Kumar was born in a Bengali family in Khandwa, Central Provinces (now in Madhya Pradesh) as Abhas Kumar Ganguly. His father, Kunjalal Ganguly (Gangopadhyay) was a lawyer and his mother, Gouri Devi came from a wealthy Bengali family and was a home-maker.
Here are some fun facts about Kishor Kumar:
- Kishore Kumar converted to Islam and changed his name in order to marry Madhubala: Karim Abdul
- Which movie was his last as an actor?: Door Wadiyon Mein Kahin
- Which of his songs was used in an episode of the animated TV series 'The Simpsons'?: Pal Bhar Ke Liye
- For which music director did Kishore Kumar record his last song? Bappi Lahiri
- Kishore Kumar acted in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's directorial debut. What was the name of the film?: Musafir
- In which movie did he make his debut as an actor?: Shikari
- For which song did Kishore Kumar win his first Filmfare award?: Roop Tera Mastana
- During the 1975-77 Indian Emergency period, Sanjay Gandhi asked Kishore Kumar to sing at a Congress rally in Mumbai, but the singer refused. This led to the legendary singer's songs being banned from: All India Radio