CRAZY MAD F*&%$*G GENIUS
I just read something priceless. An interview of Kishore Kumar by Pritish Nandy.
Don’t you just wish we had ONE guy like him today?
Not just his talent, but just the sheer personality he was……mad as a hatter playing the part to the hilt watching the effect it had on people around him…..his life seems like a private in joke!
Presenting a blast from the past – A MOTHER OF A TOTALLY SCREWED UP INTERVIEW
(couldn’t think of a better compliment than this except maybe Booom Boom Chik Chik eeeeeeeee yadadadadadadadada thum thum thum Heee hee hee hee ……read the interview u will understand)
PN: I understand you are quitting Bombay and going away to Khandwa…
KK: Who can live in this stupid, friendless city where everyone seeks to
exploit you every moment of the day? Can you trust anyone out here?
Is anyone trustworthy? Is anyone a friend you can count on?
I am determined to get out of this futile rat race and live as I’ve
always wanted to. In my native Khandwa, the land of my forefathers.
Who wants to die in this ugly city?
PN: Why did you come here in the first place?
KK: I would come to visit my brother Ashok Kumar. He was such a big
star in those days. I thought he could introduce me to KL Saigal
who was my greatest idol. People say he used to sing through his
nose. But so what? He was a great singer. Greater than anyone else.
PN: I believe you are planning to record an album of famous Saigal
songs….
KK: They asked me to. I refused. Why should I try to outsing him?
Let him remain enshrined in our memory. Let his songs remain
just HIS songs. Let not even one person say that Kishore Kumar
sang them better.
PN: If you didn’t like Bombay, why did you stay back? For fame?
For money?
KK: I was conned into it. I only wanted to sing. Never to act. But
somehow, thanks to peculiar circumstances, I was persuaded to
act in the movies. I hated every moment of it and tried virtually
every trick to get out of it. I muffed my lines, pretended to be
crazy, shaved my head off, played difficult, began yodelling in
the midst of tragic scenes, told Meena Kumari what I was supposed
to tell Bina Rai in some other film – but they still wouldn’t let
me go. I screamed, ranted, went cuckoo. But who cared? They were
just determined to make me a star.
PN: Why?
KK: Because I was Dadamoni’s brother. And he was a great hero.
PN: But you succeeded, after your fashion….
KK: Of course I did. I was the biggest draw after Dilip Kumar. There
were so many films I was doing in those days that I had to run
from one set to the other, changing on the way. Imagine me. My
shirts flying off, my trousers falling off, my wig coming off
while I’m running from one set to the other. Very often I would
mix up my lines and look angry in a romantic scene or romantic
in the midst of a fierce battle. It was terrible and I hated it.
It evoked nightmares of school. Directors were like schoolteachers.
Do this. Do that. Don’t do this. Don’t do that. I dreaded it. That’s
why I would often escape.
PN: Well, you are notorious for the trouble you give your directors
and producers. Why is that?
KK: Nonsense. They give me trouble. You think they give a damn for
me? I matter to them only because I sell. Who cared for me during
my bad days? Who cares for anyone in this profession?
PN: Is that why you prefer to be a loner?
KK: Look, I don’t smoke, drink or socialise. I never go to parties.
If that makes me a loner, fine. I am happy this way. I go to work
and I come back straight home. To watch my horror movies, play
with my spooks, talk to my trees, sing. In this avaricious
world, every creative person is bound to be lonely. How can you
deny me that right?
PN: You don’t have many friends?
KK: None.
PN: That’s rather sweeping.
KK: People bore me. Film people particularly bore me. I prefer talking
to my trees.
PN: So you like nature?
KK: That’s why I want to get away to Khandwa. I have lost all touch
with nature out here. I tried to did a canal all around my
bungalow out here, so that we could sail gondolas there. The
municipality chap would sit and watch and nod his head
disapprovingly, while my men would dig and dig. But it didn’t work.
One day someone found a hand – a skeletal hand- and some toes.
After that no one wanted to dig anymore. Anoop, my second brother,
came charging with Ganga water and started chanting mantras. He
thought this house was built on a graveyard. Perhaps it is. But
I lost the chance of making my home like Venice.
PN: People would have thought you crazy. In fact they already do.
KK: Who said I’m crazy. The world is crazy; not me.
PN: Why do you have this reputation for doing strange things?
KK: It all began with this girl who came to interview me. In those
days I used to live alone. So she said: You must be very lonely.
I said: No, let me introduce you to some of my friends. So I
took her to the garden and introduced her to some of the friendlier
trees. Janardhan; Raghunandan; Gangadhar; Jagannath; Buddhuram;
Jhatpatajhatpatpat. I said they were my closest friends in this
cruel world. She went and wrote this bizarre piece, saying that
I spent long evenings with my arms entwined around them. What’s
wrong with that, you tell me? What’s wrong making friends with
trees?
PN: Nothing.
KK: Then, there was this interior decorator-a suited, booted fellow
who came to see me in a three-piece woollen, Saville Row suit
in the thick of summer- and began to lecture me about aesthetics,
design, visual sense and all that. After listening to him for about
half an hour and trying to figure out what he was saying through
his peculiar American accent, I told him that I wanted something
very simple for my living room. Just water-several feet deep- and
little boats floating around, instead of large sofas. I told him
that the centre-piece should be anchored down so that the tea
service could be placed on it and all of us could row up to it
in our boats and take sips from our cups. But the boats should
be properly balanced, I said, otherwise we might whizz past each
other and conversation would be difficult.
