Singer-composer Amit Kumar talks to SHAlINI SAKSENA about how he hates the kind of songs being created today and why, after Bollywood was over for him, he’s been happy making his kind of music elsewhere
Remember Amit Kumar, the singer son of the legendary Kishore KumarIJ Today, he may not be playbacking for Bollywood but his fans the world over continue to be mesmerised with his music and voice.
“Bollywood ne mujhey nikal diya hoga (Bollywood may have pushed me out). But, that doesn’t mean my fans have left me too. I have a channel on YouTube where I put up my work to huge appreciation,” the 64-year-old tells you.
Most would know that Kumar came to Mumbai when he was seven and that’s when his mother Ruma Devi heard him singing. There’s been no looking back from then on. From 1973 to 1995 he sang over 2,000 songs and then it was time for him to bow out. Of course, it was not that he had voluntarily opted out but he walked because he felt there was no longer space for him or his kind.
There were too many Kishore Kumar clones to take his place, leaving him no choice but to quit. “Have you heard of anybody wanting to leave this industryIJ I left it since I was given no choice. I also didn’t like the kind of songs I was being approached for. I had sung for people like RD Burman and laxmikant-Pyarelal; they gave me brilliant songs. Not that I didn’t sing for others, I did. But, that didn’t go down well with me. Instead of getting humiliated, I decided to leave Bollywood and create my kind of music which I have been doing for some years now,” says Kumar who recently lent his voice to Sony YAY! Guru Aur Bhole serial.
The experience of doing these episodes, not being prepared and performing on-spot was a novelty for Kumar who had till then always rehearsed before the final take. When he requested for material to prepare, he was told it would not be possible since the idea behind the episodes was to create spontaneous fun moments.
He said yes to Guru Aur Bhole because he loved cartoons, much like his father. “Watching Tom & Jerry, Donald Duck etc used to be our favourite pastime. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass. Also the fact that Guru was a popular character that my father played in Padosan sealed the deal for me,” Kumar explains.
“It was a challenge to be part of this genre. But we had loads of fun — something different from what I have been doing thus far,” the versatile singer says.
And, he has been busy. In 2015, on the 86th birth anniversary of Kishore Kumar, he released a song on YouTube. His latest album to hit the markets as Baba Mere in which his daughter has sung a song. The lyrics are penned by leena Chandavarkar. “Why should I go out when there is so much talent within the family,” he asks.
Then there is show on Radio Nasha — Crazy For Kishore, a show popular in Delhi, UP, Bangalore and Mumbai. He runs his company, Kumar Brothers Music. When he is not creating music, he is performing live — the latest being a performance in Jharkhand. He also does foreign tours.
But he tells you that it has been a somewhat of a struggle to make a place for himself next to Kishore Kumar even though “it is even remotely possible” he says.
“Please don’t embarrass me. Par mein unka ek ansh hoon. There is some part of him in me. like there can be only one Mohammed Rafi, there can be only one Kishore Kumar. He was a genius and nobody can come close to him and what he achieved,” he says.
“I won’t say if this is correct. That’s not the issue here. The fact that comparisons were made was not easy for me. The effort should be to continue to work hard. I will turn 65 this July and even today, I am compared to him. Strangely, his clones have had no such problems. The comparison falls on the son and this will always remain so. It is difficult to follow in a great father’s footsteps. I hate to say this, but I too have made it possible to stand out in my own, that too away from Bollywood,” says Kumar for whom Bollywood is not everything.
“I am not saying this because I am upset. On the contrary, I am very happy with what I am doing and earning enough to maintain my lifestyle. Bollywood is a phase that I have left behind. I don’t enjoy the kind of songs being made. Barring a few songs that make the top charts, I don’t listen to Bollywood songs of today. I listen to my father’s and other singers of the 60s and 70s as also work of music directors of that era. There is nothing in Bollywood to hold my interest. There are people who realise this. They understand that the melody and lyrics of the 60s, 70s and early 80s can’t be recreated. Unfortunate but true,” Kumar opines.
Kumar is working on his fourth album, the recording for which will start in July and the release will be in August. “My creative side is busy and the machine should keep working. But the film side is not for me now. It has become difficult to please everyone and even at the end, there are no guarantees the work will see the light.
“There is no harmony in today’s songs. Not that I am degrading them but digital age ne satyanash kar diya hai. After all, how much soul can a machine put into a songIJ But if this works for the youth, I suppose it’s okay. All songs sound the same. Earlier, the entire orchestra used to sit and we would sing. So I have moved on. People ask me to come back but it is not possible. Once the industry rejects you, you can’t go back. Only Kishore Kumar could do this,” Kumar says with a smile.
