Showing posts with label Leena Chandavarkar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leena Chandavarkar. Show all posts
Once Kishore Kumar was sure of the person, he never faulted-Vijay Desai
8:25 AM
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 12, 2019)
October 13 is a bittersweet day for me. It’s one of my long-time favourites Ashok Kumar’s 108th birth anniversary, but it was on this day, too, that he lost his beloved youngest brother, Kishore Kumar. In fact, his wife Leena Chandavarkar had recounted how Kishore da had coaxed his elder brother, who was still mourning his wife Shobha’s demise and was in no mood to celebrate the day, to drop by on his way back from a shoot. He spent the day planning a surprise party for his Dadamoni. Kishore da’s son, Amit Kumar, away on a foreign tour, was expected to be back that day and his other brother, Anoop Kumar, had also promised to come over, as had Danny Denzongpa, with whom he wanted to discuss a film. A little after 4 pm, while laughing and joking with Leena ji, he suffered a heart attack and by the time his guests started arriving, Kishore da was gone.
“I got a call from Bappi da (Lahiri, singer-composer) telling me, ‘Dada chale gaye’. I rushed to his Juhu bungalow, only Leena ji and their son Sumit were there at the time, and then drove with his body to his native place Khandwa, where his last rites were performed,” recounts Vijay Desai, the manager of Melody Makers, the orchestra which had accompanied the legendary singer even on tours abroad, playing with him for almost a decade.
The media-shy gentleman still remembers the crowds lining the road through the night, paying their respects to their favourite singer as the ambulance carrying him whizzed past. “In Khandwa, his body was placed on the stage for the final darshan, and while patting it down, I discovered a bundle of Rs 10,000 notes tucked in the pocket of his kurta, which I promptly handed over to Leena ji,” says Desai.
Their journey began on February 12, 1982, when Siddharth Kak, along with the Music Directors’ Association, organised the musical extravaganza Mortal Man, Immortal Melodies at Mumbai’s Shanmukhananda Hall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of sound in Indian cinema. It featured singers across five decades and was a glorious reunion for two legends - Noor Jehan, on a rare trip from Pakistan, and Lata Mangeshkar. Also present were veterans like GM Durrani, Surendra Nath, Rajkumari, Ashok Kumar, Hemant Kumar, Talat Mahmood and Mahendra Kapoor, along with the younger brigade. The day after the show, the manager of Melody Makers was surprised to receive a call from a person who introduced himself as Kishore Kumar Ganguly. He initially dismissed it as a prank call but when Desai realised it was Kishore da for real, he rushed across to his bungalow as asked.
The orchestra had been founded in 1961 by Ashokkumar Saraf, Pramodkumar Saraf, Subashchandra Kulkarni and Surendra Akolkar to collect funds for the flood-affected in Pune. It boasted of some fine musicians and singers like Sudesh Bhosle. “Impressed with our performance at the event, Kishore da politely asked if the orchestra would like to be associated with him and without asking anyone, I gave the nod,” Desai narrates, saying after that they played at most of his stage performances, including concerts abroad in the US, Canada, UK, West Indies and the UAE. “One day, he called to ask why the orchestra was leaving him. I pointed out to him that I’d asked him if he had any shows scheduled for the month and when he had said there were none, I had sought permission to play with another party. But if he didn’t like it, we would turn down the latter to which he replied, ‘No, no, keep your commitment par mujhe kabhi chhodna nahin.’ And till his untimely demise, Melody Makers were with him.”
There have been stories in plenty about the eccentric singer and while Desai admits that like any artiste he was moody, he refutes rumours that Kishore da was kanjoos. “He would casually ask how much he owed someone, then, tell the person he’d pay up in a day or two and quietly write down the amount. The next few days, he would feign memory loss and keep asking how much was due. If the person, thinking he had forgotten, upped the rate, Kishore da would pay the original dues, telling the person not to return to him in future. It was his way of judging someone’s integrity and once he was sure of the person, he never faulted. He was a real gentleman whose mind was focussed on his music 24x7 and whose only aim was to make people happy. At concerts he always sang what the public demanded,” asserts Desai, adding, “There never was, and never will be a genius like Kishore Kumar whose name and chartbusters even today, 32 years after he passed away, bring a smile to faces.”
Kishore Kumar came home and sang till my parents agreed to our marriage-Leena Chandavarkar
7:57 AM
The legendary singer’s wife, Leena Chandavarkar, speaks up while attending his 90th birth anniversary celebration
Debolina Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; August 7, 2019)
The pretty face of the Hindi film industry of the ’70s still glows warmly. The soft countenance and the innocent smile are still in place. Leena Chandavarkar, who also made headlines for her marriage to Kishore Kumar — a man 21 years older than her — amazes you with her childlike simplicity. We caught up with the former actress when she was in Kolkata recently, to attend Tomay Poreche Mone — Kishore Kumar’s 90th birth anniversary celebration. She spoke about her life, films, Kishore Kumar and more. Excerpts:How did Kishore Kumar influence your personal and professional lives?