He looked a bit alarmed but that alarm gave way to sheer horror
when I began to describe the wall decor. I told him that I wanted
live crows hanging from the walls instead of paintings-since I
liked nature so much. And, instead of fans, we could have monkeys
farting from the ceiling. That’s when he slowly backed out from
the room with a strange look in his eyes. The last I saw of him
was him running out of the front gate, at a pace that would have
put an electric train to shame. What’s crazy about having a living
room like that, you tell me? If he can wear a woollen, three-piece
suit in the height of summer, why can’t I hang live crows on my
walls?
PN: Your ideas are quite original, but why do your films fare so badly?
KK: Because I tell my distributors to avoid them. I warn them at the
very outset that the film might run for a week at the most.
Naturally, they go away and never come back. Where will you find
a producer-director who warns you not to touch his film because
even he can’t understand what he has made?
PN: Then why do you make films?
KK: Because the spirit moves me. I feel I have something to say and
the films eventually do well at times.
I remember this film of mine – Door Gagan ki Chhaon mein – which
started to an audience of 10 people in Alankar. I know because I
was in the hall myself. There were only ten people who had come to
watch the first show!
Even its release was peculiar. Subhodh Mukherjee, the brother of
my brother-in-law, had booked Alankar(the hall) for 8 weeks for
his film April Fool- which everyone knew was going to be a block-
buster. My film, everyone was sure, was going to be a thundering
flop. So he offered to give me a week of his booking. Take the
first week, he said flamboyantly, and I’ll manage within seven. After
all, the movie can’t run beyond a week. It can’t run beyond two
days, I reassured him.
When 10 people came for the first show, he tried to console me.
Don’t worry, he said, it happens at times. But who was worried?
Then, the word spread. Like wildfire. And within a few days the
hall began to fill. It ran for all 8 weeks at Alankar, house full!
Subodh Mukherjee kept screaming at me but how could I let go the
hall? After 8 weeks when the booking ran out, the movie shifted
to Super, where it ran for another 21 weeks! That’s the anatomy
of a hit of mine. How does one explain it? Can anyone explain
it? Can Subodh Mukherjee, whose April Fool went on to become a
thundering flop?
PN: But you, as the director should have known?
KK: Directors know nothing. I never had the privilege of working with
any good director. Except Satyen Bose and Bimal Roy, no one even
knew the ABC of film making. How can you expect me to give good
performances under such directors?
Directors like S.D. Narang didn’t even know where to place the
camera. He would take long, pensive drags from his cigarette,
mumble ‘Quiet, quiet, quiet’ to everyone, walk a couple of furlongs
absentmindedly, mutter to himself and then tell the camera man to
place the camera wherever he wanted. His standard line to me was:
Do something. What something? Come on, some thing! So I would go
off on my antics. Is this the way to act? Is this the way to direct
a movie? And yet Narangsaab made so many hits!
PN: Why didn’t you ever offer to work with a good director?
KK: Offer! I was far too scared. Satyajit Ray came to me and wanted me
to act in Parash Pathar – his famous comedy – and I was so scared
that I ran away. Later, Tulsi Chakravarti did the role. It was a
great role and I ran away from it, so scared I was of these great
directors.
PN: But you knew Ray.
KK: Of course I did. I loaned him five thousand rupees at the time of
Pather Panchali-when he was in great financial difficulty- and even
though he paid back the entire loan, I never gave him an opportunity
to forget the fact that I had contributed to the making of the
classic. I still rib him about it. I never forget the money I
loan out!
PN: Well, some people think you are crazy about money. Others describe
you as a clown, pretending to be kinky but sane as hell. Still
others find you cunning and manipulative. Which is the real you?
KK: I play different roles at different times. For different people.
In this crazy world, only the truly sane man appears to be mad.
Look at me. Do you think I’m mad? Do you think I can be manipulative?
PN: How would I know?
KK: Of course you would know. It’s so easy to judge a man by just
looking at him. You look at these film people and you instantly
know they’re rogues.
PN: I believe so.
KK: I don’t believe so. I know so. You can’t trust them an inch.
I have been in this rat race for so long that I can smell trouble
from miles afar. I smelt trouble the day I came to Bombay in the
hope of becoming a playback singer and got conned into acting. I
should have just turned my back and run.
PN: Why didn’t you?
KK: Well, I’ve regretted it ever since. Boom Boom. Boompitty boom boom.
Chikachikachik chik chik. Yadlehe eeee yadlehe ooooo (Goes on
yodelling till the tea comes. Someone emerges from behind the
upturned sofa in the living room, looking rather mournful with
a bunch of rat-eaten files and holds them up for KK to see)
PN: What are those files?
KK: My income tax records.
PN: Rat-eaten?
KK: We use them as pesticides. They are very effective. The rats die
quite easily after biting into them.
PN: What do you show the tax people when they ask for the papers?
KK: The dead rats.
PN: I see.
KK: You like dead rats?
PN: Not particularly.
KK: Lots of people eat them in other parts of the world.
PN: I guess so.
KK: Haute cuisine. Expensive too. Costs a lot of money.
PN: Yes?
KK: Good business, rats. One can make money from them if one is
enterprising.
PN: I believe you are very fussy about money. Once, I’m told. a
producer paid you only half your dues and you came to the sets
with half your head and half your moustache shaved off. And you
told him that when he paid the rest, you would shoot with your face
intact…
KK: Why should they take me for granted? These people never pay unless
you teach them a lesson. I was shooting in the South once. I think
the film was Miss Mary and these chaps kept me waiting in the hotel
room for five days without shooting. So I got fed up and started
cutting my hair. First I chopped off some hair from the right side
of my head and then, to balance it, I chopped off some from the
left. By mistake I overdid it. So I cut off some more from the
right. Again I overdid it. So I had to cut from the left again.
