An event to remember Ashok, Anoop and Kishore Kumar

Ashok Kumar’s children Bharati Jaffrey, Rupa Verma and Arup Kumar, Anup Kumar’s daughter Chandra Sanyal, and the Kumars’ nephew Shubir Mukherjee offered glimpses into the personal lives of their famous family members.
Arup Kumar recalled a time when he wanted a share of his famous father’s stardom, at the age of 6 years. “I remember once, when we were at the railway station, everyone was trying to get a glimpse of baba. I said, ‘look at me.. I am more handsome, baba is dark. I was barely 6 years old’.”

The interaction focused not on the stardom or struggle of the Kumar brothers, but on the personal value systems and parental qualities they possessed.

Chandra Sanyal said her father, Anoop Kumar, was very fond of sitar recitals and whenever he could, he would always take her mother for a sitar concert.

“I still remember Kishore mama used to sing for Dadamoni on his birthday… the three brothers were very close till the end,” remarked Shubir Mukherjee.

When asked about the one quality they had picked up from the trio, all of them had the same reply: punctuality.

“My principal once called my father… he thought since my father was an actor, he would not be on time, so the principal called him an hour earlier, at 6 pm. My father arrived at 5.55 pm,” said Arup Kumar.