Eight-time National Film Award winning legend Andrew Kishore has left for the land of no returns after he suffered from cancer for a long time. He has sung about 15,000 songs for films in his life time earning him the title ‘Playback Samrat’.
Andrew Kishore was born on 4 November 1955 in Rajshahi. He spent his childhood, adolescence and youth there. After the liberation war, he moved to the capital Dhaka.
He started taking music lessons initially under Abdul Aziz Bachchu. After the war of liberation, Kishor Nazrul, Rabindranath, modern, folk and patriotic songs were performed by him on radio as a listed artist.
After the war of independence of Bangladesh, he was a listed artist in Rajshahi radio for Nazrul, Rabindranath, modern, folk and patriotic songs.
The playback journey of Andrew Kishore’s film started in 1977 with the song ‘Achinpurer Rajkumari Nei Je Tar Keu’ from Alam Khan’s ‘Mail Train’. His second recorded song is ‘Dhum Dharakka’. However, the song ‘Ek Chor Jae Chole’ from the 1979 film Pratigya, directed by AJ Mintu, was first heard by the audience. The song gained much popularity.
He was specially fond of travelling in the country. If he had the opportunity, he would go away quietly to the coast of the distant sea, sometimes in the deep forest. In the remote hills of Bandarban, Rangamati or Khagrachhari, it was a great pleasure to mingle with the beautiful nature. He used to visit Cox's Bazar over and over again as the fennel waves called him.
The playback emperor thought that music was most popular in Chattogram. He used to say that the reason for this was the various festivals in Chattogram. Especially on the occasion of marriage, he thought that the Mehedi ceremony in Chattogram was playing a great role in the prosperity of music.
Andrew Kishore though that Chattogram’s contribution to the prosperity of Bangladeshi music is immense. Artists like Tapan Chowdhury, Naqib Khan, Kumar Bishwajit, Ayub Bachchu, Partho Barua have emerged from this Chattogram.
Reminiscing after the death of legendary musician Ayub Bachchu, the singer of many popular songs said, “When no one was where we are now, Then me, Ayub Bachchu, Hanif, Tapan Chowdhury, Kumar Bishwajit would hang out together. Bachchu used to come from Chattogram. We used to see him thinking nothing but guitar in his sleep and dreams.”
One winter night in December 2015, at a concert at the Chattogram Theater Institute, the audience was mesmerized by the magic of melody. He came on stage with a smile on that lyrical winter evening. The magician of the melody enchanted the audience with the magic of words. He was talking about his fascination with Chattogram in the event when the light was shining, he talked about some sweet memories.
Talking about a sweet memory of 2005, he said that one evening he went for a walk on Patenga beach with his wife, children and friends. They were so intoxicated by the melody of the sea that no one noticed when it was past 12 o'clock at night. At that time Andrew Kishore and his family came to the wedding of his friend. He was in Chattogram for a week. Remakri of Bandarban from Patenga beach, Cox's Bazar from Kaptai, he painted himself in the colors of Chattogram.
Andrew Kishore’s music journey began in 1982. That year, he won the National Film Award for the first time with the song ‘Haire Manush Rangin Fanush’ for the film ‘Baro Bhalo Lok Chilo’.