This went on till I had virtually no hair left- and that’s when
the call came from the sets. When I turned up the way I was, they
all collapsed. That’s how rumours reached Bombay. They said I had
gone cuckoo. I didn’t know. I returned and found everyone wishing
me from long distance and keeping a safe distance of 10 feet while
talking. Even those chaps who would come and embrace me waved out
from a distance and said Hi. Then, someone asked me a little
hesitantly how I was feeling. I said: Fine. I spoke a little
abruptly perhaps. Suddenly I found him turning around and running.
Far, far away from me.
PN: But are you actually so stingy about money?
KK: I have to pay my taxes.
PN: You have income tax problems I am told….
KK: Who doesn’t? My actual dues are not much but the interest has
piled up. I’m planning to sell off a lot of things before I go
to Khandwa and settle this entire business once and for all.
PN: You refused to sing for Sanjay Gandhi during the emergency and,
it is said, that’s why the tax hounds were set on you. Is this true?
KK: Who knows why they come. But no one can make me do what I don’t
want to do. I don’t sing at anyone’s will or command. But I sing
for charities, causes all the time.
[Note: Sanjay Gandhi wanted KK to sing at some Congress rally in Bombay.
KK refused. Sanjay Gandhi ordered All India Radio to stop playing
Kishore songs. This went on for quite a while. KK refused to
apologize. Finally, it took scores of prominant producers and
directors to convince those in power to rescind the ban]
PN: What about your home life? Why has that been so turbulent?
KK: Because I like being left alone.
PN: What went wrong with Ruma Devi, your first wife?
KK: She was a very talented person but we could not get along because
we looked at life differently. She wanted to build a choir and a
career. I wanted someone to build me a home. How can the two
reconcile? You see, I’m a simple minded villager type. I don’t
understand this business about women making careers. Wives should
first learn how to make a home. And how can you fit the two
together? A career and a home are quite seperate things. That’s why
we went our seperate ways.
PN: Madhubala, your second wife?
KK: She was quite another matter. I knew she was very sick even before
I married her. But a promise is a promise. So I kept my word and
brought her home as my wife, even though I knew she was dying from
a congenital heart problem. For 9 long years I nursed her. I watched
her die before my own eyes. You can never understand what this means
until you live through this yourself. She was such a beautiful woman
and she died so painfully.
She would rave and rant and scream in frustration. How can such an
active person spend 9 long years bed-ridden? And I had to humour her
all the time. That’s what the doctor asked me to. That’s what I did
till her very last breath. I would laugh with her. I would cry with
her.
PN: What about your third marriage? To Yogeeta Bali?
KK: That was a joke. I don’t think she was serious about marriage. She
was only obsessed with her mother. She never wanted to live here.
PN: But that’s because she says you would stay up all night and
count money..
KK: Do you think I can do that? Do you think I’m mad? Well, it’s
good we separated quickly.
PN: What about your present marriage?
KK: Leena is a very different kind of person. She too is an actress like
all of them but she’s very different. She’s seen tragedy. She’s
faced grief. When your husband is shot dead, you change. You
understand life. You realise the ephemeral quality of all things..
I am happy now.
PN: What about your new film? Are you going to play hero in this one too?
KK: No no no. I’m just the producer-director. I’m going to be behind
the camera. Remember I told you how much I hate acting? All I might
do is make a split second appearance on screen as an old man or
something.
PN: Like Hitchcock?
KK: Yes, my favourite director.
I’m mad, true. But only about one thing. Horror movies. I love
spooks. They are a friendly fearsome lot. Very nice people,
actually, if you get to know them. Not like these industry chaps
out here. Do you know any spooks?
PN: Not very friendly ones.
KK: But nice, frightening ones?
PN: Not really.
KK: But that’s precisely what we’re all going to become one day. Like
this chap out here (points to a skull, which he uses as part of his
decor, with red light emerging from its eyes)- you don’t even know
whether it’s a man or a woman. Eh? But it’s a nice sort. Friendly
too. Look, doesn’t it look nice with my specs on its non-existent
nose?
PN: Very nice indeed.
KK: You are a good man. You understand the real things of life. You are
going to look like this one day.
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Hey Suparn, thnx a ton. what a gem!!! the man was mad for sure and m all for that madness!!! looks like KK was in AK mood that time.
Also,good to c u back…after long time.
Suparn, thanks for sharing a classic!!
suparn, wowww!! thank you so much for this!! couldn’t help but =)) =)) at some of the answers he gave.. which only goes on to prove that the “seemingly crazy” ones are REALLY the sane, hidden geniuses.. amazing!
woweeee.. man.. the best interview ever of an indian artist.. sheer genius.. even mr. nandy doesn’t realise when he was being had.. or may be he really was a great interviewer who prodded his interview along.. what a man .. what a post suparn.. thanks a billion..the best on PFC ever..
Anurag, I had a fantastic conversation with Nandy once, asked him about a true legend that whichever CM he interviewed as editor of illustrated weekly would lose his seat post publication and yet they lined up to be interviewed.
How did he manage it.
His answer was, the psychology of the CM’s was that the guy who lost his job was an idiot and that I’m smarter than him and will take on the interviewer.
Nandy would meet the CM and act dumb, making the CM think this ass can’t harm me and would start digging his grave.
