Kishore Kumar gave his singing chords to a generation of romantic heroes of Bollywood. But his personal love life was nothing short of a roller coaster ride

Kishore Kumar, arguably the most versatile voice that Bollywood has ever heard, is loved by millions for his romantic numbers. The man who sung ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ and ‘Mere Sapnon Ki Raani’ had a soft side in real life too. On Kishore da’s 88th birth anniversary, we look at the women in his life.

1. Ruma Ghosh
Bengali actress and singer, Ruma Ghosh was Kishore Kumar's first wife. Daughter of Monty Ghosh and niece of Satyajit Ray, Ruma married Kishore Kumar in May 1951 in Mumbai. The following year their son Amit Kumar was born.

The marriage, however, did not last very long. In 1958 Ruma and Kishore separated 1958. Reports say the couple developed differences as Kishore wanted Ruma to give up her acting career. Ruma then married Arup Guha Thakurta.

2. Madhubala
Madhubala became Kishore Kumar's second wife. Madhubala’ s beauty is often compared to Marilyn Monroe. She was born as Mumtaz Begum Jehan Dehlavi in 1933 in a poor Pathan family; one of 11 children.

After their marriage, Kishore Kumar converted to Islam and took up the name Karim Abdul. But Madhubala was never accepted by his family. They remained married for 9 years.

Her marriage with Kishore Kumar after its initial bliss turned out to be stormy and depressing. Madhubala's terminal illness confined her to her house which caused huge amounts of tension between the married couple. She died on February 23, 1969, shortly after her 36th birthday.

3. Yogeeta Bali
After Madhubala’s death, Kishore Kumar married Yogeeta Bali. She is the niece of Bollywood actress Geeta Bali, Shammi Kapoor's first wife. Kishore married Yogeeta Bali in the year 1976 but, separated just two years later in 1978. Yogeeta Bali went on to marry Mithun which made Kishore refuse songs starring the actor.

4. Leena Chandavarkar
Leena Chandavarkar’s first husband died in an accident just after a few days of their marriage, leaving Leena a widow at a very young age of 25. When the two got married, Kishore was coming out of three failed marriages and Leena was a widow, and the two had 21 years separating them. However, this was the marriage that lasted the longest. Kishore remained married to Leena till his death in 1987.

Kishore Kumar was the younger brother of legendary Bollywood actor Ashok Kumar and actor Anoop Kumar was his younger brother. Some of his successful flicks included- New Delhi (1957), Aasha (1957), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Half Ticket (1962), and Padosan (1968). Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi(1958). He was the voice of almost every hero of Bollywood for over two decades. He believed in experimental singing and he pioneered to include fun element in his songs. On 13 October 1987, his brother Ashok Kumar's 76th birthday, he died of a heart attack in Mumbai. He had recorded his last song just a day before he died.

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