I have innumerable memories of him. He was like a pillar of strength who taught me to accept the good and bad in life. He looked at life as a whole and understood that you win some and lose some. He would show his funny side to the world, but never his sad face. He also taught me to do that. I went through a lot in life and it was only because of him that I could come out of depression. So, I have written this song for him now — Kaun tha woh kya tha, Jadugar ya farishta tha, Athwa woh ajooba tha. Even he always wanted me to write songs. After he passed away, Amit (Kumar) asked me to fill in some dummy words, to which he gave the tunes and it got approved. So, I think it’s Kishore da who has again guided me from heaven. His song, Hamein Aur Jeene Ki Chaahat Na Hoti, is one of my favourites because it resembles my relationship with him. He would also mention that he always came across talented people as life partners. True, you see Ruma didi was there. Amit received a letter from the President of India after Ruma didi passed away. That’s a great honour. Both of Amit’s parents were extremely talented people. He has also carved a niche for himself. It’s extremely difficult to match up to a father like Kishore Kumar, but he has done well for himself.
You live with your son Sumit Ganguly and stepson Amit Kumar Ganguly. It is a rare sight in Indian households today where sons take care of their ageing parents.
I wouldn’t know what triggered this bond, but it feels like the expression, Sago se zyada apna. Amit respects his father a lot. He would always ask for his advice when taking an important decision. Sumit was only five years old when Kishore da passed away, but he scolds me and tries to guide me now (laughs). Amit and Sumit have a beautiful bond between them. In fact, Amit brought up Sumit. If I would ever forget to pick up Sumit from school on time, Amit would leave his recordings and rush to his school. Then he would scold me. Amit was also responsible for getting Sumit married. Now, the family is complete.
You have dealt with deep personal losses. What would you have to say to people who are unable to deal with the ups and downs of life?
Kishore da was the reason why I could successfully deal with all the pain in life. He could give strength to anyone. He would also say, ‘Hum log travellers hain duniya mein. Kisiko first class milti hain, kisiko third class. Par free mein duniya dekhne ko saab ko milti hain na?’ (laughs). I went through a lot in life. My brother committed suicide and my mother passed away just after Sumit was born. After Kishore da passed away, I would depend a lot on tablets and injections to deal with depression. Then one day, Amit said he would be busy with shows abroad and that so, I’d have get out of my depression and take care of Sumit. So, a supportive family is extremely important. But to stay out of depression, you have to accept life the way it is.
Tell us about your marriage with Kishore Kumar.
Kishore da and I had many funny memories together. I had told him that he marries whoever he works with, so I wouldn’t do a film with him. He then cancelled the proposal because according to him, two August-born people shouldn’t marry each other. He was born on August 4 and I, on August 29. Then, when my father hurt me by saying ‘Yeh phirse mere ghar wapas aa gayi’, I called Kishore da to get married then and there because I wanted to leave my father’s house. I even called him up to say that I would ask the drivers of every car that passes me that night if they would marry me. He said, had he thought that only he was eccentric, but I had joined that list. My parents were apprehensive about me marrying him. My mother said he had married thrice, but wanted to know his ancestral origin. I told her he must be Christian since I had seen many statues of Christ and other biblical things at his house. Until our wedding, I never knew he was a Bengali Brahmin (laughs).
He told me that he couldn’t marry me unless he got divorced from Yogeeta Bali, his third wife. He had stopped doing playback for Mithun (Chakraborty) at that time. Mithun did gauge the situation, but still came home to ask him why he wasn’t singing for him. After all, every hero wanted his voice in their songs. He told him about the divorce clause. Mithun saw to it that the divorce was through in no time. Then, I said, ‘Let’s get married now’, but he said he wanted to get my parents’ approval. He came home and sang till every member of the family agreed to our union, even my father. He sang Nafrat karne walo ke seene mein pyar bhar du, Arey mein woh parwana hu, Pathar ko moum kar du (laughs)!
You belong to an era that saw some of the biggest superstars in Hindi cinema. How difficult or easy was it making your presence felt when working with them?
For some people like me, dreams do come true. If you want to pursue something with all your heart, you don’t find the effort too difficult. I had learnt a lot from the superstars who were my costars. They were like family. Dilip Kumar would be so natural while acting that his voice would sound muffled at times like it does when we speak in our normal tone. I would often miss his dialogue cues (laughs). Shammi Kapoor would make me laugh a lot.
Kishore Kumar's granddaughter Muktika sings him a birthday gift
8:35 AM
The song will be launched under the new music label of his sons, Amit Kumar and Sumeet Kumar
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 27, 2015)
On August 4, his 86th birth
anniversary, Kishore Kumar will get a gift. Sons, Amit Kumar and
Sumeet Kumar, are launching their music label, Kumar Brothers Music
(KBM), online, with a six-song album, Baba Mere. The title track has
been sung by Kishore's granddaughter, Muktika Ganguly. The 10 year old
has also featured in the music video which sees her meeting her dadaji
for the first time in a dream.