Soon being interviewed by him was a challenge and an ego issue:)
fanatastic and what a super coincidence, i am currently finishing reading kishore’s biography, by kishore valicha-kishore kumar ‘a definitive biography’.
everything that PN and Kishoreda have been talking about is in a few chapters of this insightful book.
No doubt he was eccentric…NO DOUBT HE WAS A GENIUS.
SO WHO DREAMS OF MAKING HIS BIOGRAPHICAL FILM?
MY HANDS IS UP…..LET ME SEE A SHOW OF HANDS!
this genius of a man, deserves to have a true epic of a film made about him. his story–what a story! what a man!
the most wonderful interviwe I have ever come across…KK u rocked man. Thnx Suparn
me too ANISH
wow. Very honest answers by KK. He did not hide what was going through his mind.
I had the same experience of KK(the balancing of the hair). I had a weird hairstyle after that(Apache Indian style).
Speaking of interviews..I recently was invited to a screening of Steve Buscemi’s new film ‘The Interview’, a remake of a film by Theo Van Gogh (assassinated Dutch director).The whole thing takes place almost entirely inside an apartment and explores the peaks and valleys of interaction between a washed up journalist and a B-movie actress who start out initially disliking each other.It cost next to nothing and Steve had three dvs running simultaneously, he basically made the film on the editing table..
It was absolutely brillinat, if you want to see an example of sheer kinetic dialogue and spontaneous reactions, then this is it. there is no gimmickry or ornamentation whatsoever..just an extended conversation between two people, but what a freakin conversation..! Keeps you glued to the screen like no action piece ever could..
I know Polanski did ‘Death and the Maiden’ in an enclosed space but ‘The Interview’ has no grand,heavy,political backstory to lend it gravitas….it just works on it’s own steam, it’s own self generated momentum, we absolutely have to know what the fuck these two people are going to get out of each other…and the twist at the end is as unexpected as it is brilliant.
Truly worth a watch guys….for pure economy,innovation and balls in pulling it off!
a movie on KK ….. this could be our “man on the moon”. Per KK kaun banega????? appna KK ??? ….hehehe if not the film we can recreate this interview with appna KK being interviewed by Oznandy < :-p
Suparn thanks a TON for this….just curious……this was which year???
R Desmukh would be perfect for it.
Crows hanging alive on walls…..monkey fart for air….and boats for couches….water for tiles…I want to see this on SCREEN!!!!!!!!!! [-o< [-o<[-o<[-o<
Ritesh is more “deadpan comic”
More things change more they remain the same..It sounds as if KK is talking of present times..Wow, sheer magic this maverick could create..thnx Suparn for accessing such an invaluable piece of film history..Hats off to PN for pulling it off.
@viczee
thnx for recmmndng The Interview..Now it is a priori item on my agenda.
This was quite a trip down the memory lane… I remember reading this interview when it first appeared… was it the Illustrated Weekly? early 80s I think.
Nah… the search for someone who could play Kishore-da should continue… the actor needs to have tremendous physical energy (a la’ Jim Carrey)
AWESOME!! That was fantastic! Thanks Suparn! Whether he was totally insane or not, Kishore Kumar was the most talented mulit-talented artiste India has ever seen! There will never be another Kishoreda…
i think paresh rawal would completely do justice to portraying KK.. i know it may be hard to imagine him in a role like this seeing as how he’s played one too many buffoon-like roles in priyan’s movies, but if you’ve seen “sardar”, you’ll know his true range, not just as a comic actor.
if a much younger version is needed, my vote would be rajpal yadav.. everyone knows his comedy, but his genius shines in “main, meri patni aur woh” and MMDBCH..
Govinda with reduced weight and proper get up will make a good Kishor Kumar. He knows how to jump like him at right time. He knows singing too so can bring proper facial expressions also.
He will look bit awkward in emotional scenes as KK used to look.
the question is did Kishoreda had same energy level in real life as he had in films? i don’t know.
i suggested R Deshmukh because he sort of looks like KishoreDa and think he can bring the bluntness/lonliness side of Kishoreda.
No?
saala padh ke maza aa gaya :d:d:d
HG:
KK had even more energy in real life. Read abt first meeting of Pancham da with Kishor da and you will get to know which kind of person he was in real life.
DD had telecasted few of his studio and stage shows and his lively movements were not controlable.
and then his two famous interviews with Amin Sayani at the gap of 25 years.
Nothing much has changed since then, no wonder Kishore K preferred to be alone and talk to the trees!:( thanx Suparn,for posting this.
okay, its official now, with anurag on board as well-wonderful, any more show of hands?…
this is serious business, if a film on his life is commissioned, for gods sake it must do justice to the man and his genius and his time…
i am worried PN will get someone inept to make it…not that PN is thinking of it…sigh,you know what i mean…’someone like him’…
this is a rocker of film waiting to be made…not just our ‘man on the moon’(kaufman) Vasan, he is our very ‘aviator’(hughes)!!!!!!
this is as big as the Gandhi film guys, as far as I am concerned. A movie about India’s first true movie genius and his impact on our collective lives.
ok,this is what i think
…purab kohli will be great as a young kishore da (check him in awarapan)
and for an older kishore da…hmm…purab again (watch out for this guy)
man, is this weird wednesday or what? PFC is sizzling tonite….i love it…gimme more…
just tuning into some kishore da songs on the net….
suparn thanks for reminding us of this great man.
now if only i had a rep or a few crores…
anurag,suparn—onir(welcome!) make this happen guys, this is a movie i will fucking wait for mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!
