Playback singer Shaan recently opened up about a heartwarming story from his father’s music days, shedding light on the generous side of Bollywood legend Kishore Kumar. In a chat at his Mumbai office in Khar, Shaan recalled how Kishore once stepped up to sing two Bhojpuri songs for just INR 3,000.
Shaan’s father, the late composer Manas Mukherjee, had been feeling the pinch with limited work. Kishore Kumar, fondly called Kishore da, reached out directly. “What happened? Why aren’t we working together anymore?” Shaan quoted his father remembering Kishore asking. When Manas explained he only had a Bhojpuri film on hand, Kishore didn’t hesitate. He agreed to sing for a fraction of his usual fee—back then, the superstar commanded INR 50,000 per song, a massive sum for any playback singer.
“Kishore da took INR 3,000 and belted out not one, but two tracks,” Shaan shared with a smile. This came right before Shaan hosted a special show dedicated to the iconic singer-actor.
Shaan used the tale to highlight how artists stay true to their emotions. “We’re all human—emotional beings who value our craft,” he said. Even today, top singers in the Hindi music scene demand fees up to INR 1 crore and get them. But if an artist feels connected to a project, they’ll often sing for less, just like Kishore did. It’s a reminder that passion sometimes trumps the paycheck in the Bollywood music world.
Shifting gears, Shaan also weighed in on why so many modern Hindi songs fade fast. With over 3,000 tracks under his belt, he knows the score firsthand. “How many of my songs do you even remember? Maybe 10% or 15% at best,” he admitted. Bad tunes pop up in every era of Hindi music, he explained—it’s not a new problem. Talented composers still create hits, and singers pour their hearts into them. The rest? They just don’t stick, then or now.
Shaan pointed to tech as a big game-changer in how fans consume music. Smartphones and social media have sped everything up, shrinking attention spans in a hyper-connected world. Listeners scroll through tracks faster than ever, making it tougher for songs to linger like the classics from Kishore Kumar’s golden days. Still, Shaan stays optimistic: great music finds its way, no matter the era.
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