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Kumar Sanu
Indian playback singer (born 1957) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kumar Sanu (born Kedarnath Bhattacharya on 20 October 1957 ⓘ) is an Indian playback singer who gained recognition in Hindi cinema during the 1990s.[1] He is known for his melodious voice and prolific output, recording songs in multiple languages including Hindi, Bengali, Nepali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bhojpuri and Odia.[2]
Sanu gained widespread recognition with the soundtrack of Aashiqui (1990), which featured him in nearly all of the male solo songs and established him as a leading playback singer of the period. [3]
He won the Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer for five consecutive years from 1990 to 1995, for films including Aashiqui (1990), Saajan (1991), Deewana (1992), Baazigar (1993) and 1942: A Love Story (1994).[4]
In 1993, Sanu entered the Guinness World Records for recording 28 songs in a single day.[5]
Several of his songs were included in the BBC "Top 40 Bollywood soundtracks of all time".[6] He has also appeared as a mentor and judge on television music reality shows.[7]
In recognition of his contributions to Indian music, Sanu was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009.[8]
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Early life
Kumar Sanu's father, Pashupati Bhattacharya, was a vocalist and composer.[9] The family's ancestral home was in Bikrampur, situated in the Munshiganj district near Dhaka, which is now part of Bangladesh. He and his elder sister lived in Panchanantala at Gopal Bose Lane in the Sinthee area of North Kolkata.[10]
Personal life
Kumar Sanu's first marriage was to Rita Bhattacharya in the 1980s.[11] The couple had three children.[12] They divorced in 1994. During their marriage, Kumar Sanu had entered a six-year relationship with actress Kunickaa Sadanand.[13][14]
After separating from Kunickaa Sadanand, Kumar Sanu married Saloni Bhattacharya. They have two daughters, including Shannon K, a singer.[15][16][17]
Career
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Kumar Sanu began his musical journey in 1983 under his birth name, Kedarnath Bhattacharya. His first credited playback appearance was in the 1984 film Yeh Desh, followed by work in the Bangladeshi film Tin Konya (1985). He received his first significant recognition in Hindi cinema with the song "Jashn Hai Mohabbat Ka" from Hero Hiralal (1988).[3]
1980s: Early career
In September 1989, singer Jagjit Singh introduced him to composer Kalyanji, who, alongside his brother Anandji, encouraged him to adopt the stage name "Kumar Sanu" as a tribute to his idol, Kishore Kumar. Under their mentorship, he contributed to the soundtrack of Jaadugar (1989), one of his earliest major breaks.[18]
1990s: Prime
Sanu achieved widespread recognition with the soundtrack of Aashiqui (1990), where music directors Nadeem-Shravan featured him in nearly all male solo numbers. The album's success established him as a leading playback singer of the period and earned him his first Filmfare Award. He went on to win the Best Male Playback Singer award for five consecutive years for his work in Aashiqui (1990), Saajan (1991), Deewana (1992), Baazigar (1993), and 1942: A Love Story (1994).[19][2]
In the 1990s, Sanu was highly active, recording songs for numerous films each year. He also sang in multiple languages including Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Odia, and Urdu.[2] His repertoire included both romantic ballads such as “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga” and more upbeat tracks like “Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen”. In 1993, he entered the Guinness World Records for recording 28 songs in a single day.[5] Some of his notable films include Aashiqui (1990), Saajan (1991), Deewana (1992), Baazigar (1993), 1942: A Love Story (1994), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Raja Hindustani (1996), Pardes (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). During this period, he received multiple Filmfare Awards and became one of the leading playback singers of 1990s Bollywood.[19]
During the 1990s, Sanu and Udit Narayan were two of the leading male playback singers in Bollywood, and their overlapping success frequently prompted comparisons in the media and among audiences.[20] Their professional rivalry was underscored when Udit Narayan ended Kumar Sanu’s five-year winning streak (1991–1995) in the Best Male Playback Singer category by winning the award in 1996 for 'Mehndi Lagake Rakhna' from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.[21] Interviews with Sanu indicate that the rivalry was primarily professional, and both singers maintained a cordial relationship, with the competition driven more by media and public perception than personal conflict.[22]
Collaborations with female lead singers
During the 1990s, Kumar Sanu frequently collaborated with prominent female playback singers, particularly Alka Yagnik. Several media sources have noted that their duets were among the most popular of the decade.[1] In addition to Yagnik, Sanu also sang with other leading female playback singers, including Anuradha Paudwal, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Sadhana Sargam.[23]
2000s and later career
Following his peak in the 1990s, Kumar Sanu's presence in mainstream Bollywood playback singing declined during the 2000s. While he continued to record songs for films, the volume of work was lower compared to his earlier years.[24] During this period, he also focused on live performances, stage shows, and concerts both in India and internationally.[25] In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in recognition of his contribution to Indian music.[8]
2010s–present
In the 2010s and beyond, Sanu has remained active primarily through nostalgia-focused concerts and live shows, celebrating his contributions to 1990s and early 2000s Bollywood music.[26] He has acknowledged in interviews that although opportunities in mainstream film music have decreased, audience appreciation for his earlier work endures.[27] He continues to perform at concerts and stage events, maintaining a public presence in the Indian music scene.[25]
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Other works
Kumar Sanu has released several tribute albums of Kishore Kumar's songs including Kishore Ki Yaadein and the Yaadein Series, which he performed along with singers Abhijeet and Vinod Rathod.[28][29]
In 2017, he, along with Sadhana Sargam, sang the title track of the 19th-century-based TV Series "Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hain", where he also made a cameo appearance.[30] In 2019, he recorded a song for Star Plus's "Kulfi Kumar Bajewala".[31]
In Delhi's Karol Bagh, Sanu also founded a primary school for underprivileged children that provides students uniforms and books free of cost.[32]
In 2022, Kumar Sanu collaborated with music director Vaibhav Saxena and two other singers for "Mohabbat Mein Tere Sanam" which was released and distributed worldwide by new-age Record Label Music Records.[33]
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Accolades
See also
References
External links
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