Mumbai, June 28, 2026
Legendary playback singer and actor Kishore Kumar’s son Sumit Kumar recalled an incident featuring his father and a rare case of his extreme anger.
Sumit Kumar who appeared on the music reality show Indian Idol along with actress mother Leena Chandavarkar, revealed the legendary singer’s strict side as a father.
Recalling an incident from his childhood during a show in Washington, Sumit shared, “Washington mein show tha. Mummy bhi thi usmein. Main bhaiya ke saath room mein tha. Baba ka show tha aur Mummy unke saath gayi thi. Mujhe bhaiya ke room mein chhod diya tha. Shaam ko 8:30 baje ke baad drink, baraf aur smoke, yeh sab bhai ke room mein aa gaya. Mere paas kuch tha nahi karne ke liye. Main room mein baithkar bhaiya ko dekh raha thai, toh maine zidd karni shuru kar di, ‘Mujhe bhi chahiye… mujhe bhi cigarette chahiye.'” He further added, “Bhaiya ek point ke baad tang aa gaye. Unhone bola, ‘Chal, le lo.’ Bas main aaine ke saamne bhaiya ko dekh-dekh raha hu aur cigarette phoonk raha ho.”
(We were in Washington for a show. My mother was there too. I was staying in my elder brother’s room while my father was performing and my mother had gone with him. I had been left in my brother’s room. Around 8:30 in the evening, drinks, ice, and cigarettes were brought into the room. I had nothing to do, so I was just sitting there watching my brother. When I saw him smoking, I insisted, ‘I want one too… I want a cigarette too. After a point, my brother got fed up and said, ‘Alright, here, take one.’ So there I was, standing in front of the mirror, watching my brother and pretending to smoke a cigarette)
He revealed how the moment took an unexpected turn when Kishore Kumar walked into the room.
Sumit continued, “Achanak darwaaza khulta hai aur entry hoti hai Baba aur Mummy ki, and Baba really used to not like who would drink or smoke. Jaise hi woh room mein aaye, uske baad ka part mujhe bahut achhi tarah yaad hai. Usse pehle ka part toh dhundhla hai.”
(Suddenly, the door opened and my father and mother walked in. My father absolutely disliked anyone drinking or smoking. The moment he entered the room, I remember everything that happened after that very clearly. Everything before that is just a blur)
Recalling his father’s reaction, he said, “Jab unhone chillaya na, toh jo Kishore da ki awaaz aap gaane mein sunte ho, main aapko kasam se bolta hoon, hotel ke do floor upar aur do floor neeche tak awaaz gayi hogi. Aisa ek bang hogaya tha. Bahut buri haalat ho gayi thi.”
(The moment he shouted, I swear, the voice you hear in Kishore Da’s songs echoed through the hotel. I am sure people on two floors above us and two floors below us must have heard it. It was like a bang had gone off. Things got really bad after that)
Looking back at the incident with a smile, Sumit admitted, “Lekin main naadaan tha. Mujhe toh de di thi cigarette. Ismein meri bhi galti thi nahi.”
(But I was naive. I was the one who had been handed the cigarette. So, I wasn’t entirely at fault either).(Agency)
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