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Did Kishore Kumar originally sing the chartbuster Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Bandh Ho... for the Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia-starrer Bobby (1973)?
The song, as we all know it, was sung by Shailendra Singh and Lata Mangeshkar, but a WhatsApp forward doing the rounds now dutifully informs us that the track was originally recorded by none other than Kishore Kumar. It also claims that the Kishore Kumar version was rejected by Raj Kapoor because he wanted a new voice for the young Rishi Kapoor, who was making his debut as a leading man in the film.
For those who don’t easily fall for WhatsApp forwards, this particular message also includes an audio clip of Kishore Kumar singing Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Bandh Ho... with plenty of swag.
The forward also goes on to say that Asrani was the original choice to play hero in Bobby.
However, as is the case with most such WhatsApp forwards, this message and piece of information is totally untrue. Music connoisseur Pavan Jha, who is an expert on Hindi film music, raised the red flag about this fake Bollywood nostalgia tale on his Facebook page.
Jha also posted a link to the song Mamla Fit Ho Gaya... from the film Main Inteqaam Loonga sung by Kishore Kumar, which contains this piece of the popular singer doing a cover to Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Bandh Ho... . The song is picturised on Asrani and Reena Roy (see the video below), and you can go straight to 4.14 on the timeline to hear Kishore’s rendition of the hit Bobby number.
So that’s another reason why you shouldn’t believe everything that you receive on WhatsApp.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)