Amit Kumar Birthday Special: A Look At His 5 Finest Songs That Prove He Is More Than Kishore Kumar’s Son

Being Kishore Kumar’s son wasn’t easy for  Amit Kumar. The comparisons never stopped. And to be fair, Junior was no patch on Senior. He survived the comparisons only because another victim of paternal supremacy Rahul  Dev Burman supported Amit and gave him a slew of chartbusters to sing. Amit  Kumar once told me, “I was R D Burman’s blue-eyed boy. He used to visit home till his death and cook for us. He was fantastic to cook. We’d compose music together. He had three friends in the film industry me, Shakti Samanta and Ramesh  Behl. We were with him till the end….My father (Kishore Kumar) was very close to Pancham (R D Burman). Because of their closeness, I became friends with Pancham. I think I sang the maximum songs for Pancham after Asha  Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar and my father. I think Ashaji sang around 800 songs. My father sang 500-600. I sang about 150 songs for  Pancham. That’s more than Mohd  Rafi Saab. We were associated for 20 years till his death. We loved each other unconditionally. The  Burman family was like family to me. Sachin Dev Burman mentored my father. And  Pancham mentored me.” 

On the occasion of Amit Kumar's birthday, here's a look at the finest Amit-Burman collaborations. 

1.  Bade Achche Lagte Hain, Balika Badhu:  For this love story of two adolescents discovering love after marriage director Shakti Samanta and composer Rahul Dev Burman needed a  fresh voice. R D  Burman had heard Amit singing when Amit accompanied his father to a recording with  Manna Dey for a film called  Khalifa. Amit Kumar told me what happened next. “I sat listening to my father and Mannada  rehearse. Suddenly Pancham turned to me and said, ‘I heard that you sing very well. Sing for me.’  I was nervous. But I sang my father’s song in Jhumroo as the stalwarts in the orchestra accompanied me. While returning home after the recording my father said, ‘You lost a golden chance. Your singing was bakwas’. I was hurt. I told my father, ‘I was nervous. To hell with singing. I’m going back to Kolkata.’ But in the evening  Pancham called and told my father to send me for a recording the next morning. My father said, ‘What will he do in a recording?’ Pancham said I had to sing a song for a film to be directed by Shakti Samanta and he needed a raw voice. My father said, ‘Main kis khet ka mooli hoon? Why do you need my son when you have me?’ Pancham explained he needed a young voice to sound like a 17-year old. All this was banter. My father was actually very happy for me. I sang the song Bade achche lagte hain. I never knew it would become so popular. In fact, it didn’t become an overnight rage like Chikni chameli. It took three years to become popular. Today it’s a household number. Bade achche lagte hain gave me an identity beyond being  Kishore Kumar’s son. And I give full credit to Pancham. He forbade me from copying my father. He said no one could sing like him. He said, ‘Sing in your own voice.’. I did. 

2.  Yaad Aa Rahi Hai, Love Story: Every song in  Kumar Gaurav’s debut film was a smash hit, none more so than Yaad aa rahi which put  Amit Kumar at the forefront of the playback singers. And to think RD hated the song! Amit  Kumar told me, “I will tell you a shocking fact. R D Burman HATED the music of  Love Story. He never liked Yaad aa rahi hai which became my biggest hit. I remember while recording the number Pancham called me aside and said, ‘Yeh gaana Yaad aa rahi hai bahut bakwaas hai. It sounds like a Bhajan instead of a love song’. The song was a super hit. I rang up Pancham, ‘Ab bolo, kya bolte ho.’ Pancham was quiet. At that time he was going through a lean phase.  Love Story brought him back in the reckoning…. songs of Love Story made me very popular. Rajendra  Kumar who launched his son Kumar Gaurav knew my father from the time Rajendra Kumar assisted H S Rawail in Sharaarat. My father sang in that film. Rajendra Kumar wanted Kishore Kumar’s son to sing for his son in Love Story.” 

3.  Kya Hua Ek Baat Par Barson Ka Yarana Gaya, Teri Kasam: After Love  Story, everyone hoped that this follow-up film with the same  RD-Amit-Gaurav team would be a superhit. Alas, Teri Kasam flopped, although it had far superior music to  Love Story. Amit sang all the 6  tracks for  Gaurav. My pick of the lot is this soulful ghazal with lucid lyrics by Anand  Bakshi. Amit Kumar rued the downfall of this collaboration. “After Love Story, everyone hoped Kumar Gaurav and I would become a team like Rajesh Khanna and my father. But that wasn’t meant to be. Pancham and I came together to compose music for other Kumar  Gaurav starrers like Teri Kasam, Lovers and  Romance which were flops.” 

4.  Roz Roz Aankhon Taley Bass Yehi Sapna Jale, Jeeva: This Sanjay Dutt flop is today remembered for this shimmering Amit-Asha Bhosle duet written by the inimitable Gulzar.  Amit Kumar said, “Pancham was something else. He was definitely ahead of his time. My song Roz Roz aankhon tale with Asha Bhosle which is so popular today was a flop when it was composed in 1987. It has gained popularity in the last five years. Destiny, I guess.” 

5.  Rama O Rama:  Powerhouse singing in a  film that no one remembers. I think this is Amit  Kumar’s best-rendered song of his Bollywood career. Amit Kumar said, “I remember the title song in the film Rama O Rama was my first recording after my father expired. My father died on October 13, 1987, and on 1 January 1988 I recorded the song in Rama O Rama.”