My services on the screenplay are available, considering I am fresh out of his biography…
His love and eventual marriage with Madhubala (that itself is a beauty of a story)….his khandwa days and authoritarian father….inumerable episodes of dadamoni, jumpstarting kishoreda’s life…more interesting, satyajit ray and kishoreda’s mutual admiration for each other and satyajitd rays appreciation of kishore’s movie-Door gagan ki chaon mein!—
kishoreda’s battle with stage fright and live performances—mehmood arriving with a gun @ kishore da’s house demanding his remuneration etc etc
inumerable stories of a certified genius.
a man who often loved playing dead to shock his wife and friends….getting a kick out of seeing them reel with shock…
everyone in his household, thought he was fooling around again when he fell dead in April 1987.
anish man.. that’s good out-of-the-box thinking with purab.. didn’t think of him.. but yes, very cool guy.. in person, he’s quite tall and has a very dynamic personality about him.. and though haven’t seen awarapan, i liked his work in MBN and woh lamhe.. i think he would be a good fit! has anyone seen his “marathon” or “13th floor”?
I second RKs views that Govinda would be a good fit.
Without doubt the film will churn out magic if our PFC icons colloborate!
Wallah kya baat hai!
PN: What do you show the tax people when they ask for the papers?
KK: The dead rats.
PN: I see.
KK: You like dead rats?
I am reading the interview again again. Can make the interview into a great short film.
Nice insightful interview with the great great Kishore’Genius’Kumar,
Actually its mindblowing not just nice ^:)^
Illustrated Weekly Issue dated April 28, 1985
Amazing piece of interview…had heard so many tales about the legend….one goes where he sent dogs on his producers and in another instance he came out in a burkha and said kishore Kumar is not present in the house…haha
Thanks Suparn for this masterpiece
Hey Suparn… thanks … what a rocking interview. Reading KK’s the irreverence Constantly reminded me of Bunuiel another Crazy genius.
^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^
Thanks for this suparn
I must lay my hands on the biography ASAP
Wowie … what a jhakaas this one is. have always loved the man…and now love him more..
the interior designer thing..omg laughed my guts out.
Read it yesterday.got it as a forward. trust me i have never got a better forward than this. the coincidence was that i was listening to kishore kumar for the past 2 days.wish there was a video recording of this interview.for me the comment “For 9 long years I nursed her. I watched
her die before my own eyes.And I had to humour her
all the time. That
as per my view, R deshmukh as young KK and Govinda as mature KK may be appropriate.
Shailesh Bhai:
can we make a sex comedy on KK’s life.-(
Your R deshmukh is champion of those kinds of films. we need a sincere actor who can do comedy.
perhaps RD can do but he seems very light for such heavyweight role
Rkji, I am not gay so R deshmukh is not mine. haaaa haaa…
Riteish is good at comedy see masti(specially his facial expressions as budhdhu boym he was only relief in the film) where he steals the show from Vivek and aftaab. also bluff master. he should be given chance to do more variety.
Shailesh: Ritesh has comedy skill. He was good in in parts in Out of control and Masti, good in kya cool hain hum and very good in Apna Sapna Money Money. but his comedy belongs to punch lines based comedy. Give him spicy dialogues and he would deliver them without facial expressions. To play Kishor Kumar like characters one needs very lively face and highly moveable eyes. If we search in recent times then a male actor who can do what Sri Devi can do in females. Her face and eyes are in full motion when she does comedy.
If some day one wishes to make film on Late IS Johar then Ritesh, perhaps, can do better because then you need a dialogue delivery with less facial expressions. IS Johar was master in that art. With simply plain face he could send uncontrollable laugh to the audience. I am not making them equal as Ritesh needs lot of hard work before he matches comedy skills of Johar saab, but he comes in that category and with efforts he can do justice there but Kishor Kumar is just not in his category.
If you recall, SRK had immitated KK, particularly his songs (one was 5 ruapiya 12 anna from Chalti ka naam garhee) in a programme (perhaps when they celeberated 100 years of cinema in late 90s). He immitated outer actions and steps of KK but not facial expressions.
Govinda had tried copying KK’s role of Half Ticket in one film, but he did it by remaining Govinda but considering immitating skills of Govinda and considering his own comedy skills, he seems to be more deserving. Its quite possible he also ends up in disappointing audience.But he has highest chances. At prseent Only he can do immitation of KK’s Parosan’s dance and that kind of role.
There may be other actors but unless they are capable in using their facial muscles too much like KK, they cant do justice to his role.
the film in which govinda immitated kk’s half ticket character was “Jaan se pyaara” with Divya bharti. govinda was in double role.
f*ckin awesome. I’m finding it really hard to get over KK laughing and crying with Madhubala till her end. This is one interview which can lead to numerous screenplays with cutting dialouges. It was back in the days when Coen Brothers were sucking on popsicles and Quentin Taratinio was just a thought in his parents mind.
Thx for the cue on the interview by Steve Buscemi. The man is talented by any standard if you have watched The Sopranos episode named IN CAMELOT
Way to Go PFC.
Im putting this up in general wonderment – either KK the man was a performer par excellence, which means that this whole image he built around himself was a performance, meaning living a lie of a life; or he was so lost in his naivete that the world ceased to exist in any logical construct, i.e rendering everyone else around redundant. Either he was so warped that he dug into his own cave in a lie that he made to exist, or he was so true to himself that any form of insecurity never dared to touch him.
