Hemant Kumar: A Genius with a Distinct Voice and Great Musical Skills

A music director, a composer, a singer, and a film producer - The multi-faceted Hemant Kumar created history with each role. Hemantda, as he was fondly called, mainly composed for Bengali and Hindi films and sang in these and other Indian languages.

In 1933, at the ripe age of 13, Hemant Kumar got his first singing break. Through Subhash Mukopadhyay, who later went on to become a prominent Bengali poet, Hemant Kumar got a chance to sing 'Amar Ganete Ele Nabarupi Chirantanii' at All India India Radio. He learned Rabindra Sangeet and received training from Bengali musician Sailesh Duttagupta and classical music training under Ustad Faiyaz Khan.

However, his first playback was recorded for the Bengali move Nimai Sanyas (1941). Hemant Kumar sang for many Bengali movie actors, but he was mainly known as Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar's voice. The movie Irada (1944) was his first break as a Hindi playback singer.

Hemant's Kumar baritone voice was a class apart. The eminent composer, Salil Chowdhury, regarded Hemant Kumar's voice as the voice of God, while for Lata Mangeshkar, it was like a saint singing a devotional song.

In this era, with no modern sound equipment, singers had to be wary of how their voice sounded on the mike. It's said that Hemant Kumar had a mike sense like no other. He knew how to use the distance from the mike depending on the song requirement. For example, the song 'Tumhein Jo Bhi Dekh Lega, Kisi Ka Na Ho Sakega' from Majboor (I1964) reflects how Hemant Kumar had used the mike to lower the echoing effect of his voice.

The Bengali film Abhiyatri (1947) was the first movie of Hemant Kumar as a music director. And Anand Math (1952), produced by Filmistan, was Hemant Kumar's music directorial debut in Hindi cinema. Among the many patriotic songs in this movie, 'Vande Mataram' sung by Lata Mangeshkar significantly impacted the listeners.

Sashadhar Mukherjee, the owner of Filmistaan, told the singer to change his name to Hemant Kumar. The former believed that 'Kumar' would make it easier for industry people to remember the singer's name.

Following Anand Math, Hemant Kumar composed music for a few more movies that didn't do well. That's when he decided to return to his home in Calcutta. But Sashadhar was insistent that Hemant Kumar should return home only after delivering a hit. And thus, Hemant Kumar worked on Nagin (1954), a Filmistan movie.

Shart (1954) and Jagriti (1954) got him fame as a music director. Jagriti had many patriotic songs like 'Aao Bacchon Tumhe Dikhayen' and 'De Di Hame Azadi Bina Khadag Bina Dhaal', that are still played on India's Independence Day and other national events.

During this time, Hemant Kumar and the music director, A. Rama Rao, composed music for the Tamil movie Kanavane Kankanda Deviam (1955). The movie's song 'Unnai Kan Thaedudhae' became a rage for incorporating a hiccup sound to depict actor Lalitha's on-screen drunk character.

In the 1950s to 1960s, Hemant Kumar's career was at its peak with successful hits from Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). The movie has a Hindi remake of a Bengali song, 'Oliro Kotha Shune Bokul Haashe'. That song is ‘Na Jao Saiyan Chhuda Ke Baiyan’ –a Bollywood classic.

In the 1950s, Hemant Kumar had started his own production house called Hemant-Bela, which was later renamed Geetanjali Productions. The Bengali movie Neel Akasher Neechey (1959) was the first film under his banner, which also won the President's Gold Medal.

In Bollywood, his production Bees Saal Baad (1962) was another success. The haunting song 'Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil' created a benchmark for music in horror films. The romantic hit 'Bekarar Karke Hamen Yun Na' sung by Hemant Kumar is also from this movie.

His other productions were Kohra (1964) and Khamoshi (1969). Both presented all-time classics like 'Yeh Nayan Dare Dare', 'Humne Dekhi Hai Un Aankhon Ki Mahakti Khushboo', and 'Woh Shaam Kuchh Ajeeb Thi'.

In this career, Hemant Kumar received numerous Filmfare awards. With many new entrants in the 1970s, his work declined in Bollywood. And Love in Canada (1979) was his last movie as a music director. In the 1970s and 80s, he refused the Padmashree and Padmabhushan as he believed he didn't receive his due at the right time.

Fans saw his last performance in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1989. Here's where he received the Michael Madhusudhan Award. And that year itself, he passed away. Today, the industry and music lovers fondly remember Hemantda as the singer with the Midas touch.