Anuradha Paudwal: Kishore Kumar was a Colossus on stage – Exclusive

Kishore Kumar and I go such a long way back. I remember around 1975, I was part of his troupe. We would do a lot of shows in Kolkata. He had a five-member orchestra including my husband Arun ji on the accordion, Kaka Rajput on the saxophone, Diwan ji on the Congo Bongo, Maruti Rao Keer on the tabla. Just five musicians comprised his orchestra but what stalwarts! Today people have 100 musicians on stage. But those days were simpler and if I may so say, filled with geniuses. And then there was Kishore da who rode the stage like a lion, like a Colossus. I learnt how to connect with an audience by just watching him – the way he would involve them, make them sing. It was amazing. Uff! What a voice he had.

I remember we travelled in open ambassadors with no AC and dust all over our faces. We lived in Daak bungalows with not many amenities. It was all so beautiful. No ‘sho sha’, just pure talent. Kishore da was so caring, often Leena ji his wife also travelled on the shows. He made sure we were well looked after. I sang the duets with Amit (Kumar) and then Kishore da would take over. We were doing back-to-back shows at Burdwan and Durgapur and because of this constant travel and dust I think he had a sore throat. So before one show he told us, “After your playlist, you and Amit just run into the car.” I didn’t know what was happening. Someone had got wind that Kishore da had a sore throat and wouldn’t sing. So there was some ‘khar kar’ noise backstage. They were literally sawing off the wooden stage in protest. We fled for our lives.

The audience was filled with Kishore da fanatics. His shows sold like hotcakes. It was a pandemonium wherever he sung. That kind of stardom, I’ve seldom seen. I remember once he had upped his show fees to Rs One lakh and there was such an uproar. And today when I see people charging crazy amounts, I think Kishore da deserved much more. He was fond of his fish and prawns and all kinds of food. He enjoyed life and you could hear that in his voice. I don’t think he had a set playlist. He would sing whatever came to his mind and the musicians were so much in tune. Like he would sing Jeevan se bhari teri aankhen… (Safar, 1970) and then suddenly segue into Mere saamne waali khidki… (Padosan, 1968) and the musicians would just catch on. They were so well prepared. It was incredible.

People said he was eccentric and behaved strangely and all that. I never ever saw any of that. He was a simple, caring man. Even when recording he would do as the music director wanted. No changing tunes, no tantrums. I remember we sang about 30-35 duets including Oh dil jaani… Bol meri rani (Udhar Ka Sindur, 1976) for Rajesh Roshan and a rather nice piece for Laxmikant Pyarelal where I sing the semi classical portions, Teri payal ki jhankar… ke ghungroo toot gaye (Asha Jyoti, 1984).

I had met Kishore da at a recording for Kalyanji Anandji at film centre a few days before he passed away. He had just had a heart attack, lost a lot of weight because of no salt diet etc. But when he went on the microphone that day the voice that emerged was dazzling artistry.

He sang a Marathi song with me, which my husband composed— Ashwini ye na (Gammat Jammat, 1987). When Arun ji approached him, he said, I’ll sing it under the condition there is no “NN” “LLa” and “Dd” consonants in the song. Shantaram Nandgaonkar wrote that song. To this day it’s hugely popular and what singing by Kishore da.