I continue to be amazed by the man. Must read more… Suparn – thanks so much for this piece. Wonder if PNC might have an audio / video copy of this convo. If they do, that’s a treasure they’re sitting on. Anyway to get it out?
Welcome back, Suparn! And what a comeback, despite the post being a reproduction of an old interview!
And PFC, we love you, just for extracting such old treasures!
Vinay Pathak as KK will be great !!!!
Thank you Suparn for this awesome interview. I’m a huge fan of KK. I have heard a few stories about KK. Esp the moustache story(but a slightly different version).
************
Last Film – WINGED MIGRATION (8/10)
Music – www.pandora.com
I stumbled upon this just surfing around. KK here reminds of Manto – and a couple of his characters – a favourite with me for many years now. I also enjoyed some of the comments and you have my vote for a film on him. I will wait for the day.
thanks and cheers
ravikant
Its sheer honesty. Its simplicity at its best.
Being a hardcore KK fan, what more could I ask for?
I wish the current lot of singers can take some cue from this legend. At least we will have some real “HUT KE” stuff.
Thanks a ton.
this one’s a gem. thanks, suparn, for excavating and sharing this treasure. much obliged.
Thnx a million Suparn for posting this interview.
While going thru the article, some words brought a wide smile on my face and some brought tears as if i was listening and seeing him in person.
I could feel his pain and loneliness.
KK was and will always be a treasured GEM and no one can ever replace him as an artist.
thanx a ton. i hope anurag make a film on him .
One must read Kishore Kumar and hear his interviews ( I have around 100 of them and would share them with passionate people, as and when I get time ). Some of them are :
1)The best one is given by him to himself ( Kishore Kumar Ganguly speaking with Kishore Kumar Khandwewalla ) – in Filmfare – Sept 28 1956. In this he talks at length about his struggle and his film and personal life.
2)Then comes his “Dear Reader” section of Filmfare, for a few issues starting from July 4 1958. His answers to Readers questions – are just out of the world.
3) Then comes the great interview Saridon Ke Saathi – given on radio to Ameen Sayani, where Kishore speaks in different voices about his journey as a chilld, youth and budhaapa ( Ameen Sayani was reduced to a mere one-teo-sentence man in the interview )
Book by Kishore Valicha is not really good. It wanders away from the main topic i.e. Kishore Kumar. A proper book on Kishore Kumar and his life is yet to be written – IMHO. The people have not read/understood Kishore Kumar even 20 % from the various books ( Sad and Glad – by Ashish Rajyadhyaksha, Zindagi Ek Safar documentary by Sandeep Ray, Kishore Kumar’s anthology-interviews by Vishwas Nerurkar, Method in Madness, one Bengali biography, and many articles on the internet ) – Kishore Kumar is an ocean and one really needs to swing oneself into it to get the real vastness and depth.
Ohh and I agree with Mr Ashish Kuruvilla – A Biopic has to be made on him. IMHO – Kishore Kumar is the only person in Indian Film Industry, on whom a bio pic can be made. and I know that it is been planned by a few people on this globe.
I can be of any assistance to serious cinema makers ( free of charge ).
Regards
Kaustubh (KCP)
Dubai
@Kaustubh (KCP),
Friend why dont you just put up those interviews here. Transcript of any Interview ill do.
Can you send that Interview of Kishor Kumar with Ameen Sayani?
Sorry RK – I do not have them typed out and they are in my scribbled notes ( and brain ofcourse ) – I had shared a few days back with friends….taken down from the old magazines. here are a few of them…some of them funny, some serious and some very philosophical and relevant to Kishore’s life.
Wish he had done more than 3/4 issues :-(
Will find more and send whenever I find them
—————————–
Q – What is the difference between Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar and Kishore
Kumar
A – They differ in age and bank balance
Q – What is your opinion about classical music in films ?
A – Very effective, when administered in judicious and palatable doses
Q – How do you regard film acting – as a hobby or as a profession ?
A – On a hobby you spend the money you earn from your profession. Film
acting is my profession.
Q – Which do you prefer – tragic or comic roles ?
A/Q – Do you prefer laughter or tears when you are paying for it ?
Q – Have you visited any foreign country ?
A – I am sometimes overcome by the feeling of being a foreigner in my
own country
Q – Who in your opinion is the best comedian of Indian Screen ?
A – He who gives the most subtle expression in his work to the saying
“Life is a comedy to one who thinks and a tragedy to one who feels”
Q – Are you a serious person in real life ?
A – Not at all – Life and I keep laughing at each other all the time
Q – Were you really serious when you declared in an article sometime
ago your intention to stop being a clown and take up more serious
roles ?
A – If I convinced you about it, then I succeeded in bringing off my
biggest joke.
Q – Do you mean it when you say that you are producing, directing,
writing the story and composing the music of Adhura Geet ( KCP : later
renamed as Suhaana Geet, shooting started and 9 songs recorded, most
of them semi-classical, all penned by Shailendra )
A – Ofcourse I do. I spent hard earned money on the advertisement !
