Kishoreda came home & sang till my parents agreed to our marriage: Leena Chandavarkar

The pretty face of the Hindi film industry of the ’70s still glows warmly. The soft countenance and the innocent smile are still in place. No wonder, Leena Chandavarkar — also known for her marriage to Kishore Kumar, who was 21 years older to her — amazes you with her childlike simplicity. We caught up with the actress when she was in town recently to attend Tomay Poreche Mone — Kishore Kumar’s 90th birth anniversary celebration.She spoke about her life, how films happened to her, Kishore Kumar and more. Excerpts:
Do you have a special relationship with Kolkata? Have you had time to roam around the city?
Kolkata is special, as it holds a connection with Kishoreda. When I visited the city with him, we used to go to villages for shows. That was a different kind of fun — to see so many people travelling in packed buses just for the show. As for this visit, I’m here after a long time; I last came in 1992. I remember it was a tribute to Kishoreda called Dui Kishore. Even Rumadidi (Guhathakurta) was present at the show. There were many Bollywood stars in attendance, including Shammi Kapoor. As for going around town, though I wanted to, I’m here only for a couple of days.
How did Kishore Kumar influence your personal and professional lives?
I have innumerable memories of him. He was like a pillar of strength who taught me to accept the good and bad in life. He looked at life as a whole and understood that you win some and lose some. He would show his funny side to the world, but never his sad face. He also taught me to do that. I went through a lot in life and it was only because of him that I could come out of depression. So, I have written this song for him now — Kaun tha woh kya tha, Jadugar ya farishta tha, Athwa woh ajooba tha. Even he always wanted me to write songs. After he passed away, Amit (Kumar) asked me to fill in some dummy words, to which he gave the tunes and it got approved. So, I think it’s Kishoreda who has again guided me from heaven. His song, Hamein Aur Jeene Ki Chaahat Na Hoti, is one of my favourites because it resembles my relationship with him. He would also mention that he always came across talented people as life partners. True, you see Rumadidi was there. Amit received a letter from the President of India after Rumadidi passed away. That’s a great honour. Both of Amit’s parents were extremely talented people. He has also carved a niche for himself. It’s extremely difficult to match up to a father like Kishore Kumar, but he has done well for himself.
You live with your son Sumit Ganguly and step-son Amit Kumar. It is a rare sight in Indian households today where sons take care of their ageing parents. How is such a beautiful bonding possible?
I wouldn’t know what triggered this bond, but it feels like the expression, Sago se zyada apna. Amit respects his father a lot. He would always ask for his advice when taking an important decision. Sumit was only five years old when Kishoreda passed away, but he scolds me and tries to guide me now (laughs). Amit and Sumit have a beautiful bond between them. In fact, Amit brought up Sumit. If I would ever forget to pick up Sumit from school on time, Amit would leave his recordings and rush to his school. Then he would scold me. Now, the family is complete. But yes, adjustments are necessary in every family. Dadamoni (Ashok Kumar) would often say that he was surprised to see us functioning so well as one unit (smiles). He used to visit us often. We have a full house even now and relatives also keep visiting us.
You have dealt with deep personal losses. What would you have to say to people who are unable to deal with the ups and downs of life?
Kishoreda was the reason why I could successfully deal with all the pain in life. He could give strength to anyone. He would also say, ‘Hum log travellers hain duniya mein. Kisiko first class milti hain, kisiko third class. Par free mein duniya dekhne ko saab ko milti hain na?’ (laughs). I went through a lot in life. My brother committed suicide and my mother passed away just after Sumit was born. After Kishoreda passed away, I would depend a lot on tablets and injections to deal with depression. Then one day, Amit said he would be busy with shows abroad and that so, I’d have get out of my depression and take care of Sumit. So, a supportive family is extremely important. But to stay out of depression, you have to accept life the way it is.
Tell us about your marriage with Kishore Kumar.
