Amit Kumar is an Indian Singer, Actor, Producer, and director. He is the son of the famous Indian singer Kishore Kumar. He owns a music company named- Kumar Brothers Music.
Wiki/Biography
Amit Kumar was born on 3 July 1952 (age 69 years; as of 2021) in Mumbai, Maharashtra. His zodiac sign is Cancer. His full name is Amit Kumar Ganguly. He did his schooling from many places such as Besant Montessori School in Mumbai, St. Xavier’s School in Jharkhand, South Point School in Kolkata, and the Patha Bhavan in Kolkata. He started acting at the age of 11. He had a passion for singing since childhood, and he often used to sing in Durga Puja pandals. Once, when her mother complained to Kishore Kumar about Amit that he only sings filmy songs, Kishore brought Amit to Mumbai. Amit used to accompany Kishore to the recording studios. Kishore Kumar had cast Amit in two of his movies.
Physical Appearance
Height: 5′ 8″ (approx.)
Weight: 80 kg (approx.)
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Black
Family, Wife & Caste
Amit Kumar is a Bengali Brahmin. His father, Kishore Kumar, was an Indian singer and actor. His mother, Ruma Guha Thakurta, was a Bengali actress, and a singer. Amit was the only child born to Kishore Kumar and Ruma. He has a stepsister, Shramana Guha Thakurta, and two stepbrothers, Sumit Kumar and Ayan Guha Thakurta.
Amit Kumar is married to Reema Ganguly. He has two daughters, Vrienda Kumar and Muktika Kumar.
Singing Career
His first song professionally was “Hosh Mein Hum Kahan” for the film Darwaza, released in 1978. He recorded it in 1973 when he was 21 years old. He used to sing duets with his father, such as “Haseeno Ke Chakkar Mein”, “Sun Chache Bol”, and “Nazar Lage Na Saathiyo”, which was quite popular. In 1976 he sang “Bade Achchhe Lagte Hain” composed by R.D. Burman. Amit Kumar got national fame and recognition because of it. The song was so popular that it was listed as the 26th most popular song of all time in 1977. He recorded 170 songs composed by R.D. Burman in his career.
He was close friends with Randhir Kapoor, and he did playback singing for him in many movies. His 1980 song- “Laila O Laila”, with Lata Mangeshkar, went viral and was ranked as the 6th best song of 1980. In 1981, he won the Filmfare Award for the Best Playback Singer for his song “Yaad Aa Rahi Hai” from the film- Love Story. Kumar used to sing for almost all composers and directors, he was one of the most preferred playback singers of his time. Many directors used to approach him, regardless of how the film used to perform, his songs were usually a hit. His favourite composer was R.D. Burman, and he loved working with him. He worked extensively with R.D. Burman from 1975 to 1994 and with Bappi Lahiri from 1983 to 1995. After his father’s death on 13 October 1987, Kumar and his stepbrother Sumit Kumar released the album Dui Kishore as a tribute to Kishore Kumar.
By the end of the ’90s, Amit Kumar had started declining offers from directors. He mainly used to work with Bappi Lahiri and some new artists. In 1996, he withdrew totally from the film industry. He mostly then focused on orchestra shows and live performances. He also used to perform in other languages such as Bengali, Odia, Marathi, Konkani, and Assamese.
After he withdrew from the film industry entirely, he made a comeback in 2000. He produced songs for movies such as Raju Chacha, Apna Sapna Money Money, Himmatvala, and many more.
Acting Career
His acting career started when he was 11 years old. He starred in Kishore Kumar’s film- “Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein” in 1964. He appeared in many movies such as Door Ka Raahi (1971), Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi (1974), Shabhash Daddy (1979), and Chalti Ka Naam Zindagi (1982). His last film was with Leena Chandavarkar (stepmother) and Rajesh Khanna named Mamta Ki Chhaon Mein, which was being directed by his father. After Kishore Kumar’s death on 13 October 1987, Amit Kumar took over the film as the director, completed the film and released it in 1989.
Controversy
In May 2021, he appeared as a special guest on the Kishore Kumar Special episode of Indian Idol 12; 100 songs of Kishore Kumar were performed by the contestants during the two-episode show. Later, many viewers got upset with the quality of the show. Amit Kumar also agreed with netizens and complained that the makers of the show had asked him to praise every contestant without bothering about their singing skills. [1] In an interview, he revealed that he wanted to quit the show midway, he said,
I did what I was told. I was told sabko praise kamana hai. I was told jo jaisa bhi gaaye usko uplift karna hai because it’s a tribute to Kishore da. I thought it will be a homage to my father. But once there, I just followed what I was asked to do. I had told them to give me portions of the script in advance, but nothing of that sort happened.”
Facts
- In 1970, Amit Kumar was singing at a Durga Puja singing competition, which was organized by Bengali actor Uttam Kumar. He didn’t tell anyone at home about this but when her mother found out, she called and complained about this to Kishore Kumar. Kishore then came to know about his son’s talent and took him to Mumbai with him.
- In Mumbai, when Amit Kumar turned 18, he starred in his first TV show with Kishore Kumar- Daddy Kishore and Sunny Amit Together. This was the turning point in Amit’s life; as people came to know about him and noticed him.
- In the late ’80s, Amit Kumar used to perform as a voice artist in Doordarshan shows such as Chunauti and Campus.
- Amit Kumar has also provided title tracks for the Hindi dub versions of cartoon shows such as Bob The Builder and Duck Tales.
- In May 2008, Amit Kumar was one of the judges in a singing competition television show K for Kishore. The show was all about recreating the songs of Kishore Kumar.
- He was the judge of the Zee Bangla’s famous singing competition show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.
- In May 2019, he was a guest in The Kapil Sharma Show for a special episode dedicated in the memory of Kishore Kumar.