Amitabh Bachchan recently shared a fond and amusing memory of the late legendary singer Kishore Kumar, revealing a phone call where the artist mistook the megastar for his own son, playback singer Amit Kumar. The story was recounted during the latest episode of the game show Kaun Banega Crorepati 18, as Bachchan reflected on his personal history with the beloved performer.
The confusion stemmed from the similarity in their names. When Bachchan initiated the call by saying, “Main Amit bol raha hoon” (This is Amit speaking), Kishore Kumar immediately assumed he was speaking to his son, as “Amit” is a common shortening of Bachchan’s full name, Amitabh.
Bachchan spoke warmly of his interactions with the singer, recalling time spent together in recording studios and a visit to the artist’s residence. “He was a very, very generous and warm-hearted person. We met many times and he always greeted me with great affection,” Bachchan noted. He recalled being invited to the singer’s home, where Kishore Kumar proudly displayed a massive collection of video cassettes gathered from across the globe, showcasing his passion for the technology of the time.
The conversation on the show was further enriched by a contestant named Virendra Jaiswal, who hails from Kishore Kumar’s hometown of Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, highlighting the enduring connection the city maintains with the late singer.
While their relationship was generally positive, the two did experience a well-documented misunderstanding in the mid-1980s. The rift reportedly emerged during the production of one of Kishore Kumar’s final directorial projects; the singer sought a major star for the film, but Bachchan, who was managing a demanding schedule at the time, could not commit to the role. The part was eventually filled by Rajesh Khanna, and the resulting tension was significantly amplified by media coverage during that era.
Amit Kumar has previously addressed the situation, characterizing the incident as a typical human misunderstanding rather than a genuine feud. In a past interview, he stated, “The media really exaggerated it. But later, everything got sorted out. Mr Bachchan came home, they hugged it out, the misunderstanding was cleared.” The report also notes that he showed me that he had collected cassettes from all over the world,” he said. The report also notes that i got the chance to sit with him in the recording studio. The report also notes that and he had a great passion for collecting them, in those days there were video cassettes that could record pictures. The report also notes that the back-and-forth was amplified by the press, as these things went in that era.
Source: Gulf News
