When Kishore Kumar’s secret wedding left Dev Anand dreading Ashok Kumar’s wrath

4 min readNew DelhiJul 11, 2026 08:17 PM IST

Kishore Kumar had drastic mood swings, recalled his 4th wife Leena Chandavarkar. (Photo: Express Archives)

Kishore Kumar’s personal life was almost as talked about as his legendary career. The iconic singer and actor married four times. After his first marriage to actor-singer Ruma Guha Thakurta ended, he tied the knot with actor Madhubala. Following her untimely death, Kishore married actor Yogeeta Bali, though the marriage lasted only two years. In 1980, he married actor Leena Chandavarkar, who remained by his side until his death in 1987. Years later, Kishore Kumar’s son, singer Amit Kumar, looked back on his father’s romantic nature, his relationships and the family opposition he faced while marrying Ruma.

Speaking to Filmfare, Amit said, “My mother and father had too many clashes. My father believed that a wife should stay at home. It was around the time Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi became a superhit. The money from that film was used to build Gauri Kunj, and around the same time, their separation happened. My father was a very romantic man. He was a giant. Many people came into his life—Madhubala and so many others. He was truly one of a kind.”

How Kishore Kumar fell in love with Ruma Guha Thakurta

Amit also recalled how his parents’ love story began.

“My father would only sing for Dev Anand. Their association began around Ziddi. Around the same time, his romance with my mother also started. She was working at Bombay Talkies with Nitin Bose and was a brilliant actress. They fell in love,” he said.

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Why Kishore Kumar and Ruma married in secret

However, convincing the family wasn’t easy.

“My mother was a Brahmo Samajist, while we were Brahmins. My father had a clash with Dada Muni (Ashok Kumar). He told my father, ‘You are not educated. Brahmo Samaj people know English, you don’t. How can you marry her?’ My father couldn’t understand those reasons, so they secretly got married.”

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Amit also recalled that Dev Anand was worried about how Ashok Kumar would react after the secret wedding.

“Dev Anand became extremely scared. He warned my father that if Dada Muni found out, everything would be over. And that’s exactly what happened. He found the marriage certificate and asked, ‘Kishore, did you get married?’ My father acted completely innocent. Then Dada Muni showed him the marriage certificate and said, ‘Look, this is your signature.’ My father simply replied, ‘Shayad (Maybe).'”

Kishore Kumar and Ruma Guha Thakurta separated in 1958, and Ruma married Arup Guha Thakurta two years later. Kishore went on to marry Madhubala in 1960 despite knowing about her congenital heart condition and remained by her side until her death in 1969.

Kishore Kumar on standing by Madhubala till her last breath

In an old interview with The Illustrated Weekly of India, the legendary singer recalled standing by her through her illness until her death in 1969.

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“I knew she was very sick even before I married her. But a promise is a promise. So I kept my word and brought her home as my wife, even though I knew she was dying from a congenital heart problem. For nine long years, I nursed her. I watched her die before my own eyes. You can never understand what this means until you live through this yourself. She was such a beautiful woman and she died so painfully. She would rave and rant and scream in frustration. How can such an active person spend nine long years bed-ridden? And I had to humour her all the time. That’s what the doctor asked me to. That’s what I did till her very last breath. I would laugh with her. I would cry with her.”

He later married Yogeeta Bali before tying the knot with Leena Chandavarkar in 1980, who remained his wife until his death in 1987.