Kishore Kumar’s son Amit Kumar recalls father criticising his singing to RD Burman at recording: ‘Ajeeb ga raha hai’

Kishore Kumar’s son Amit Kumar has said that the legendary singer once told him that he sings like someone singing at a shop. Amit, who is also a singer, has sung many songs, including some renditions of his father’s songs. (Also read: When Raj Kapoor got angry at wife for her opinion on Ram Teri Ganga Maili)

Amit is the son of Kishore’s first wife – Bengali singer-actor Ruma Guha Thakurta, who was married to him from 1950 to 1958. Kishore Kumar had four wives: Ruma, Madhubala, Yogeeta Bali and Leena Chandavarkar.

Recalling Kishore’s behaviour at his first song recording, Amit told ETimes, “I will never forget my first song when he was sitting there with Raj Kapoor. Woh dono bak bak kar rahe the (They were yapping away). I was singing Yeh Ladki Zara Si for Love Story with Asha ji. Dad’s attention was both ways- whatever I was singing and whatever Raj ji was telling him.”

Amit added, “He suddenly told RD Burman ‘yeh toh koi dukaan mein baniye ki tarah ga raha hai, ajeeb ga raha hai (he’s singing like some shopkeeper, he’s singing weirdly)’. I told him ‘toh aap log jao na (why don’t you leave)’. And they said, ‘chalo chalo, jaate hain (let’s go)’. And they both sweetly left (smiles).”

Amit’s mom Ruma was filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s niece, who was the founder of Calcutta Youth Choir. Ruma worked in films such as Dilip Kumar’s debut film Jwar Bhata, Afsar and Mashaal. She also worked in two Satyajit Ray Bengali films: Abhijan and Ganashatru.

Ruma married Kishore in 1950 and the couple welcomed their first child Amit Kumar in 1952. It is said Kishore wanted Ruma to quit her career and become a housewife. After separating from Kishore, Ruma married again and had two children. She died at her Kolkata home in 2019 at the age of 84.  Kishore Kumar died in Mumbai in October 1987 at the age of 58.