Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Eastern Eye’s top 10 Kishore Kumar hits 30 years later

Singer Kishore Kumar gifted the world with countless classics before his premature death on October 13, 1987, aged just 58. To mark his passing 30 years ago, Eastern Eye decided to take on the impossible task of creating a playlist of 10 key classic songs. The greatness of the singer is, however, perfectly illustrated by the fact no two people will have the same top 10 songs. 

Eena Meena Deeka from Aasha (1957): This would become a cult classic, but why the catchy number makes the list is that it was one of the first to showcase his unique vocal range. This was pictured on the great man, who was also a great comic actor and perhaps the only leading man to sing his own songs at the time. 


Chhod Do Aanchal Zamana Kya Kahe Ga from Paying Guest (1957): Kishore delivered magnificent duets over the years and this one with Asha Bhosle was his first blockbuster with another singer. This track would later be sampled, covered and inspire musicians in following generations. It was particularly fresh because it was recorded at a time both future legends were trying to establish themselves. 

Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958):  Bollywood has always loved the rain songs and this was one of the best. Apart from being a great composition, what made the song extra special was that it was the stand out moment in his biggest hit film as a leading man and pictured opposite his future wife Madhubala. A honourable mention goes to another of the film’s numbers Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka, which was voted the most popular Bollywood song of that year. 

Mere Samne Wali Khidki from  Padosan (1968): The last truly great number he performed on screen before concentrating almost entirely on playback singing. He sings while a buffoon lip-syncs and pretends the voice is his to impress a hot neighbour. Many singers who followed in his giant footsteps performed the iconic number.  

Roop Tera Mastana from Aradhana (1969): The soundtrack to this blockbuster turned him into the king of playback and won him the first of his record-breaking haul of Filmfare Awards for Best Singer. The sensual song remains popular today as do the other big hits from the soundtrack Mere Sapnon Ki Rani and Kora Kagaz Tha Yeh Man Mera. 

Zindagi Ek Safar from Andaz (1971): This song swept through this romantic drama and across the globe like wildfire when it released. It became an anthem for a new generation and has since uplifted subsequent generations. The then king of Bollywood Rajesh Khanna loved the song so much that he agreed to make a cameo performing it. The most popular Bollywood song of 1971 was such a blockbuster that it turned the movie into a huge hit. 

Mera Jeewan Kora Kagaz from Kora Kagaz (1974): The king of the 1970s had another resounding hit with what would become his first solo song to be voted the most popular of the year in the main chart show of the day. What made this extra interesting is that it was used as a background score to show the plight of the female protagonist. Listen carefully to the lyrics and it is a gift that keeps giving. 

Saathi Re from Muqaddar Ka Sikander (1978): This song showed there was a lot to more to the singer’s repertoire than fun, energetic and dance numbers. He also did slow emotion-filled love songs really well and this is a perfect illustration of that. The love song grabs hold of your heart and doesn’t let go even after it has ended. 

Khaike Paan Banaras Wala from Don (1978): The magnificence of this award-winning song is such that it still lights up the dance floors today. It showed that no one did a fun number better than the late great singer and was the most popular Bollywood song of that year. (We won’t talk about the cover version that appeared in the 2006 remake of Don). 

Manzilein Apni Jagah Hain from Sharaabi (1984): There aren’t too many certainties in life, but one thing is for sure, Kishore Kumar would win the Filmfare Best Male Singer award in 1985 because he got all four nominations for songs featured in Sharaabi. Although many would argue Inteha Ho Gayi Intezaar Ki deserved to win because, let’s face it, nearly all Indians are late and everyone has experienced the subject of this song. 

More For You

Jasbinder Bilan

Jasbinder Bilan

Jasbinder Bilan’s journey of heart and heritage: From Himalayan tales to global acclaim

When Jasbinder Bilan first paused her teaching career to pursue a creative writing degree, she had no idea it would lead to a life-changing breakthrough. What began as a leap of faith became a journey filled with hope, rejection and ultimately triumph. Inspired by her beloved grandmother and her Indian roots, Bilan poured her soul into her debut manuscript Song of the Mountain. Though the publishing world was not immediately ready for her story, perseverance paid off when she won the 2016 Times Chicken House Prize, launching her celebrated writing career. Now, following the success of her Costa Award-winning Asha and the Spirit Bird, Bilan returns with a powerful new historical adventure, Naeli and the Secret Song. In this exclusive interview, she speaks about the emotional inspiration behind the book, her love for young readers and the importance of believing in your voice — no matter how long it takes to be heard.

