Kishore Kumar : The Ultimate Biography

You’ll love this book if you’re a fan of Kishore da like me. Wonderful book which takes you down the memory lane.

Felt like getting to know a legend I idolize better and why he deserved all that adulation. A genius indeed and the authors made it feel like going through the sets of a Bollywood movie with the behind the scenes story of every familiar set. Priceless!

Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography could very well be called an ocean of information about the legendary male playback singer of the Indian Film Industry, Kishore Kumar Ganguly.An extremely well-researched book, in elegant English, with well throughout observations and critical add-ons. All these make the book an excellent read. Definitely a notch above ordinary biographies flooding the market. The book also has some rare pictures of the singer, along with sketches, with add life to the texts. The detailing of nearly every song sung by the artist, down to the birth of its lyrics and music, apart from location and date is praiseworthy. The Song Index, Notes, and General Index add value, both to the content and quality of the book. Anirudha handled the topic with impeccable fairness, and of course, reverence to the singer, given it is no easy feat to write the life and story of a person with controversy. Something that is common in B-town celebrities. After all, Kishore did have his ups and downs, his struggles, his multiple marriages, and divorces, his quirks, his loneliness, his relationship with his brothers, and his relationship with filmmakers, music composers, and stars of his era. All have been dealt with, with sufficient maturity and sincerity. And it wouldn't take an Einstenian intelligence to understand the passion that went into the book by both the authors.I loved the chapter names too, based on Raags! Something really innovative and thought-provoking. Kudos!A must-read for lovers of biographies.

Another excellent biography by Anirudha (full disclosure: I am a friend of his) and his partner Parthiv.Painstaking research, clear, elegant writing; not just another slap-dash, 'quickie' publishing job.Supplemented by rare photographs, source notes, a general index and a song index - all of which are critical adds to the serious reader, and missing in most books of this genre.I liked the sophisticated arrangement of the chapter index - based on raags!Fully expecting the authors to be honored this year with another National Award for 'Best Book on Cinema'.'Kishore Kumar - The Ultimately Biography' has its rightful place on my shelf, next to the two other outstanding books by Anirudha, on Sachin Dev Burman and Rahul Dev Burman; the two greatest exponents of this ageless wonder we love as 'Kishore Kumar'. (FYI, the book on R. D Burman won the author his first National Award.)

Kishore poured his soul into his songs. When a natural, self-taught talent does that, it grows on everyone making you sing along a song of his in every mood you run through. To write a biography of such a genius is to hold a colorful butterfly still for a moment! Grab the book and hold the butterfly for as long as you want! Awesome bonanza to all readers and listeners, thank you Parthiv da and Aniruddh da!

Reading through this book, one is transformed into the depths of the time of Kishore. To make it possible for us, the readers, to know this genius in his elements up close as has been made possible by these two passionate fans-authors, after such a long time of his passing, is simply incredible. The amount of passionate research and hard work that has gone into building this book to bring out the actual man that Kishore Kumar was, is reflected not just in the written words but in between the lines. In a world where research on someone would mean a casual google search on the persona to most of us, Parthiv and Aniruddha's actual hardcore groundwork is easily reflected in their work. It is indeed most aptly named 'The Ultimate Biography'. Mesmerizing to read each and every snippet of Kishore's life and all that he lived with and lived for; this book is indeed riveting from start to finish. Highly recommended read not just for all that have known this star of their times, but all that would want to know a true artiste who lived and loved passionately, a maverick in a world that forces to conform, a true genius transcending time boundaries. Simply incredible piece of work!

Writing this review on behalf of my uncle who is a singer himself -What an incredible biography! A brilliantly researched & passionately crafted book that gives us a comprehensive peak into Kishore da’s life!This book is a celebration and a must-have for every Kishore Kumar fan!Thank you Parthiv da!

