Mukesh Keeping his movies alive

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart… Mukesh, the legendary singer who passed away in action during a show in Detroit on August 27, 1976, still lives on in the hearts and the arts. He may have sung only around 1000 songs in his career that began in 1941 with Nirdosh (in which he was also the hero), but most are embalmed forever within us.

Today, he may ironically be known to GenY mainly as actor Neil Nitin Mukesh's grandfather, but music buffs will never forget the magic he lent to all his songs, rising beyond his dominant images as the voice of Raj Kapoor and alternatively the torchbearer of the 'sad' song.

Mukesh's simple melodies were so timeless that today they are often the prime, if not the only, reason why so many films are 'alive' in our memories. Here's looking at 37 such songs in keeping with his 37th death anniversary. Will this compilation ever be issued as a memorable album? Time will tell!

Mukesh's breakthrough song, 'Dil Jalta Hai To Jalne Do' (Pehli Nazar / 1945) itself illustrates this phenomenon. Who knows or remembers anything else about this film? Let's get real: who remembers the film for any reason other than this Anil Biswas composition sung by Mukesh?

And that was Mukesh's charismatic and eternal gift to Hindi films: like Raj Kapoor's Aag (1948) is recalled today only for Ram Ganguly's composition 'Zinda Hoon Iss Tarah'.

After Barsaat and Andaz (cult films with chartbusting Mukesh-dominated music) in 1949, Mukesh became a huge name, and two more hit films that were Mukesh-fests are known only for their music today – Bawre Nain (1950) and Malhar (1951) both composed by Roshan. And the standout 'Zinda' songs are the Mukesh-Geeta Dutt duet 'Khayaalon Mein Kisike' in the former film and 'Tara Toote Duniya Dekhe' in the latter.

Mukesh, incredibly, has even kept a lesser Bimal Roy-Dilip Kumar film alive – Yahudi – with the brilliant 'Yeh Mera Diwanapan Hai'. The Raj Kapoor-heavy jubilee, Parvarish, is primarily mentioned today for its classic Dattaram litany, 'Aansoo Bhari Hai Yeh Jeevan Ki Raahen'.

The small-budget Rani Rupmati comes to memory only because of the haunting 'Aa Laut Ke Aaja Mere Meet'. And S.N. Tripathi, its classicist composer, helped Mukesh explode the myth about his limited vocal range with the perennial 'Jhoomti Chali Hawaa' from Sangeet Samrat Tansen later.

The 1960s were a Mukesh goldmine indeed, and the first year itself saw the singer lend those touches of (perennial) class to 'Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein', the classic title-track of Usha Khanna's Hum Hindustani, 'Chal Ri Sajni' – a rare S.D. Burman-Mukesh beauty that has kept Bambai Ka Babu alive in contemporary memory, 'Saranga Teri Yaad Mein', inarguably Sardar Malik (Anu Malik's father)'s best-known song and 'Mujhko Iss Raat Ki Tanhai Mein', the Kalyanji-Anandji hit in Dharmendra's debut film Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere.

That infectious inflection could spread so instantly that it only gained potency with more films in the '60s and '70s, when a lot of films saw Mukesh come in only for the one 'sad' number and overshadow his giant colleagues Lata, Rafi and Kishore who had equal or more songs!

Kalyanji-Anandji themselves placed a lot of trust in Mukesh, whether it was in 'Jis Dil Mein Basaa Tha Pyar Tera' (Saheli) or the Rafi-fest that was Dil Ne Pukara, wherein Mukesh outclassed multiple Rafi numbers in enduring appeal with just one stunner, 'Waqt Karta Jo Wafaa'.

Like Rafi, Mukesh never discriminated between small and big 'work' (as in films or composers). Together, they were the mainstay of the small film Milap (composed by Brij Bhushan) and Thokar (scored by Shamji Ghanashamji). The first film saw Mukesh score with 'Kayi Sadiyon Se' over Rafi's 'Kahin Aisa Na Ho', while the other had Rafi's 'Apni Aankhon Mein Basaakar' get an edge over Mukesh's 'Main Dhoondta Hoon Jisko', but the fact remained that all four songs were chartbusting flag-bearers that have since kept these two flops in public memory for over four decades!

