Suman Kalyanpur Dies At 89; All About Legendary Singer Of Indian Cinema

Legendary

singer Suman Kalyanpur passed away on Sunday (May 31). She was 89. The late singer reportedly breathed her last at her residence in Mumbai. The reason behind Suman Kalyanpur’s death is still unknown, but the news about her demise has left the entire film industry in shock. Her death has marked the end of a golden era of the Indian music industry. Suman Kalyanpur’s contribution to Indian music can never be forgotten. Due to her achievements in the field of art, the government had honoured her with the Padma Bhushan honour in 2023.

Who was Suman Kalyanpur?

Suman Kalyanpur was born on January 28, 1937, in Bhawanipur, Bangladesh (then undivided India). Suman’s family name was Hemmady. During her childhood, Suman learned music and singing. In 1958, she got married to Mumbai-based businessman Ramanand Kalyanpur. She started her career singing for All India Radio in 1952. After that, she got her first chance to sing for the Marathi film Shukrachi Chandni in 1953. Suman Kalyanpur had sung many songs in Hindi and Marathi films. In her career, she sang for composers like Shankar Jaikishan, Roshan, Madan Mohan Kohli, SD Burman, N Datta, Hemant Kumar, Chitragupta, Naushad, Ghulam Mohammed, Kalyanji Anandji, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and so on.

Similarity to Lata Mangeshkar

During her singing career, Suman Kalyanpur was often compared to Lata Mangeshkar, as their voices are very similar to each other. Suman, in an old interview, had said that she was very uncomfortable regarding the similarity between her voice and Lata Mangeshkar’s voice.

She had further stated that she was influenced by Lata Mangeshkar during her college days. She used to sing Mangeshkar’s songs. When Lata refused to sing with Mohammed Rafi over royalty issues, Suman Kalyanpur sang over 140 duets with the late singer during that period. Apart from that, Suman had also sung songs with Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, and other legendary singers of that time.

About Suman Kalyanpur’s personal life

After marrying Ramanand Kalyanpur, he would accompany her for every recording session. Suman had a daughter named Charul Agny, who is currently settled in the United States after marriage. She had a granddaughter, Aaishanni Agny, who returned to India and opened an NGO in Mumbai. She gave her grandmother's name to the same. Suman Kalyanpur’s demise has indeed left her fans and celebrities from the Indian cinema heartbroken. The details about her funeral are still awaited. She would always be remembered through her iconic songs. May Suman Kalyanpur’s soul rest in peace!