What first connected you to writing?
It was stories more than writing that were my first love. My grandmother, Majee, was the storyteller in our house and it was those bonding moments that sparked my love for creating my own stories. She told me lots of Indian folk tales at bedtime, but she also shared stories of our life in India on the farm near the foothills of the Himalaya. So, I grew up feeling connected to a place that I then filled with my imagination. As a little girl I loved drawing and writing, and always wanted to be a writer, but it took me a long time to make that dream come true.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rachel Zegler’s ‘Evita’ Performance Sparks Broadway Buzz

Rachel Zegler stuns in Jamie Lloyd’s Evita as Palladium crowds grow nightly

Instagram/officialevita

Rachel Zegler shines in Jamie Lloyd’s ‘Evita’ as West End hit eyes Broadway transfer

Quick highlights:

 
     
  • Rachel Zegler plays Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s radical Evita revival at the London Palladium.
  •  
  • A viral moment features Zegler singing live from the theatre’s balcony to crowds on the street.
  •  
  • Lloyd’s stripped-down staging amps up visuals and sound but sacrifices storytelling depth.
  •  
  • Talks are on for a Broadway transfer as early as 2026 with Zegler confirmed to reprise her role.
  •  
 

Rachel Zegler commands the London stage as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s daring reimagining of Evita, a production that trades subtlety for spectacle and could soon be heading to Broadway.

Following the success of Sunset Boulevard, Lloyd’s signature stripped-down style meets rock concert intensity in this revived version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical. Zegler, in only her second major stage role, dazzles with commanding vocals and presence, even as critics debate the show’s dramatic clarity.

Keep ReadingShow less
K Anis Ahmed

K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative

AMG

K Anis Ahmed’s 'Carnivore' serves up satire, class war and moral rot

From the blood-soaked backstreets of Dhaka to the polished kitchens of Manhattan’s elite, K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative. A satirical thriller steeped in class tension, culinary obsession and primal survival, Carnivore follows Kash, a Bangladeshi immigrant-turned-chef who launches a high-end restaurant serving exotic meats – only to become embroiled in a sinister world of appetite and ambition.

But this is no simple tale of knives and recipes. Ahmed – a seasoned journalist, publisher, and president of PEN Bangladesh – brings a sharp eye to the grotesqueries of power and privilege. In this exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, he speaks about his passion for food, the moral murkiness of his characters, and why even the most ordinary people can spiral into extraordinary darkness.

Keep ReadingShow less
Artists respond to a world shaped
by division at Summer Exhibition

Visitors view works in the main gallery

Artists respond to a world shaped by division at Summer Exhibition

THE theme of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition 2025 is “dialogues”, prompting the question: can art help bring together the people of India and Pakistan? Or, indeed, Israel and Iran – or Israel and Palestine?

It so happens that the coordinator of this year’s Summer Exhibition is the internationally celebrated artist and Royal Academician Farshid Moussavi, who is of Iranian origin.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kanpur 1857 play

This summer, Niall Moorjani returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with 'Kanpur: 1857'

Pleasance

Niall Moorjani brings colonial history to life with powerful new play 'Kanpur: 1857'

This summer, Niall Moorjani returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Kanpur: 1857, an explosive new play that fuses biting satire, history and heartfelt storytelling. Written, co-directed and performed by Moorjani, alongside fellow actor and collaborator Jonathan Oldfield, the show dives into the bloody uprising against British colonial rule in 1857 India, focusing on the brutal events in Kanpur.

At its centre is an Indian rebel, played by Moorjani, strapped to a cannon and forced to recount a version of events under the watchful eye of a British officer.

Keep ReadingShow less