Shabbir Kumar is an Indian playback singer known for singing many popular Hindi songs of the 1990s. During his music career, he sang more than 6,000 songs.
Wiki/Biography
Shabbir Kumar was born on Tuesday, October 26, 1954 in Vadodara, Gujarat (Shabbir Shaikh) (age 68 years; as of 2023). His zodiac sign is Scorpio. When Shabbir was a child, he wanted to work in the government because he was good at studying and drawing. He never wanted to be a singer. He used to live with his family in a neighborhood of only nine houses and without electricity. While he was growing up, his mother often sang “Naath Qalaam” to him and his siblings, which attracted his interest in music. He used to sing with her and later his family noticed and encouraged him to sing. When he was a child, he would entertain the neighbors. People often call him and ask him to sing. He used to sing songs like “Zara Samne to aa Chaliye” and was rewarded with mango papaya. In an interview, he said that his family had financial difficulties and could not afford a radio, so he often went to the doorsteps of people who had radios to listen to songs outside their homes. At the age of 14, his father sent him to boarding school, where he learned to be independent.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′7″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
There is not much information about his parents. His brother’s name is Moise Sheikh.
Shabir Kumar and his brother
wife and children
Shabbir was married to Mehtaab Shabbir Kumar, who passed away in May 2021.
Shabir Kumar and his wife
They have three children, a son Dilshaad Shabbir Shaikh (singer) and two daughters Rubina Mallick and Tehzim (singer).
Shabir Kumar and his son
Shabir Kumar and his daughters
In 2021, he participated in Indian Idol to pay tribute to his wife, who passed away in May 2021, as she was a huge fan of the show.
Shabbir Kumar on Indian Idol
singer
He has sung songs in different languages like Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Haryanvi , Oriya, Malayalam and English. He has earned over 34 gold records, 16 platinum records and 1 Kohinoor record.
Shabir Kumar wins gold record
He has performed on stage in the UAE, Europe, South Africa, the United States and elsewhere.
Shabbir Kumar performs during one of his international tours
In 1981, he sang his first solo song “Ek akela man ka panchi tuti aas liye” for actor Raj Kiran in the film Sardar. Even after becoming a playback singer, he performed on stage in his hometown Vadodara. While he was in Vadodara, music composer Laxmikant Pyareral invited him to Mumbai for an audition. When he went there, he was asked to sing “Mubarak ho tum sabko haj ka mahina” for the film “Coolie” at the Mehmood studios against the backdrop of a 160-piece orchestra. They liked his voice and he was chosen by the coolie team to be a backup singer in the film.
Movie “Coolie” poster
In 1983, he collaborated with Lata Mangeshkar to compose his first duet song “Shaam Hai Ye Kuch Khoyi Khoyi” for the film Prem Tapasya.
Shabbir Kumar recording with Lata Mangeshkar
He sang songs for Rajiv Kapoor’s debut film Ek Jaan Hain Hum. In 1983, his song in the movie “Betaab” became very popular and he became a major playback singer. In the 2000s, he sang songs in several other films, including Ghaath (2000), Awara Paagal Deewana (2002) and Aan: Men at Work (2004).
Poster of the movie “An Nan at Work”
After that, he disappeared from the industry and stopped working, but made a comeback in 2010 with the song “I Don’t Know What to do” from the movie “Housefull”. He has sung many Hindi songs including Betaab’s “Teri Tasveer Mil Gayee” (1983), Mard’s “O Maa Shero wali” (1985), Sultanat’s “Jaano Jaanam Jaaneman” (1986), Aag’s “Saajan Aajao Wada Yeh” Hi Aag (1987) and “Tu Pagal Premi Awara” in “Shola aur Shabnam” (1992).
dispute
In 2012, when veteran actress Lata Mangeshkar claimed to have received an apology letter from Mohammad Rafi, Shabir confronted her and asked her to produce evidence. In 2012, Mangeshkar said that Rafi did not refuse to sing with her, but she refused to sing with Rafi. She also said she received a letter of apology from him. After her statement, Rafi’s son demanded that she produce the letter or apologize or else he would take legal action against her. Afterwards, Shabbir also questioned Lata Mangeshkar’s statement and said:
Lataji claimed that Rafi Saab wrote her an apology letter, which hurt the sentiments of her fans and cast doubt on her authority. ”
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Best Playback Singer in Dubai, UAE
- Mumbai Mohammad Rafi Award
- President of India Jani Zal Singh awards Kala Ratan Award for Best Playback Singer
- 2017: Won the “World Book of Records” honor for his contribution to culture and entertainment
Shabbir Kumar poses with world record book honors
Facts/Trivia
- When he hangs out with friends, he often sings songs by Mohammad Rafi. He used to receive a lot of appreciation from his friends, after which he decided to take his music career seriously.
Shabbir Kumar sings at events as a youngster
- The first time he sang into a microphone was when he was out with his friends and they asked him to help entertain a group of people. He sang the song “Kya se kyah hogaya, bewafa tere pyaar mein” from the movie “Guide”.
- In 1965, with the help of friends, he decided to join India’s most famous band, the Melody Makers, but was rejected during the audition. He caught people’s attention when he participated in a singing competition where Melody Makers were also present and he sang the song “Watan pe jo fida hoga,amar wo nao java hoga”. They invited him to join the group.
- In 1967, he made his debut singing Mohammad Rafi’s song “Mere Dushman tu meri dosti ko tarse” during a stage performance on Shivaji Jayanti.
- He changed his name from Shabbir Shaikh to Shabbir Kumar as he wanted to show that one’s caste and community does not matter as long as he/she is talented. He also married a Brahmin girl.
- In 1980, he received many performances in tribute to Rafite. He performed with a band called “Ek Shaam Rafi ke naam”. The band received a lot of recognition because of him, with proceeds from the first 10 shows being donated to a charity.
- In 1981, music director Usha Khanna attended a performance and heard Shabir’s singing and was deeply impressed by him. She called him to her office for an interview and the way he sang made Usha emotional and she started crying. Later, she gave him his first opportunity as a playback singer for the song “hum ek nahi, hum do nahi..hum hai Poore paanch” from the film Tajurba, along with singers like Suresh Wadkar, Amit Kumar, Hem Lata and others. Usha Khanna herself. He said in an interview that when he started singing in the studio, he was uncomfortable because it was different from the stage, but he somehow adjusted. The song gained a lot of popularity.
- According to his official website, he is a big fan of Mohammed Rafi and draws a lot of inspiration from him. In an interview, he said he received a divine message when his pen and watch fell into Rafite’s grave in 1980 while attending his funeral.
- In the 1980s, Shabbir Kumar worked with many music directors including Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Rahul Dev Burman, Chitragupt, Kalyanji-Anandji, Rajesh Roshan, Usha Khanna, Bappi Lahiri, Anu Malik, Ravindra Jain, Raamlaxman, Nadeem Shravan, Anand Milind, Jatin – Lalit and Uttam Singh.
Shabir Kumar and Anu Malik
- He has also voiced as a playback singer for various actors including Dilip Kumar, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Rishi Kapoor, Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Raj Babbar, Govinda, Chunky Pandey, Sanjay Dutt, Kumar Gaurav, Kamal Haasan, Rajnikanth , Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Rajiv Kapoor and Akshay Kumar.
Shabbir Kumar and Mithun Shabbir Kumar and Mithun Chakraborty
- In 2022, he was admitted to the hospital before the show because he was unable to perform on stage in Pyargraj.
- On January 3, 2023, he was invited as a guest on the Kapil Sharma Show along with fellow singers Suneeta Rao, Shweta Shetty, Altaf Raja and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education