“The idea came to me four years ago. I composed a tune which I sang to my daughter every night like a lullaby. Leenaji (Kishore's wife Leena Chandavarkar) wrote the lyrics and I began urging Muktika to sing it. We recorded it last September,“ says Amit.
Muktika admits that for the first four days, she was so terrified that every time the subject came up, she'd burst into tears. On the fifth day, she entered the studio but as soon as Amit stepped inside, she started crying. “My father stomped out, looking angry. But chachu (Sumeet) coaxed me to sing freely. With every take, the beats got easier. And baba proudly told everyone his daughter had sung it,“ she beams. Muktika celebrated her grandfather's birthday by decorating the living room and cut a cake. This year, they will celebrate with her debut song. “My favourite song is my dadu's Koi hota jisko apna from Mere Apne. It's melodious and emotional, like Door Ka Rahi, my favourite film,“ she says.
Despite her shyness, Muktika is a prankster like Kishore who'd scare the watchman pretending to be a ghost. “I scare my parents too by popping up from behind the door. If dadu was around, we could have been naughty together,“ she laughs.
She has accompanied Amit for concerts but never sung. Even in school she needs a couple of other students to join her. But she wants to follow the family tradition and become a singer. “Baba is already planning another song with the entire family,“ she says.
This song will not be in this album which has five other tracks including one which goes Main hoon badnaam. “Leenaji has written the songs, I've composed all of them and sung a few, Muktika has crooned one, Sumit has arranged two and the title of the album came from my wife Reema. So this one too is a family effort,“ Amit signs off with a smile.
“The idea came to me four years ago. I composed a tune which I sang to my daughter every night like a lullaby. Leenaji (Kishore's wife Leena Chandavarkar) wrote the lyrics and I began urging Muktika to sing it. We recorded it last September,“ says Amit.
Muktika admits that for the first four days, she was so terrified that every time the subject came up, she'd burst into tears. On the fifth day, she entered the studio but as soon as Amit stepped inside, she started crying. “My father stomped out, looking angry. But chachu (Sumeet) coaxed me to sing freely. With every take, the beats got easier. And baba proudly told everyone his daughter had sung it,“ she beams. Muktika celebrated her grandfather's birthday by decorating the living room and cut a cake. This year, they will celebrate with her debut song. “My favourite song is my dadu's Koi hota jisko apna from Mere Apne. It's melodious and emotional, like Door Ka Rahi, my favourite film,“ she says.
Despite her shyness, Muktika is a prankster like Kishore who'd scare the watchman pretending to be a ghost. “I scare my parents too by popping up from behind the door. If dadu was around, we could have been naughty together,“ she laughs.
She has accompanied Amit for concerts but never sung. Even in school she needs a couple of other students to join her. But she wants to follow the family tradition and become a singer. “Baba is already planning another song with the entire family,“ she says.
This song will not be in this album which has five other tracks including one which goes Main hoon badnaam. “Leenaji has written the songs, I've composed all of them and sung a few, Muktika has crooned one, Sumit has arranged two and the title of the album came from my wife Reema. So this one too is a family effort,“ Amit signs off with a smile.
Ram Jethmalani asked my permission before kissing me-Leena Chandavarkar
2:24 PM
Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; February 25, 2015)
Ever since the pictures of actress Leena Chandavarkar kissing Supreme Court lawyer Ram Jethmalani went viral, her phone hasn't stopped ringing. The yesteryear actress has been getting calls and messages with people asking her embarrassing questions and commenting on the matter but she maintains that she doesn't care.
Explaining the sequence of events on stage, she said that she required support to climb the stage, as she was feeling giddy and asked Jethmalani for help, who readily agreed. Post that, on stage the latter asked the actress if he could kiss her and she being his huge fan said yes.
She says, "People are feeling sorry for me, but all I want to tell them is that 'Na umr ki seema ho na pyaar ka koi bandhan'(smiles)."
Talking about Jethmalani she says, "He is 92 years old and full of life. He might appear stern but has a warm heart. I have always been inspired by his encouraging speeches."
"As far as the matter about me being Kishore Kumar's wife is concerned, I consider him my guru and he always said that don't think about what others think of you. If you have no regrets about doing something then everything else is immaterial," she adds.
Meanwhile, the actress has already written memoirs of Kishore Kumar. She says, "We have given the film rights to Anurag Basu and I don't know why the film is getting delayed. Initially, the lead actor had not been cast but after Ranbir Kapoor -- who has a great sense of humour and comic timing -- has come on board, the film should have begun."
"If no one makes a film on Kishore Kumar, we certainly will. He was such a colourful personality that multiple films should be made on his life," she adds.
And what about working in films? "I am open to it," she admits.
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