- Started composing career as assistant to C. Ramchandra
- Madan was known to be an extremely talented cook. On occasions when he had composed an excellent tune (to his mind), he would prepare celebratory meals for his family; he himself would go purchasing vegetables/meat/spices through the bazaars (according to his son, he took the same care with his dishes as with his songs). His family/friends claim that his food was of the same excellent quality as his music was. Regular guests to these feasts were Lata Mangeshkar, Chetan Anand and his wife Priya Anand, and Kaifi Azmi.
- Madan was fond of all kinds of cuisine, but especially Chinese cooking. He was one of the earliest Indians to be a regular patron at the Nankings/Fredericks/Shanghai restaurants, all at Colaba at that time.
- Mohan possessed a Grundig 2 tape recorder and later an Akai 4 tape recorder. These were (in the 1960s) the most sophisticated tape recording equipment, and he considered them his most cherished possessions and handled with loving care.
- He kept two dogs: an Alsatian named Sugar and a collie named Romeo. He was so devoted to them that when they fell ill and died he was utterly devastated. He never took any more pets, and he forbade his children from doing so as he didn't want them to experience the loss and pain that he went through.
- The sitar was his favourite musical instrument, but despite using it so well in his songs, he had not learnt to play it. It was only in the early 1970 that he began formally learning the sitar from musician Ustad Shamim Ahmed.
- Originally, Madan planned on being an actor. Unfortunately, his first film as a hero got shelved after completing almost 8-9 reels of shooting, and his subsequent efforts at acting were no less a flop. However, he made appearances in the films Shaheed (1948), Aansoo (1953) and Munimji (1955).
- On his second birthday, Madan was gifted a small drum by his parents. That same day the Iraq Police Band was marching down the streets outside his house. Madan took his little drum, joined the band and started marching with the musicians. When his absence was discovered, his parents set out on a vigorous search and after two hours tracked him down at the police depot.
- Once, a young Madan brought to the A.I.R. (Bombay) studio a nine-year-old girl to audition for a radio programme. He told the executive that the girl could sing well, but when she was in front of an audience, she broke down sobbing. Madan wiped her tears and took her away. The next week, he brought the girl back with him and this time, she sang well and got a standing ovation. The girl was a young Suraiya, who would go on to become a landmark singer in Bollywood.
- One day, at the A.I.R. (Bombay) studio, he met a boy who was the center of attraction; they became good friends and participated in many programmes. The boy was a young Raj Kapoor.
- Even while he was in the Army, he would follow his musician's heart, and would organize small programmes to entertain his troops.
- Madan originally wanted to do music composition after leaving school. At his father's insistence, however, he underwent a year at Colonel Brown's Military High School in Dehradun. He later joined the army in 1943 as a Second Lieutenant/artillery man, and was stationed in Bangalore for two years (till the end of World War II). He considered his service in the army as a fruitful period of his life as he learned personal traits like courtesy, endurance, discipline, physical fitness and punctuality.
- Madan's father was Rai Bahadur Chunilal Kohli, who worked as an accountant with the Iraqi Police in Baghdad, and later founded Bombay Talkies, the first major Bollywood studio.
- He had a younger brother, Prakash Kohli, who also had a career in the film industry.
- A few months before he passed away, he had a near-fatal accident: his car skidded off the Western Ghats and was fully destroyed. He narrowly escaped by jumping out of the car. Even though he was in a state of shock, and suffered minor bruises, he took a taxi to Bombay and went straight to the studio for the scheduled recording.
- Madan inherited his love and talent of music from his mother, Bhagwanti Devi, who was a poet and great admirer of music. Her father, Hakim Yograj, was a famous doctor in Chakwal (a town in the Jhelum district of Pakistani Punjab) who was also a music connoisseur.
- He owned a Studebaker automobile, custom-painted (in white and blue) to his specifications, and which he always drove and maintained with care. He called it his "baby.".
- He was a remarkable sports enthusiast, developing interest in boxing, billiards, football, cricket and swimming. He attended any major sporting event whenever possible, sitting at the ringside to get a full view of the action. He also developed good friendships with the top sportsmen of the time.
- His father, Rai Bahadur Chunilal Kohli, had no confidence in his son's ability. However, one day, Madan invited him to a preview of a completed Aankhen (1950). Afterwards, he didn't say a word until he was about to leave: "Son, you have proved that you not only know music, but have musical feelings. I am convinced that you have chosen the right career. I shall pray for your success." Two months later, Rai Bahadur passed away - he claimed that while he never regretted anything in life, in those few moments he expressed a genuine regret for not giving his son a chance in one of his own productions.
- When Madan arrived in Bombay to make a mark on his own, he initially shared rooms with various friends, including producer Ramanand Sagar, Sajjan, O.P. Dutta and Chandrashekhar Vaidya.
- His sisters daughter is actress Anju Mahendru.
- Son Sameer Kohli born in 1961.
- Son Sanjeev Kohli born in 1956.
- Daughter Sangeeta Kohli born in 1954.
- Grandson is Akshay Kohli ( Son of Sanjeev Kohli).
- Always mistaken for Madan Mohan Saigal (Son of singer K.L.Saigal). This is due to both having the same name.
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