This is the most detailed and researched biography ever on the maverick genius, arguably the greatest male playback singer ever in Indian film music. Full of facts with impeccable referencing, the book aims to clear many perceptions and misinformation that float around regarding the genius artist. I would have loved to see more elaborate depictions of his post- Aradhana 70s times ( barring the emergency controversy), but I could understand the limitations the authors might have had in terms of keeping the book within an acceptable size. It's an information warehouse and highly recommended for all the Kishore Kumar fans.

This book is truly the “ultimate biography” on Kishore Kumar and a tribute to the musical genius.Reading the book is like watching a movie on Kishore Kumar’s life. The book is a true reflection of the passion of the authors – Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Parthiv Dhar who have showcased authentic and verified facts, through their extensive research for more than a decade that justifies the details and the size of the book.The writing style is very conversational and gripping. Once I started reading the book, I couldn’t keep it aside, went from cover to cover in a week.The book covers many unknown / little known facets of Kishore Kumar – especially his early phase of life and career. The book also provides a great insight to his family background, social background, and how his personality and way of thinking evolved. It provides a glimpse into the off-screen character and personality of Kishore Kumar – why he probably behaved in a certain way and the ups and downs he experienced in his life. At certain points the book made me quite emotional. This book brought me closer to the person behind the voice, and the brains who brought a musical revolution in our country.Unique aspects of many songs have been described and on many such instances I went to Youtube to see the videos and understand the nuances and stories behind the songs.There are several rare photographs in the book. I also had the privilege of meeting the authors during a Literary Fest, and also got to see Parthiv Dhar’s unbelievably huge collection / museum of Kishore Kumar memorabilia and treasure. A pleasure for every fan.Some songs by Kishore Kumar that I emotionally relate to as I read this book:Aa chalke tujhe main leke chaloon… …Pal pal dil ke pas tum rahte ho… …Ye jeevan hai, is jeevan ka… …Tere bina zindagi se… …Haal kya hai dilon ka na poochho sanam… …Tera mujhse hai pehle ka nata koi… … Jeevan ke safar mein rahi… …Khilte hain gul yahan… …Zindagi ki yahi reet hai… …Ane wala pal jane wala hain… …Zindagi ka safar hai ye kaisa safar… …Rote hue aate hain sab… …Chalte chalte mere ye geet yaad rakhna…“Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography” is a must read for anyone who is a fan of Kishore Kumar the entertainer, or would like to get a glimpse of the film industry during the 1940s to 80s. Kudos to the authors!!

Kishore Kumar – The Ultimate Biography (Harper Collins) is at its core almost an encyclopaedia on the Artist. Parthiv Dhar ( my batchmate at VRCE, Nagpur) is a die-hard fan of Kishore and the book in collaboration with Aniruddha Bhattacharya is apt way of paying tribute to the legend. Of Kishore Kumar’s multiple facets as singer, actor, producer, director, today’s generation perhaps may be largely aware of his songs. There are more than 3000 of them. And the beauty is even today, a song gets ‘discovered’ on YouTube. The details of his faculties other than singer are where this book covers vast ground and will reach out to the newer audience in knowing Kishore Kumar. It also helps that the biographers have, perhaps intentionally, not taken any particular lens to chronicle the life. The book is relentless in pursuing facts & events as they occurred in his life and is backed by robust, extensive research. It is rich in detail. In fact it as trivia collector's delight. The writer duo keep the writing simple, accessible and brisk. There are enough events in Kishore’s life that lend credence to theories about his eccentricity & parsimonious attitude. The book brings out quite a few of them and live it up to the reader to judge for themselves. More poignantly, the book is able to focus sharply on Kishore’s directorial adventures, his four marriages, the emergency chapter and the events on the fateful day. Kishore’s fascination with ‘things horror’, his relationship with Rafi saheb, discussions about the frailties of his life with Lata Mangeshkar, his philanthropic side are some of the passages worth reading. The book deserves to be on shelf of any film buff and is must recommended for anyone interested in any aspect of the madcap genius that was Kishore Kumar.