Personal details
- Birth Date: 1926-03-24
- Birth Location: Khandwa, Central Provinces, British India
- Parents: Kunjalal Ganguly
- Professions: Actor, Music Department, Producer
Anoop Kumar popped into the world on March 24, 1926, smack-dab in Khandwa when it was still British India. Dude’s family? Pretty legendary. If you’re into old-school Bollywood, you know the Kumar clan—he’s Kishore Kumar’s brother, no less. Anoop never hogged the limelight like Kishore, but the guy had a vibe, a sort of laid-back charm that just worked on screen. He wasn’t your typical brooding hero; more like the guy you’d want to split a chai and samosa with. He got his start in the film industry when black-and-white flicks were all the rage, and he didn’t stop hustling till the '90s. One of his standout gigs? Victoria No. 203 from 1972. That movie’s a total madcap caper—think stolen diamonds, bumbling crooks, and Anoop pulling off the kind of comic timing that just makes you smile. He had this knack for playing the quirky sidekick, a little bit goofy but always loveable. Then there’s Chalti Ka Naam Zindagi, which dropped in 1982. Anoop’s energy in that film? Pure nostalgia. He also dabbled with production work and even tried his hand at more serious roles, but comedy was his sweet spot. Fashionable Wife (1959) is another flick where he absolutely shined. He stuck around the industry for decades, never really fading away, and finally said goodbye in Mumbai on September 20, 1997. He left behind a little legacy—maybe not the most famous guy in the room, but always the heart of it.
You know, the guy was actually the sibling of Ashok Kumar and Kishore Kumar. That’s some serious family legacy right there. Imagine growing up with those two as your brothers—talk about pressure (and maybe a bit of chaos at the dinner table). It’s wild how all three of them ended up making such a splash in Indian cinema, each doing their own thing but still connected by blood and a love for the craft. People sometimes forget, but this trio really helped shape Bollywood’s golden era. Their styles couldn’t have been more different—Ashok with his serious, almost regal vibe; Kishore just being all-out quirky and charming; and the third brother, always somewhere in between, doing his own thing and leaving his own imprint. Not gonna lie, the Kumar family basically wrote a good chunk of the industry’s history, and honestly, their influence is still everywhere if you know where to look.
March 24, 1926
Konidela Ram Charan
Khandwa, Central Provinces, British India
Kunjalal Ganguly and Surekha
99 years old