
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:23 am
I think we should thank god that both Kishore and Rafi left a unique mark on Indian Hindi music .Today whenever we get enough of today`s music we can go back to the huge library of music covering almost all human emotion espcially love ,sadness ,happy days and memory of days gone by.I must say Kishore had two advantage over Rafi he lived seven years more and more importantly the music\ singing sounds like the today`s music and unique sound created by R.D.Burman which people only realise now.
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:09 am
Kishore Kumar had a voice which was unique and flexible than Rafi.Rafi did have a pure classically trained voice.Kishore Kumar song with a lot of energy and drive (feeling) and Rafi sang with with emotions.Two completely different singers and methods of singing .
January 13th, 2008 at 4:06 am
I think we should stop arguing about the best or the worst because the fact of the matter is ‘pasand apni apni and khyal apna apna’.Ask yourselves this question Who is still in the lime light after so many years? Who has the younger generation singing his songs and who has a tv show at peak times called K for Kishore.You be the judge.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
No doubt I like Kishore G very much. He was a legend. He was a school within himself. He was the ideal singer of all song lovers. But isn’t it a bit unjust not to appreciate Muhammad Rafi??? Kishore was given a great prize that he deserved. . . . He deserved more than that. Once again let me say with the top of my lungs that Rafi also deserved some if not many. His song “O dunia k rakwalay sun dard bharay meray nalay. . . . . ” was considered the “sir mor” of hindi songs.
October 25th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Why do some writers write in one liners only? Do they lack
content or are they really handicapped in writing good prose.
I think they are youngsters wanting to pass some of their ‘free time’
since they are not aware that Kishore da and rafi saab enjoyed the
best of relations in real life… and many more facts of life and music.
Binu Nair.
October 24th, 2007 at 6:32 am
Somebody had quoted “God has made few people whose brains cannot think or understand beyond its limit” I would like to applaud this person’s intellectual statement! Shame this person doesn’t realize their talking about them self and of others like them.
No doubt Kishore was a really a good singer as I am a Kishore fan myself, but if one really knows about the History of Bollywood music, it doesn’t really take alot of brain cells to conclude which male singer really stood out from the rest.
Quote ” Kishore outclassed Rafi in ALL singing departments ”
Was it April the 1st! - You are having a laugh! - If you list all the type of singing DEPARTMENTS as follows :-
CLASSICAL
GHAZALS
BHAJANS
QAWALIES
PATRIOTIC
FOLK DANCE
ROCK & ROLL
DISCO
CABARET
WEDDING
COMEDY
SAD
MASTI
PHILOSOPHY
FESTIVAL
RAAG
The FACT is that Rafi has had HITS in every one of these SINGING DEPARTMENTS over Kishore. Research for yourself if you don’t believe me.
One example, why did Kishore’s prodijay RD Burman, had more QAWALI hits with Rafi than Kishore. Qawalli was not Kishore’s cup of tea!
Another example in the film Haathi mere Saathi - LP had to resort to Rafi to sing “Nafarat Ki Duniya” as Kishore tried and was unable to capture the deep emotion to the song as the way Rafi did.
Kishore’s “Pag ghunghroo baandh” from Namak Halal, Bapphi Lahari had to use someone else on “sa sa sa pa pa ……” as Kishore was unable to do this. On Rafi’s “Maduban Ki” from Khoinoor, Rafi could do this no problem!
Quote” Kishore was number one for 2 decades ”
Everyone SHOULD know that Rafi made a comeback in the early late seventies to revial with Kishore’s number one spot. In 1980 the year Rafi passed away, Rafi did have more hits than Kishore, it was even evident in the Filmfare awards for 1980 when Rafi had 3 nominations over Kishore’s 2. Despite Kishore had won it with “Hazaar raahen mudke dekheen”, a Cleary biased vote to a song that one hardly ever hears on the radio compared to Rafi nominated songs which are heard more frequently!
Therefore when Rafi passed away that year that was opened ground to Kishore with no revial competition.
Why did it take Kishore 20 years to take him to the top as compared to Rafi, which took him less than half.
Rafi has worked with more music directors than Kishore.
Rafi has playback for Kishore in a few films.
Rafi has sung in more different languages than kishore.
Rafi had the ability to hit from a high pitch to a low pitch (vice versa) better than any other singer to date!! Even Asha Boshle had acknowledged this!
Its well known that Kishore’s main prodijay was RD. RD tunes had a major influence over the 70’s generation with his trendy catchy tunes which happened to have Kishore as his main singer, so naturally this puts Kishore further into the limelight. However RD’s rise to fame was with “Teersi Manzil” with Rafi as his main singer, where was Kishore singing talents at that time??
Did Kishore have a filmfare award together with a National award with an RD number. Can somebody confirm this? Rafi did with “Kya huwa tera vaada”.
Please be aware I am NOT having a go at Kishore da himself, its towards short minded people who do not nothing about the talents of other great singers. I prefer Lata’s voice over Asha’s but I have to admit Asha was more versatile than Lata.
Its so obvious that the media over exposes RD Burman, no doubt a musical genius in his own right but there were other great musicians as well who hardly get mentioned for their great works. As for RD’s exposure, Kishore is also highlighted as RD was Kishore’s ground foundation to the limelight.
Sonu Nigaam quoted, he was told at times to sing like Kishore and not Rafi. Why? Who are they trying to protect?
Kishore himself as with Mukesh and many other singers of those days were admirers of Rafi to the extent when Kishore would often as a tribute sing a Rafi number at his live concerts. Now what does that does that tell you how Kishore respected Rafi!
September 27th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Kishore Kumar is better than Rafi any day!
August 30th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
kishorji was not but is great allrounder KALAKAR
August 30th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
kishorji not was but is unmachable legend of the universe.this type of the person are never die.