Singer Amit Kumar, the elder son of legendary singer Kishore Kumar, celebrates his birthday on July 3, and it's the perfect moment to revisit a nervous, unforgettable audition from 1975 that changed the course of his career. Inside a small music room in Bombay, a jittery 23 year old stood in front of music maestro R.D. Burman, popularly known as Pancham Da, while stalwarts like Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar looked on. At Pancham Da's request, the young man sang a song in a hesitant, trembling voice. That nervous singer was none other than Amit Kumar, who would go on to prove himself just as gifted a vocalist as his legendary father.
A childhood shaped by Kolkata's pandals
Amit Kumar was born on July 3, 1952, in Calcutta. Music and art ran in his blood, his mother Rooma Guha Thakurta was a well known Bengali actress. As a boy, Amit Kumar spent his early years singing at Durga Puja pandals across Calcutta, where the celebrated Bengali actor Uttam Kumar once praised his talent. When his mother complained that the boy only sang film songs, his father Kishore Kumar brought him along to Bombay, setting off an entirely new chapter in his life.
The audition where his voice trembled before Pancham Da
Once in Bombay, Amit Kumar got the rare chance to learn and grow among some of the biggest names in Indian music. That 1975 audition, sung nervously in front of R.D. Burman, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar, became a defining moment of his early career. Despite the nerves, he did not give up, and slowly began carving out his own identity in the film industry purely on the strength of his talent.
Beating his father to a Filmfare Award
The song "Yaad Aa Rahi Hai" from the 1981 film Love Story turned Amit Kumar into an overnight star. The most memorable and historic moment of that success arrived at the 1982 Filmfare Awards, where father and son, Kishore Kumar and Amit Kumar, found themselves competing head to head in the Best Playback Singer category. After a tightly fought contest, Amit Kumar was declared the winner, and Kishore Kumar's chest swelled with pride as he smiled and pulled his son into a hug. Following this win, Amit Kumar became the signature voice for young leading men of that era, including Anil Kapoor, Kumar Gaurav and Sanjay Dutt. He went on to sing blockbuster songs like "Bade Achhe Lagte Hain," "Roz Roz Aankhon Tale," "Tirchi Topiwale" and "Tip Tip Barish," tracks that remain popular even today.
Completing his father's unfinished film
The biggest blow of Amit Kumar's life came on October 13, 1987, when his father Kishore Kumar passed away suddenly. He gathered himself through the grief and took charge of directing his father's unfinished film "Mamta Ki Chhaon Mein," seeing it through to completion. Some time later, on January 4, 1994, his godfather R.D. Burman also passed away, leaving Amit Kumar feeling deeply alone. After losing both his father and his godfather, he gradually stepped away from Bollywood playback singing.
Keeping Kishore Kumar's legacy alive
After moving away from films, Amit Kumar started his own music company called Kumar Brothers Music. Today, staying away from Bollywood's spotlight, he remains busy creating independent music and performing spectacular live concerts around the world. Despite losing both his father Kishore Kumar and his godfather R.D. Burman, Amit Kumar has kept alive the musical legacy he inherited since childhood.
