Kishore Kumar was born Abhas Kumar Ganguly in Khandwa, now in Madhya Pradesh. His father, Kunjilal, was a lawyer, and his mother, Gouri Devi, came from a wealthy family. Kishore was the youngest of four siblings, preceded by Ashok Kumar, Sati, and Anoop Kumar.
Sati was married to Sashadhar Mukherjee, who was the brother of film-maker Subodh Mukherji and Bollywood actors Joy Mukherjee and Deb Mukherjee. Sati's son, Shomu Mukherjee, went on to marry Tanuja Samarth, who gave birth to Kajol and Tanishaa Mukerji. Tanuja is the sister of Nutan, who is the mother of actor Mohnish Behl. Sati was also an aunt-by-marriage to Ram Mukherjee, who married and had children, including Rani Mukerji.
Ashok's daughter is the actress Preeti Ganguli, who is married to comedian and character actor Deven Verma. Ashok's granddaughter is actress Anuradha Patel.
Kishore's early life was marked by his love of singing and mimicking K.L. Saigal. His brother Anoop encouraged him to sing in his own voice, and Sachin Dev Burman discovered him and signed him to sing for Bollywood movies. After Sachin's passing, his son Rahul Dev Burman took over and favored Kishore over other male singers.
Kishore was known for his eccentricity and love of trees. He would often talk to his trees and had a sign outside his residence in Khandwa that read "Mental Hospital." He was also parsimonious and was in arrears to the Indian Income Tax authorities, but he never missed a chance to make fun of them.
Kishore refused to endorse the 20-point program of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the 1975-1977 Emergency, and as a result, he was banned from the Government-controlled media. He was not the only one in Bollywood to condemn the regime, as others like I.S. Johar, Dev Anand, and Shatrughan Sinha also openly opposed Mrs. Gandhi.
Kishore made a record by singing in more than 90 films for a single hero, which was for Rajesh Khanna. He sang in 91 films for Khanna and had a close friendship with him. He also had a close friendship with R.D. Burman and S.D. Burman.
Kishore married several times, including to Madhubala, Yogeeta Bali, and Leena Chandavarkar. He fell in love with each of these women, except for Yogeeta, who married him for his money. Leena was a widower, and Kishore proposed to her and they were happily married until his death.
Kishore introduced his son Amit Kumar to sing, often along with him. He also amazed his fans by marrying Leena Chandavarkar, who was just two years older than Amit.
Kishore sang 245 songs picturized on Rajesh Khanna across 92 films, which is an unbeaten record for singer-actor combination. He also sang 202 songs for Jeetendra, 119 for Dev Anand, and 131 for Amitabh Bachchan.
Kishore had recorded the duets "Kaho Kahan Chale" for the film Bulundi, "Pyar Ka Dard Hai" from Dard, and "Tum Jo Chale Gaye" from Aas Paas, a few days before his heart attack in 1981. He suffered his first heart attack on January 24, 1981, and then suffered his second heart attack just four hours later.
