R D Burman speaks about Kishore kumar

Today is the birthday of my friend Jeetu who happens to be a wonderful singer himself (one of my favorites). This post is dedicated to him. This is about my favorite singer and composer. Jeetu will definitely become a successful, reputed, famous singer soon.

Kishore and R.D.Burman (Pancham)

First Encounter
in R.D.'s own words...
"One day, sitting on a wall of the same studio, I saw a man wearing a muffler and cap and holding a black stick. He was imitating everyone who passed, just like a monkey. When we went into the studio the man jumped off the wall and came into the recording room. Jo jo gana gatey the unka satyanash karte hue woh khud gana gane lage. When I asked him why he was doing it he said: 'I am an orphan. Nobody looks after me. Please give me a chance'."

Amused at the recollection, R.D. gave a hearty laugh. The man on the wall was Kishore Kumar who, according to R.D., is the best male singer we have. "He is flexible. He can sing a classical song better than any of the others. I know because I've worked with all of them. He can sing a funny song or a sad song, nobody can beat him in versatility. He has never learnt any music but his ability to grasp is the secret of his success. He observes the music director and mimics.

Give him the tape
It was Pancham who generally carried S.D.Burman's (Pancham's father) spool-tape of the tune to Kishore's home. Pancham himself adopted the same technique in drawing the very best out of Kishore. S D Burman's technique was to send the spool-tape of the song to Kishore well in advance.

"There's no singer like Kishore," says Pancham, "if you send the tape of the song to him even two days before the recording. Kishore wants this tape in advance, because he doesn't just sing a song; he feels it; savours it; experiences it; before entering the music room to record it." "My best songs for Kishore," went on Pancham, "have been done this way."
"So strikingly different, in fact, was the result when I managed to send the tape to Kishore, two days in advance, that I could, here, offhand reel off the songs done this way, for me, by this my pet performer."
"I sent the tape of the tune beforehand to Kishore and he came up with O maanjhee re (in Khushboo); Zindagee ke safar mein (in Aap Ki Kasam); Raat kalee ek khwab mein aayee (in Budha Mil Gaya); Musafir hoon yaaron (in Parichay); Diye jalte hain (in Namak Haraam); and Meree bheegee bheegee see (in Anamika)."
"Plus, in my breakthrough film, Hare Rama Hare Krishna -- as a composer with a style all my own -- Kishore came up, so notably, with Dekho o deewanon."
"This without mentioning Kishore's artistry in my other two breakthrough films: Amar Prem and Kati Patang," added Pancham.
"In fact, it was with these two films that I truly discerned how much sending the tape, in advance, to Kishore meant -- as he gave matchless results in such songs of mine as Yeh kya hua and Kuchch to log kahege; Yeh jo mohabbat hai and Pyaar deewana hota hai, not forgetting Yeh shaam mastanee."

PS This is from an interview by Mr Vijay Akela, taken in Filmfare.