Kumar Sanu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kumar Sanu
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Kumar Sanu in Indian Telly Awards
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kedarnath Bhattacharya |
| Also known as | Melody King of Bollywood |
| Born | 20 October 1957 Calcutta, West Bengal, India (present-day Kolkata) |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Playback singer |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Labels |
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| Children | Shannon K, Annabelle K |
Kumar Sanu, whose real name is Kedarnath Bhattacharya, is a very famous Indian singer. He was born on October 20, 1957. People often call him the "Melody King of Bollywood" because of his beautiful voice. He sings mostly in Hindi movies.
Kumar Sanu holds an amazing record! He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer five times in a row, from 1991 to 1995. This is a record he shares with another great singer, Arijit Singh. He also has a Guinness World Record for singing the most songs in a single day, which was 28 songs back in 1993! He has sung in many different languages, including Bengali, Marathi, and Tamil. In 2009, the Indian government honored him with the Padma Shri award for his contributions to music and cinema.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Where Kumar Sanu Grew Up
Kumar Sanu's father, Pashupati Bhattacharya, was also a singer and composer. His family's original home was in a place called Vikrampur, which is now in Bangladesh. His father moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in India to find work.
Kumar Sanu was born in Calcutta. He lived there with his father and elder sister. They lived in the Sinthee area of North Kolkata.
Kumar Sanu's Family Life
Kumar Sanu was first married to Rita Bhattacharya. They had three sons: Jiko, Jassi, and Jaan Kumar Sanu. They later divorced in 1994.
After that, Kumar Sanu married Saloni Bhattacharya. They have two daughters. One of his daughters, Shannon K, is also a Bollywood singer. His younger daughter, Annabelle Kumar Sanu, writes songs and books.
Kumar Sanu's Singing Career
How He Started Singing
Kumar Sanu began his singing career in 1983. At first, he used the name Sanu Bhattacharya. In 1986, he sang for a Bangladeshi film called Tin Konya. His first big Bollywood song was in the movie Hero Hiralal in 1988.
In 1989, a famous singer named Jagjit Singh introduced Kumar Sanu to Kalyanji. Kalyanji was part of the music duo Kalyanji-Anandji. They suggested he change his name to "Kumar Sanu." This was because his singing style was very similar to the legendary singer Kishore Kumar. After this, Sanu moved to Mumbai. Kalyanji-Anandji gave him a chance to sing in the film Jaadugar.
His Big Break and Awards
Kumar Sanu got his major breakthrough with the 1990 film Aashiqui. The music directors, Nadeem–Shravan, had him sing almost all the songs in the movie. Both the movie and its songs became huge hits!
This success led to him winning his first Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer. He then won this award for five years in a row! His winning songs came from movies like Saajan (1991), Deewana (1992), Baazigar (1993), and 1942: A Love Story (1994).
Working with Music Directors
Kumar Sanu has worked with many talented music directors throughout his career. He created many hit songs with them.
Working with Nadeem–Shravan
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Kumar Sanu's biggest success came when he worked with music directors Nadeem–Shravan. They gave him the chance to sing most of the songs for the movie Aashiqui (1990). The songs were so popular that a movie was made around them! They worked together on many other successful films, including Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991), Saajan (1991), and Raja Hindustani (1996). He sang a total of 293 songs for them.
Working with Anu Malik
Kumar Sanu also sang many different types of songs with Anu Malik. Anu Malik was the one who encouraged Kumar Sanu to sing his first Western-style song, "Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen," from the film Baazigar (1993). They also worked on films like Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995) and Judwaa (1997). They even reunited in 2015 for songs in the movie Dum Laga Ke Haisha. He sang 215 songs for Anu Malik.
Working with Jatin–Lalit
Kumar Sanu started working with the music duo Jatin–Lalit in 1992 for the film Khiladi. They created many hit songs together for movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Yes Boss (1997), and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). He sang 137 songs for them.
