Born on October 13, 1911, Kumudlal Ganguly was the elder brother of legendary singer Kishore Kumar. Ashok went on to become a colossus in the Hindi film industry.
There is one incident from his life, which is connected with another legendary actor Raj Kapoor.
In 1946, when Raj Kapoor married Krishna Malhotra, Ashok was the reigning star. Ashok, who had been invited, went up to the stage to congratulate the couple.
On seeing him, Krishna had reportedly lifted her veil.
Narrating the incident was Bharti Jaffery, the eldest daughter of Ashok and mother of actor Anuradha Patel. Speaking to veteran film critic Khalid Mohammad, for The Quint, Bharti had said: “Papa was there, of course. And when he went up to congratulate the couple, the bride, Krishnaji, lifted up her ghunghat to gasp, ‘Oh it’s Ashok Kumar. I’m so happy!’ Raj Kapoor never forgave him for upstaging him at his own wedding.”
