Kishore Kumar Unplugged: A Rare Glimpse into the Enigmatic Genius

New Delhi: Four decades ago, the mercurial maestro Kishore Kumar opened up in an exceptionally rare interview with journalist Pritish Nandy. Published in The Illustrated Weekly Of India (April 28–May 4, 1985), this conversation has become both iconic and immortalised for its profound revelations and intriguing ambience. Notably, Kumar’s living space featured an eerie skull with incandescent red eyes, adding an uncanny touch to his mystique.

Toward the end of the tête-à-tête, the eccentric virtuoso quipped, “Look, doesn't it look nice with my specs on its non-existent nose?” He followed it up by telling Nandy, “You are a good man. You understand the real things of life. You are going to look like this one day.” These words, strange yet sincere, echoed his inimitable worldview.

This interview, particularly poignant after Pritish Nandy’s demise on January 8 from cardiac arrest, remains one of the most lucid and soul-baring glimpses into Kishore Kumar’s otherwise cloistered personal life.

In the conversation, Kishore did not veil his thoughts about his marriages, beginning with Ruma Devi.

“She was a very talented person, but we could not get along because we looked at life differently...” he admitted, revealing his traditionalist leanings and emotional vulnerability.

On his second wife, the ethereal Madhubala, who suffered from a congenital cardiac ailment, he shared.

“She was quite another matter... For nine long years, I nursed her. I watched her die before my own eyes.”

The pathos in his words evoked an emotive heaviness. His empathy and unflinching dedication illuminated a side few ever saw. Her torment, he said, was exasperating and tragic. Yet he stood by her with stoic resilience.

Of his brief union with Yogeeta Bali, Kumar was unabashedly frank: “That was a joke. I don’t think she was serious about marriage.”

Finally, he reflected with equanimity on his marriage to Leena Chandavarkar:

 “She’s seen tragedy. She’s faced grief... You realise the ephemeral quality of all things. I am happy now.” There was an undeniable calmness, a tone of resolution, in those words.

About Kishore Kumar

A polymath and maverick, Kishore Kumar was more than a playback singer; he was a cinematic phenomenon. From music composition to acting, his kaleidoscopic artistry captivated millions. He began as a chorus singer at Bombay Talkies, where his brother Ashok Kumar was an actor. Khemchand Prakash gave his break with Marne Ki Duayen Kyon Mangu in Ziddi. His yodelling, emulated from Jimmie Rodgers and Tex Morton, became a trademark, energizing tracks like Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana and Chala Jata Hoon.

He received the Lata Mangeshkar Award in 1985 and posthumously inspired the “Kishore Kumar Award” initiated in 1997. He passed away on October 13, 1987, but remains an ineffable legend whose art transcends generations.