Suman Kalyanpur

Suman Kalyanpur is one of the most influential; singer in Bollywood. Once it happened in the music industry that even Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar, the veteran playback singer, had >> Read More... had faced a tough competition with this singer. When Lata walked out of singing with Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi is a renowned Indian playback singer >> Read More... on Royalty issues for three years or so, this singer replaced Lata in many movies for many duets with Mohammed Rafi.

As the industry was looking for some suitable singer who could match Lata’s melody Suman was best choice to sing with Mohammed Rafi. Her voice was always mistaken as the voice of Lata Mangeshkar. She has sung 140 duets with Mohammed Rafi in her career. Even when music composers could not pay higher charges to Lata, they obviously looked for Suman Kalyanpur.

Suman was born In Karnataka on 28 January 1937, but she spent her childhood in Dhaka where her father got transferred as he was working in a prestigious bank (Central Bank of India). She was born in Saraswat Brahmin family belonging to Mangalore. Her father’s name was Shankar Rao Hemadi and mother Seeta Hemmady. She spent her childhood with four sisters and one brother. Right from childhood, the singer took an interest in painting and music.

This singer happened to sing in All India Radio in 1952 when she was studying in college in Mumbai. Initially, singing was a hobby for her, but gradually she had learned to become a thorough professional and learned music under Ustad Khan Abdul Rehman Khan Rehman Khan is a Stand-up Comedian and a film acto >> Read More... ’ and Guruji Master Navrang. The singer married Ramanand Kalyanpur in the year 1958 and has a daughter Charul Agni who is now in the US.

She got first chance in Marathi film ''Shukrachi Chandni’ in 1953. Her singing impressed Hindi cinema industry, and her first Hindi song was 'Koi Pukare Dheere Se Tujhe” which was composed by O.P. Nayyar for film ‘Mangu’ (1954). She also sang for Naushad for the film ‘Darwaza’ (1954) and O.P. Nayyar for Guru Dutt's 'Aar Paar'.

It was in the 60’s that Suman Kalyanpur had sung maximum popular songs in Hindi cinema. Some of the duet with Rafi ("Aajkal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche", and "Rahen Na Rahen Hum"). Mukesh(“Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya,” “Mera Pyar Bhi Tu Hai”), , Manna Dey Manna Dey is one of the greatest Indian classical >> Read More... (“Na Jane Kahan Ham The”), Hemant Kumar Hemant Mukherjee is a famous composer, singer, and >> Read More... ("Na Tum Hamen Jano", Talat Mahmood Talat Mahmood was a playback singer turned actor o >> Read More... ( “Pyar Ki Dastaan”)

She has sung for popular heroines like Waheeda Rehman She took birth in a Tamil Urdu speaking Muslim fam >> Read More... , Meena Kumari Meena Kumari is a popular TV and film actress. She >> Read More... , Vyjayanthimala, Sadhana, Mala Sinha Mala Sinha is a legendary actress of Bollywood fam >> Read More... , Hema Malini Hema Malini is perhaps the only dream girl of the >> Read More... , Nutan, Simi Garewal Simi Garewal, popularly known as "The Lady in Whit >> Read More... , and many more. She also sang duets with the singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt Geeta Dutt was a significant singer who mesmerized >> Read More... , Asha Bhosle Asha is considered to be the second greatest femal >> Read More... too. Some of the composers for which Suman Kalyanpur has recorded songs include Naushad, Hemant Kumar, S.D. Burman, Roshan, Madan Mohan Madan Mohan Kohli born on 25thJune 1924 in Iraq (B >> Read More... , Kalyanji Anandji, Laxmikant Pyarelal Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarela l Rampras >> Read More... , Ghulam Mohammed Ghulam Mohammed is an Indian film composer best kn >> Read More... , and others.

Apart from all this, her songs in Bengali and Marathi languages were also very popular. Also, she had sung songs in Punjabi, Oriya, Kannada, Gujarati, and Assamese languages too. Her most popular solo numbers are “Mere Mehboob Na Ja," "Behna Ne Bhai Ki Kalai Main," "Chale Ja Chale Ja Jahan Pyar Mile” etc. It is unfortunate that she never won any National Award or Filmfare Award. Yet, people will remember her as another Lata.