Kishore Kumar is, without a doubt, one of the most legendary and accomplished singers in Indian entertainment history. Although he is regarded as one of the top playback singers in Indian movies, Kishore never received a National Film Award, which is quite ironic. Amit Kumar, the late singer's son and a vocalist himself, said in a recent interview that his father had once come close to winning a National Award, but that the request for a bribe had prevented him from doing so.

When Kishore Kumar was given a bribe in exchange for a National Award

After Kishore's acting career began to fail in the 1960s, he switched to directing with Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein, which also included Amit in the cast. In 1964, the movie became a huge hit at the box office. It was said at the time that the movie was being considered for the National Awards.

Amit said this in an interview with Vickey Lalwani. Amit responded, "Yes, that happened," when questioned about the purported bribery offer. From the Ministry in Delhi, he received a phone call. Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein, Haqeeqat, and Dosti were among the films under consideration for the National Award at the time. They advised my father, "If you do something, give something, then we can get you nominated." My father responded, "Why are you after my life? My film is a hit."

Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein, a version of the American movie The Proud Rebel, received both popular and critical acclaim. Later, it was remade in Malayalam as Babumon, in Telugu as Ramu, and in Tamil as Ramu. "The film ran for 23 weeks at Super Cinema," Amit remembered, pointing out a paradox. The movie celebrated its silver jubilee in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. After that, he transferred the rights to a Tamil director. Ramu was the title of the reboot. That won the National Award.

The director, Kishore Kumar

Kishore, who is mostly recognized as a singer, directed 12 films, four of which were left unfinished and eight of which were released. His last film, Mamta Ki Chhaon Mein, served as a spiritual sequel to Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein. In 1990, three years after Kishore's passing, the film—which starred Amit Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, and Leena Chandavarkar—was released.

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