Kishoreda and I had many funny memories together. I had told him that he marries whoever he works with, so I wouldn’t do a film with him. He then cancelled the proposal because according to him, two August-born people shouldn’t marry each other. He was born on August 4 and I, on August 29. Then, when my father hurt me by saying ‘Yeh phirse mere ghar wapas aa gayi’, I called Kishoreda to get married then and there because I wanted to leave my father’s house. I even called him up to say that I would ask the drivers of every car that passes me that night if they would marry me. He said, had he thought that only he was eccentric, but I had joined that list. My parents were apprehensive about me marrying him. My mother said he had married thrice, but wanted to know his ancestral origin. I told her he must be Christian since I had seen many statues of Christ and other biblical things at his house. Until our wedding, I never knew he was a Bengali Brahmin (laughs). He told me that he couldn’t marry me unless he got divorced from Yogita Bali, his third wife. He had stopped doing playback for Mithun (Chakraborty) at that time. Mithun did gauge the situation, but still came home to ask him why he wasn’t singing for him. After all, every hero wanted his voice in their songs. He told him about the divorce clause. Mithun saw to it that the divorce was through in no time. Then, I said, ‘Let’s get married now’, but he said he wanted to get my parents’ approval. He came home and sang till every member of the family agreed to our union, even my father. He sang Nafrat karne walo ke seene mein pyar bhar du, Arey mein woh parwana hu, Pathar ko moum kar du (laughs)!
Women from all walks of life, especially contemporary actresses, speak about how they manage both home and career. You have been married during your peak years in Bollywood. How was your experience?
I wanted to carry on, but Kishoreda felt otherwise. According to him, I’d already tasted success in acting and received love and appreciation for it. But being a homemaker was new to me. After all, it’s everyone’s deepest desire. Even I found his assertion that I needed to stay home with the children quite logical, as my kids needed me.

You belong to an era that saw some of the biggest superstars in Hindi cinema. How difficult or easy was it making your presence felt when working with them?
For some people like me, dreams do come true. If you want to pursue something with all your heart, you don’t find the effort too difficult. I had learnt a lot from the superstars who were my co-stars. They were like family. Dilip Kumar would be so natural while acting that his voice would sound muffled at times like it does when we speak in our normal tone. I would often miss his dialogue cues (laughs). Shammi Kapoor would make me laugh a lot.
You debuted opposite Sunil Dutt in Maseeha. What do you remember about working with him?
Sunil Dutt discovered me and I debuted opposite him. This happened during my school vacation after my Class X exams. He even sent a man from his office looking for me at my maternal uncle’s home where I was staying. Actually, I was the runners up at a contest where 12 film producers were judges. I was too young for them to cast me as a leading lady. I was heartbroken. But then, fate had it that Sunil Dutt contacted me within a couple of months after he saw an advertisement I had done for a cold drink brand. I appeared as an angel in the ad and Sunilji was looking for someone to play an angelic character in Maseeha. He liked my innocent face. When he saw a song sequence of mine later, he said, ‘Yeh ladki ka chehra hi kaafi hain, isko koi alag se ache kapre ki zaroorat nahin hain’ (smiles). Before the film released, I signed seven other films. Also Shakti Samant, one of those who rejected me at the contest, signed me for Jaane Anjaane.
In today’s time, it has become a norm to see contest winners in films. What’s the most essential part of building a successful career?
In our times, not many would enter Bollywood like I did. Nowadays, they do. But being successful in this industry depends on clicking with the viewers. Many a time, films work but the actors don’t. Even when actors are good with their work, they don’t last. I saw Aamir Khan’s Lagaan and thought Gracy Singh was so good. But she didn’t work much after that film. Even Bhagyashree was wonderful in Maine Pyar Kiya.
Who are your favourite actor and actress in Bollywood today?
I find everyone very natural in their acting nowadays. I had even told Jaya Bachchan after watching her films. Among the current crop of actors, I like Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor. Among the actresses, it’s Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma.