"Sitting on the wall of the studio, I saw a man wearing a muffler and a cap and holding a black stick. He was imitating everyone who passed [by], just like a monkey. When we went into the studio, the man jumped off the wall and came into the recording room. `Jo jo gane gatey the, unke satyanash karte huey, woh khud gana gane lage.' When I asked him why he was doing this, he said, `I am an orphan. Nobody looks after me. Please give me a chance.'" And saying this, R.D.Burman burst into laughter, just as one did after reading this interview (Filmfare, June 1984) because one could visualise the scene so clearly. For the man on the wall was Kishore Kumar. Lovable prankster
And this is the persona most popularly associated with him. The lovable, endearing prankster with an incredible voice who pranced his way into our hearts with delightful songs.
It doesn't matter that many of the films that Kishore Kumar wrote, produced, directed, even edited and composed, not just the music but also some of the lyrics, have vanished into the box office incinerator. (He found the time to do this while singing around 3,000 songs and acting in 100 films). The few that have survived show that behind that adorable comic façade was a brilliant musician and poet.
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