Working with Other Music Directors
Kumar Sanu also had successful collaborations with other music directors:
- Himesh Reshammiya: He sang for many of Himesh Reshammiya's TV serials and films like Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998).
- Rajesh Roshan: Their hits include songs from Jurm (1990), Karan Arjun (1995), and Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000).
- Viju Shah: They worked on popular albums like Mohra (1994) and Gupt (1997).
- Anand–Milind: Kumar Sanu sang over 150 songs for them, including many peppy numbers for actor Govinda in films like Raja Babu (1994) and Coolie No. 1 (1995).
- Bappi Lahiri: They created popular songs for films like Ghayal (1990) and Aankhen (1993).
Other Projects and Activities
Albums and Composing
Kumar Sanu has released several music albums. Some of these albums feature songs by Kishore Kumar, a singer he greatly admires. He also composed music for Indian films like Utthaan. Famous singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle have sung for his music.
He also sang the title song for the TV show Yeh Duniyan Gazab Ki with Udit Narayan. In 2017, he sang for the TV series "Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hain" and even made a small appearance in it.
Producing Films
Besides singing and composing, Kumar Sanu has also produced films. In 2006, he produced his first Hindi film, Utthaan. He also worked on Yeh Sunday Kyun Aata Hai, a film released in 2014. This movie was about four children living on the streets of Mumbai.
Judging Reality Shows
Kumar Sanu has been a judge on several music reality shows on Indian television. He was a judge on Waar Parriwar on Sony TV and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Zee TV. He also judged Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – Gane Gane Tomar Mone on Zee Bangla. Currently, he is one of the judges on the popular show Super Singer on Star Jalsha.
Recent Work and Appearances
Kumar Sanu has recorded new albums, including one called Hum Aur Tum. He even recorded a Spanish song for an album. He has also made special appearances as an actor in movies like Sapne Sajan Ke (1992) and Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015).
In 2022, Kumar Sanu worked with music director Vaibhav Saxena on a song called "Mohabbat Mein Tere Sanam." In 2023, he collaborated with Arijit Singh for an album. He also sang for Rajkummar Rao in the show Guns & Gulaabs. In 2024, he sang a song with Sunidhi Chauhan and Raftaar. He also opened his own music label on YouTube called "The Kumar Sanu Official."
Helping Others
Kumar Sanu is a trustee and Brand Ambassador for Bishwa Bandhan, a foundation that helps children with cerebral palsy. He also opened a primary school called Kumar Sanu Vidya Niketan in Delhi. This school provides free uniforms and books to children who are not as fortunate.
Working with Other Singers
Kumar Sanu has sung many popular duet songs with other famous singers. He has sung with Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sunidhi Chauhan, and many more. He has also sung duets with his daughter, Shannon K, who started her singing career in the United States in 2017.
He is known for having many hit duet songs with top singers from the 1980s and 1990s.
Politics
Kumar Sanu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a political party in India, in 2004. He later left to focus on his singing career. However, he rejoined the BJP in December 2014.
Comeback to Singing
Kumar Sanu made a return to playback singing in 2012. Music composers Sajid–Wajid encouraged him to sing again. He sang "Chhammak Chhallo Chhail Chhabili," a wedding song, with Shreya Ghoshal for the film Rowdy Rathore (2012).
In 2015, he did something very special for the film Dum Laga Ke Haisha. For the first time in 45 years, his voice replaced Lata Mangeshkar's as the background voice for the Yash Raj Films logo.
Accolades
Kumar Sanu has received many awards and honors for his singing. You can find a full list of his awards and nominations in the article List of awards and nominations received by Kumar Sanu.
Images for kids
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Kumar Sanu in Indian Telly Awards
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Sanu with Shravan Rathod and Thakur Doultani
See also
In Spanish: Kumar Sanu para niños
- List of Indian playback singers
External links
- Kumar Sanu at DNA India
- Kumar Sanu at Bollywood Hungama
- Kumar Sanu at Spotify
