Kishore Kumar’s fourth wife once revealed about being scared of his mood swings. Read inside.
Published: October 14, 2025 11:11 AM IST
In the glitzy and glamorous world of Bollywood, it’s usually the picture-perfect life of the celebrities that comes to the forefront. However, what happens behind the surface is a lot more than what meets the eye. One such similar situation is that of Kishore Kumar, who was known for his magnetic voice, which made everyone laugh, cry, and fall in love all in a single song. But behind those timeless melodies was a man full of emotions.
People close to Kishore Kumar knew that he lived his life on his own terms; one moment, he was a carefree comedian, and another moment, he was a quiet poet lost in thought. His fourth and final wife, Leena Chandavarkar, saw all those shades up close. In one rare and heartfelt interview, she opened up about what it was like to live with the man India still calls a genius.
About Kishore Kumar’s married life
Kishore Kumar got married four times. His first marriage was with Ruma Guha Thakurta, then to the legendary Madhubala, whose death in 1969 shattered him. After a brief marriage to Yogeeta Bali, he finally found companionship with Leena, who remained by his side until his death in 1987.
In an interview, Leena once opened up about Kishore Kumar; she shared, “Ek incident hai ki unhone mujhse pucha ki ‘Leena tumne mere baare mein kuch suna kya? Tumne itne saal kaam kiya filmon mein.’
Mai ne kaha, Kya suna tha?” Suna toh tha, par main bolna nahi chahti thi.
Toh bolte hain, ‘Kya suna tha tumne?’
Toh maine kaha, yahi ki aap bahut achha gaate ho, mai toh aapki fan thi aur itni achi comedy karte the.’”
Leena on Kishore’s mysterious personality
She continued,
“Toh unko acha nahi laga, unko maza hi nahi aaya tha. Mai akeli thi room mein, mai makeup kar rahi thi film Pyaar Ajnabi Hai ke liye. Uske baad mai toh nahi kar sakti, vo chehre par jaise insaan jaanwar ho jata hai na, darawana ho jata hai, pagal ho jata hai. Toh vo bolte the aur mai darr gayi, mai apni hairdresser ko dhoondhne lag gayi. Aur jump karke sofa par jaa kar aafne lage, mai darr gayi, mai ne kaha, ‘Haan-haan suna tha ki aap pagal hain.’ Fir hasne lage.”
Leena also admitted how insecure she felt being his fourth wife
“I was very insecure because I was his fourth wife. I was like, ‘he shouldn’t get a fifth one.’ I was in a lot of tension. Once, I told him that I am leaving the house. He got scared a little, but then he asked me to leave. He told me, ‘Don’t ever come back and never talk to me again.’ As I was about to get in the taxi, his whole group came and stopped me. They told me, ‘How are you leaving? It is because of you that this 8th wonder of the world has changed.’” She said.
Story Highlights:
Leena said Kishore’s face would suddenly change, “jaise insaan jaanwar ho jata hai, darawana ho jata hai.”
Kishore’s unpredictability scared her, yet moments later, he would laugh like a child.
Leena said, “I was very insecure because I was his fourth wife… I was like, “He shouldn’t get a fifth one.”
His friends told her, “It is because of you that this 8th wonder of the world has changed.”
