O saathi re, tere bina bhi kya jeena…tere bina bhi kya jeena…
Many consider him as their God and many as a legend, who was gifted with a voice like no other. The above lines, sung by Kishore Kumar garnered him a thundering applause and also remained a harsh reminder of his aloofness behind the illustrious life he led.
Born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly, Kishore’s magical voice and a multitude of talent bugs that resided inside him, made him one of the most famous singer-actors till now. While Kishore was always under the limelight, but what lay hidden inside him, were layers of loneliness and discontentment. The singer-actor not only got involved, but also got married to four different women of his times, who were also the well-knowns of the industry. Let’s take a look at his married life and four wives.
* Ruma Guha Thakurta (1950 – 1958)Kishore Kumar first tied the knot with Satyajit Ray’s niece, Ruma Guha Thakurta, in 1950. Apart from being an ace actress and singer, Ruma also worked as an active socialist. She was the founder of Calcutta Youth Choir in 1958. The couple tied the knot in a grand ceremony in Bombay in 1950 and were blessed with a son, Amit Kumar in 1952. Cracks started developing between the couple soon after marriage as it was reported that Kishore Kumar wanted Ruma to be at home and take care of the house and their son, while she did not want to let go of the stardom she had achieved and not utilise her potential. After many years of friction and quarrels, the couple amicably decided to part ways in 1958, 8 years after their marriage.
* Madhubala (1960 – 1969)While the west flaunted their Marlyn Monroe, India had its own Madhubala. Ever since she entered the industry, Madhubala emerged as an instant sensation, a diva, a trend setter. Born in a poor Pathan family, Madhubala decided to tie the knot with Kishore Kumar after her relationship with Dilip Kumar faded. Their marriage sent the entire nation into a fizzy as Kishore Kumar reportedly had to change his religion and convert into a Muslim (he was named Karim Abdul for the same) to appease Madhubala’s parents who vehemently opposed this alliance. Even after a civil Hindu wedding, Madhubala was not accepted by Kishore Kumar’s family. Before their marriage, Madhubala had been detected with a hole in her heart. Right when Madhubala was preparing to leave for her treatment to London, Kishore had proposed to her in a true filmy style. Though they lived harmoniously for a while during their short-lived married life, both went into bouts of depressions during the last few years of their marriage. The reason being, Madhubala was mostly left bed-ridden and Kishore had left her as she mostly started keeping unwell.
* Yogeeta Bali (1976- 78)Many years after Madhubala passed away, Kishore Kumar found love in the arms of Shammi Kapoor’s first wife, Yogeeta Bali. It was said that while being married to Kishore Kumar, Yogeeta had fallen for Mithun Chakraborty during the shooting of their film, Khwaab. The animosity between Kishore Kumar and Mithun grew to such an extent that Kishore Kumar refused to sing songs for Mithun, which proved a boon for Bappi Lahiri who gained a huge fame and following soon. Yogeeta and Kishore Kumar separated just after two years of being married.
* Leena Chandavarkar (1980 – 87)One of the most sought after actresses, Leena decided to go for an arranged marriage at a very young age with Sidharth Bandodkar (Chief Minister of Goa). However, tragedy soon struck her and Leena was widowed at just 25.