Wow. The man was a loon.:o
Hello Mr Doremi
Please use dictionary.com and let me know what exactly you meant by that ? :-w
PRITISH NANDY’S BEST INTERVIEW EVER!
by Pritish Nandy on Thursday July 12 2007.
http://www.pritishnandycom.com/blog.asp?id=2
It happens to be with none other than Kishore Kumar! Pritish Nandy talks about his best interview ever as a journalist. It was Kishore Kumar’s in 1985. “The interview is an intimate conversation between journalist and celebrity wherein the journalist seeks to take advantage of the garrulity of the celebrity and the celebrity of the credulity of the journalist” Few years ago, I was reading a book, which was a confession of a veteran journalist. And I came across this paragraph which clearly stated that what we generally go through. I have been interacting with Pritish Nandy for sometime. After donning a new role in my professional life, I have been interacting with his man on a regular basis. One day, we had a serious discussion on how boring Bollywood celebrities have become. “I think it’s no more interesting for you guys to interviews stars. It’s so PR driven and wearisome,” says Pritish. “We used to have fun in our time,” he added. This “our time” and “their time” debate would continue for years. But when I challenged him, that even we have our share of fun with celebs, he gave me a copy of this Kishore Kumar interview and asked me to read it. “I think Kishore was genius in his own way. He was a friend. I would never do homework or go with a set of questionnaire. I think that restricts your interview, I would just be with the celeb and allow them to speak. Kishore was so crazy that once he drove from Juhu to Walkeshwar in a towel. He challenged me that he can drive in a towel, and just to prove that he came like that,” says Pritish. In fact, there were certain facts which Pritish couldn’t print in the interview, but he shared with me. “Yogeeta Bali was irritated with Kishore because he was extremely money minded and he asked Yogeeta to her food from her home. So everyday, her mom would cook food for Yogeeta and send it. Can you beat that?” Not just that, Pritish was completely taken aback when Kishore narrated how he troubled Hrishikesh Mukherjee. “In one of the films, Hrishikesh wanted Kishore Kumar to act. He paid him fifty in advance and wanted to pay him the rest after the film got over. But Kishore wanted the entire amount in advance. He refused to come to the sets, so Hrishikesh had to drag him to court. The court ordered Kishore to complete the film and thereafter he would get the rest of his amount. Just to irritate Hrishikesh, the next day he came to the set, and he had shaved half of his head and half moustache. Hrishikesh was taken aback. He said, ‘Aadhe paise mein adha Kishore hi milega!’ Now that was Kishore,” he says. Not just that, Pritish fought for Kishore in Bollywood, when he was going through his lull phase. Pritish is very vocal about his likings for Bengalis. “People thing that I am biased towards Bongs, but I truly feel that Bengalis are a gift to mankind, provided the Bengali is not living in Bengal!” He also mentions that Kishore used to count his money every night. “It was insane, but he used to count his money and would hide it somewhere. Once he told me that after my death, everyone will dig up this house to find my money, but these mother****ers won’t find a single penny. I want to take all my money to heaven,” recollects Pritish. Now, that’s the kind of person Kishore was. Pritish has interviewed politicians, underworld dons, movie stars and international celebrities, but he still feels that his Kishore Kumar interview is one of the best in his career. “You don’t get genius like Kishore that often, they come once in a century!” True. One needs to read the hilarious interview of Bollywood’s most popular playback singer.
Came to know that there was an interview of kishore kumar taken by the bengali stage actor and director ajitesh bandyopadhyay for the all india radio around 1969 where the man sang malthus’s theory of population set to tune by himself !!
Game for finding that one ? then start…..bolo har har Kishoredev :-)
kcp
Does Nagesh read PFC ? :-?
MumbaiMirror
Da?s the way I like it , Kunal M Shah
Filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor is ready to make a biopic on legendary actor, singer, lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter Kishore Kumar. The artiste’s professional as well as personal life was the stuff that soap operas are made of. The script of the film titled Kishoreda, is ready and will be produced by Percept Picture Company.
Our source informs, ?Nagesh Kukunoor is an ardent fan of Kishore Kumar. He has seen all his films and loves his songs. This film is Nagesh’s way of paying a tribute to Kishoreda. Nagesh believes that there will be no dearth of interesting incidents in the film as Kishoreda was known for his quirks as much as he was for his talent. Nagesh has already completed writing the script and will soon start casting for the film too.?
It is learnt that Nagesh and his creative team are already having meetings to finalise the actor who will play Kishore Kumar. Nagesh, who will also have to look for a singer whose voice resembles Kishore Kumar’s, has found an ingenious way to look for the film’s lead singer.
The source adds, ?Nagesh and Percept have tied up with the show K for Kishore. After a few episodes, Nagesh will be seen on the show as one of the judges with Kishore Kumar’s wife Leena Ganguly and his son Amit Kumar. The winner of the show will sing all the songs in the film. Nagesh and the creative team are looking for an actor to play the title role but it’s not so easy. They have shortlisted a few names. They do not want a very big star to play the lead role. They are looking for an actor who can convincingly play Kishoreda.?
Sarita Patil, Business Head, Feature Films, Percept Picture Company, says, ?It’s too early to comment anything right now.? Nagesh Kukunoor too was unavailable for comment. But singing will certainly commence in September, which is when the film goes on the floors.
@RK 51. – here are the 2 interviews to be downloaded in 7 days
http://download.yousendit.com/5F00AA7A1CB9ACA7
password : rashoki
sorry…could not locate them on time when you had asked for ( I had kept aside my music collection many months back )
will try and locate all my “chopdi’s” where I used to write down KK’s interviews and would post the transcripts whenever i get time
@kcp (59)
Thank you so much for interviews. Downloading them.
I am obliged:)
Some people had trouble in opening winzip files..anyways..
