Remembering The Legendary Brothers: Ashok and Kishore Kumar

The Bollywood industry has evolved over the years but we can’t forget some of the best contributors to the industry. With little resources and lots of talent, two brothers changed the film industry for the better. One decided to act and the other decided to sing and today is the birth anniversary of one and death anniversary of the other. Yes, I am talking about the legendary brothers, Ashok Kumar and Kishore Kumar.

Ashok Kumar was born on 13th October 1911 and unfortunately, Kishore Kumar passed away on his elder brother’s birthday in 1987. On this occasion let me tell you a few interesting stories about these legends that you might not know.

The older brother Ashok Kumar was born as Kumudlal Ganguly but changed his name. Here are a few interesting facts about the man who gave us memorable films like Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi and Kismet.

1. Ashok Kumar was a brilliant actor but apart from that he was an exquisite painter and practiced homeopathy.

A self portrait by Ashok Kumar 

2. His entry into the film industry was a complete accident. Ashok was working as a lab assistant at Bombay Talkies. He was offered the lead role in Jeevan Naiya in 1936 which was a Bombay Talkies production. The studio head Himanshu Rai signed Ashok Kumar for the film after the original lead actor Najmul Hassan eloped with his wife and the heroine of the film Devika Rani.

3. Ashok decided to stop celebrating his birthday from the year 1987 after his younger brother’s death.

  Kishore and Ashok KumarThe younger brother Kishore Kumar also changed his name, he was born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly on 4th August 1929. Kishore Kumar’s stories are incredibly mesmerizing making him a brilliant inspiration for us all.

1. When Kishore Kumar was a young boy he would sing to his heart’s content but his entire family laughed at him as back then his voice was shrill and far from what we’ve heard. The family defined his voice as a rasp of a bamboo being split in two.

Young Kishore Kumar2. Kishore attended a Christian College in Indore after his matriculation. The college still remembers the exploits of the singer who was a prankster. The song Paanch Rupaiya Barah Anna was based on a true story as Kishore owed his college canteen five rupees and twelve paise.

3. Many may not know this but Kishore Kumar had a severe case of stage fright and would run every time he was called to perform on a stage. There was an instance when the Playback Singer Association was conducting a fundraiser show and Kishore needed to be present. The Association was aware of Kishore’s phobia and tasked Talat Mahmood (singer) to get him to the show at any cost. But by the time Mahmood arrived at Kishore’s house, the singer had locked his house and ran. It was only in 1970 when Kishore Kumar’s co actor from Padosan Sunil Dutt helped him get over his fear.

Sunil Dutt and Kishore Kumar in Padosan

The best and last story is based on both brothers, if Ashok had his way Kishore would be a leading actor and not a singer. When the younger brother was going to start his career in the industry Ashok insisted he take up acting but Kishore hated acting.

Kishore and Ashok KumarAshok was certain that Kishore would fail as a singer as he had no official training and had no knowledge on the technical side of music. Kishore took up a few movies to please his brother but intentionally acted badly so he wouldn’t be cast in movies.

It was on the day R.D. Burman, highly acclaimed music composer, visited Kishore’s home and heard the singer yodeling that changed Kumar’s life. The composer helped Kishore out and gave him the foundation required to become one of the best singers the industry has seen.

Kishore Kumar managed to modulate his voice so well that he would sound different for every actor he sang for, incorporating their mannerism and voice. Rajesh Khanna was one of those actors who said, ”We were two people with one voice.”

Rajesh Khanna and Ashok Kumar