And like S.D. Burman, Madan Mohan and Ravi too used Mukesh sparingly but to good effect, and Mukesh reciprocated with his pristine rendition of 'Bhooli Hui Yaadon' from Madan Mohan's Sanjog and Ravi's 'Wafaa Jinse Ki Bewafa Ho Gaye' (Pyar Ka Sagar). Yes, both these scores had other greats including by Mukesh, but no one associates the film more than with these beautiful laments by the peerless Prince of Pathos!

Yet another rare composer for the singer was O.P. Nayyar, but if that magician ever gave a cult evergreen in his fading phase, it was Mukesh's 'Chal Akela Chal Akela' (Sambandh)! Nayyar's protege, Usha Khanna, however, always had a soft corner for the singer, and Mukesh repaid that debt by giving her two more humdingers, 'Chand Ko Kya Maloom' (Lal Bungla) and 'Barkha Rani' (Sabak).

It is said that the second song so hooked Shatrughan Sinha that he persuaded the filmmaker to shift it to him from another supporting artiste in the film who had lip-synched to it, and today it remains the only on-screen serenade by Sinha for his then-future wife Poonam Chandiramani!

Sonik-Omi too loved Mukesh's voice and 'Jinhein Hum Bhoolna Chahe' remains the reason for remembering the then-successful Aabroo today. Daan Singh and My Love live on because of their Mukesh beauties, of which arguably the most popular was 'Zikra Hota Hai Jab Qayamat Ka' (over the almost equally loved 'Woh Tere Pyar Ka Gham'). The brilliant solo, 'Yeh Kaun Chitrakaar Hai' (Boond Jo Ban Gaye Moti) remains Satish Bhatia's claim to fame even more than the transiently popular Mukesh-Suman duet 'Haan Maine PyarK.

The '70s were predominantly the domain of Laxmikant-Pyarelal, R.D. Burman and Kalyanji-Anandji after the exit from glory of Shankar-Jaikishan, Ravi, O.P. Nayyar and S.D. Burman, but their common challenger was Rajesh Roshan, and it was for him that Mukesh vocalized his breezy duet with Asha Bhosle in Tumhari Kasam, 'Hum Dono Milke Kagaz Pe Dil Ke', filmed on Navin Nischol, which is all that remains in memory today about that film!

The singer also delivered two more lasting numbers for the same actor: Shankar-Jaikishan's 'Jeevan Bhar Dhoonda Jisko' in Nadaan and R.D. Burman's 'Zindagi Meiu Aap Aaye' (with Vani Jairam) in Chhalia. But the true RD-Mukesh biggie was that sole chartbuster from the Dharam Karam score, 'Ek Din Bik Jaayega'.

And Kalyanji-Anandji continued to harness the Mukesh mystique as always, whether it was in 'Chandi Ki Deewaar' (Vishwas) that towered over its other popular numbers, 'Darpan Kdekha' (Upaasna) and finally in that definitive passion saga of a song that was released in 1977 after the singer's exit – 'Chahe Aaj Mujhe Napasand Karo' from Darinda!

Laxmikant-Pyarelal had their share of winners too in the '70s, beginning with that classic evergreen 'Jyot Se Jyot Jagaate Chalo' (Sant Gyaneshwar) and moving on to 'Duniya Se Jaanewale' (Pushpanjali), 'Dheere Dheere Bol' (Gora Aur Kala), 'Taaron Mein Sajke' (Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli) and – last but not the least by any yardstick – 'Ek Hasrat Thi Ke Aanchal Ka Mujhe Pyar Mile' in that small 1975 film Zindagi Aur Toofan.

And it is here that we must mention that Mukesh was the solo male singer in the 1971 Jal Bin…, with which Hindi film music saw its first quantum leap into the new-age as India's first film soundtrack recorded in Stereophonic Sound!

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more