Direct MP3’s. No compressing or passwords :-)
http://download.yousendit.com/CBAD0E9E2E8949EE – Kishore speaking about his Bachpan, Jawani & Budhaapa – 14 minutes – 12.8 MB file size
http://download.yousendit.com/4EE31FDD58049365 – Kishore speaking on SDBurman after his death on 31st Oct 1976 – 22 minutes – 8.5 MB file size
Only 7 days to download :-)
regds
KCP
there is a documentary on kishore’s journey by Ameen Sayani on youtube. Follow this url http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=nimii6&p=r and have a look at parts 1 to 11. Apparently his first performance (guest role) on screen was as a maali (gardener) in ashok kumar, dev anands Jeevan Naiya (1948)in which KK had to say some gibberish to show dissent…..Guru ends up abusing in what ashok kumar recollects as ‘profanity words’ :d
‘haath utha kar bula raha ghar, chal re musafir chal re, ab apne ghar ko chal re ‘ ~ KK
Yes. That one is made by Sandeep Ray ( Satyajit Ray’s son ) . A decent one showing the glimpse of the great man
great man indeed. And what a fighter he was. Ashok kumar mentions in one of his interviews that it took kishore 21 years (1949-1970) to earn his place as one of the best amongst the super talented and ‘trained’ singers of those times. How he hated acting but figured that the only way he could sing was if he himself played the lead role. Add to that the pain of a failed marriage with Ruma Guha and the ailing Madhubala who even as Kishore’s wife was in love with Dilip Kumar. Income tax raids forced him to look for other options to earn money. His co-star and friend from Padosan – Sunil Dutt suggests that he should do live stage shows to boost his income. Sunil takes him to Kashmir to sing for the soldiers. Guru is shit scared since he knows that singing in front of a live crowd is not going to be easy, especially with his limited musical training. Sunil had to pull him to the stage where Guru decides to hide behind Dutt and sing mere samne waali khidi mein. Dutt does the lip sync. The jawans go crazy and thus begins a new chapter of live stage shows. Kalyanji Anandji recollect how they were shocked to see Kishore singing live on stage without a harmonium which was something that every singer carried onto stage. They stood shocked to see a man singing, dancing, rolling on the floor, pulling people from the crowd and making them sing, imitating other singers and maintaining the same level of energy all throughout. He set a trend which practically every singer doing live shows imitates.
How often do you hear of a man with so many facets…..genius….true genius
everything you said is right except one : Madhubala-DilipKumar love :-) ( that is a scripted rumour :d/ )
Madhubala had broken with DK before she proposed Guru.
kcp babu….pehla pyaar bhulana mushkil hein nahi naamumkin hai…:d
Pehla Pyaar – kiska bhau ? :d
Hey KCP,
Can you please upload those interviews again? Or if possible mail them to mailpratik-at-gmail-dot-com.
Does anyone here have those mp3’s? Would really appreciate it if you could mail me those.
TOI Article
Whatever happened to the genre of Bengali musicals that wooed the collective consciousness of all Bengali movie-buffs? Bengali films that also entertained with immortal songs of Hemanta Kumar and Sandhya Mukherjee have sadly not had many promising successors in the recent past.
An occasional Megh pioner deshe, O bondhu, E keora, Majhi re or a Tumi chhara haven’t given reasons to celebrate a happening Bengali playback scene. As for the genre of Bengali musicals, it’s been buried with an epitaph written to seal its fate. Things, however, are all set to change once Pritish Nandy gets started with his maiden Bengali musical.
The buzz is that Nandy is eager to make a musical that would pay a tribute to Kishore Kumar. More specifically, it would bring back the favour of the singer-actor’s Lukochuri that had married music and comedy to give pure entertainment to the viewers. What will set Nandy’s musical apart even from the more recent Alo, is its technical finesse. Shot on a budget of more than a crore, the film will have the look and smartness of a Hindi musical like Jhankaar Beats.
When CT got in touch with Nandy about this project, he admitted to being in talks with writers for making this musical. “I’m very confident about this project,” confirms Nandy, adding, “It’s very important for us to first get the screenplay right. The musical will be based on the premise of Music and Lyrics.”
For those who came in late, Music and Lyrics is a romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant as a washed-up 1980s pop star and Drew Barrymore as a former English literature major. The film narrates the story of their efforts to write a song for a singer and their subsequent romance. “We plan to have a film that’s similar in spirit but structured differently. If the screenplay comes completely close to the original, we will surely seek the rights,” Nandy says.
Sources say that Nandy’s project should kick off around the Pujas. For the Bengali film industry, the moot point, however, is whether he will give scope for Kolkata directors, considering that he has already expressed his desire to make a Bengali film by the Jhankaar Beats’ director Sujoy Ghosh? “It’s most important to have a great screenplay. In my production, a director just comes in to make the movie. In any case, I am open to working with directors from Kolkata who want to make modern, urban and fun movies or thrillers,” he says.
Meanwhile, Nandy has also discussed this project with singer Babul Supriyo. “Babul ke bolechhi,” he says, without divulging any further. Babul, on his part, says, “I thoroughly enjoyed my acting experience in Chander Bari. I’ve always dreamt of being a part of a Bengali film that has a simple storyline and great songs. I have had an inspiring chat with Pritishda. I believe that with his guidance and acumen, we will come up with something exciting.”If the project truly takes off, the news will surely be music to the ears of every Bengali movie-buff.
great work.
i had read this in a book about kishore da [madness..something..]
but this one is great…all in one… [:)]
want more……………..
all those wonderfull movies he directed….
major are with income tax dept….
like …
door gagan ki chaon mein
door wadiyon mein kahin
chalti ka naam zindagi
door ka rahi
badti ka naam dadhi
saabash daddy
hum do daku
out of this i have 4 …..waiting for others….