This weekend I am writing about one versatile playback singer from Bollywood. Much has been written about Mohd. Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar, and I am not covering any of them in today’s blog. My choice for today’s blog is
Mahendra Kapoor
He came into film industry in 1957 by winning Metro- Murphy singing contest, where Bollywood’s famous Music Directors like Naushad, Anil Biswas, C Ramchandra, Vasant Desai and Madan Mohan were judge. These stalwarts chose him and Aarti Mukherjee as winner of the contest, where the participants had to sing non filmi songs in the open air ground.
Naushad and C Ramchandra were the first composers who recorded their songs in his voice. Naushad used him in 1958 film ‘ Sohoni Mahiwal’ and C Ramchandra recorded for 1959 film ‘Navrang’.Mahendra Kapoor used to consider Mohd Rafi as his Guru, and till end he used to say what ever he is today it is because of Rafi Saheb,as I have started singing by listening to songs of Rafiji. There were few producers , directors who for some reason were cut off with Rafi and for them Mahendra became an alternative voice.
One of the big Producer/Director BR Chopra after Naya Daur never used play back singing of Rafi, when he personally directed the movie, although his younger brother Yash Chopra and son Ravi Chopra used Rafi’s voice when they directed the films for BR productions. BR Chopra started promoting Mahendra Kapoor by giving him songs in Dhool Ka Phool, Dharamputra both films directed by Yash Chopra. But it was BR Chopra’s Gumraah which gave a fantastic boost to the career of Mahendra Kapoor and songs like ” Chalo Ek Bar Phir Se Ajnabi”,” Yeh Hawa Yeh hawa, Yeh Fiza Yeh Fiza”, “In Hawaon Mein” became super hit. For Chalo Ek Bar–he won his 1st Filmfare Award for best playback singer( that time there was no separate award for Male and female playback singer), when there was stiff competition from Rafi and Lata. There were many people from film industry who started using him to down Mohd Rafi, but till his last breath he never spoke any thing against Rafi, always consider Rafiji as his guru. It has been said that when Mahendra Kapoor won his first Filmfare award, it was Mohd Rafi who was first to congratulate him. In 1967, another BR Chopra directed film Humraaj gave further boost to his career.
There were many Music Directors who patronise Mahendra Kapoor like SN Tripathi, Shivram, C Ramchandra and to certain extent Kalyanji Anandji in later stages of their career. OP Nayyar started using Mahendra Kapoor’s voice after fall out with Mohd Rafi. Then there was Actor/Producer/Director Manoj Kumar who used Mahendra Kapoor’s voice regularly for songs picturised on him. It so happened that Manoj requested composer Naushad to dub the song already sung by Talat Mahmood in Mahendra’s voice, as his voice suits Manoj for the 1968 film Aadmi.
Mahendra Kapoor worked with all the Music Composers of that era like Shankar Jaikishan, Kalyanji Anandji, Laxmikant Pyarelal, Ravi, C.Ramchamndra, OP Nayyar, Chitragupt, Usha Khanna & others. It was rumored during those days that veteran composer Khayyam requested and pleaded with composers Jaidev and Madan Mohan to give songs to Mahendra Kapoor, but these two composers told Khayyam to keep his views on Mahendra to himself, and it is also rumored that this move of Khayyam was not liked by Rafi, who maintained that it is film’s director and composer ‘s choice to use the voice of playback singer depending upon the type of song. It is also known fact that composers like SD Burman, RD Burman, Jaidev, Madan Mohan never or rarely used Mahendra Kapoor’s voice for the songs composed by them, they prefer to work with Mohd Rafi.
Mahendra Kapoor gave play back to songs picturised on actors like Manoj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Biswajeet, Joy Mukherjee, Shashi Kapoor, Dharmendra,Jeetendra, Pran and others,lastly he even sang for Dilip Kumar in film Gopi, Dilip Kumar always used to prefer that his songs should be sung by Mohd Rafi.
He has also sang in many regional films like Marathi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Punjabi etc. He had a very large vocal range and he could sing at very high pitch, and sometimes known as The Vibrant voice of India. He was the first Indian playback singer to record music in English. He was asked by the group Boney M sing their songs in Hindi with Musarat from Pakistan, which resulted in Pop album M-3.
He won the Filmfare Award for Best Playback Singer-once, and Best Playback Singer (male)- twice. He also won national Film Award for Best Male Playback singer for song “Mere Desh Ki Dharti” from film Upkaar in 1968. He was awarded Padma Shri by Govt of India in 1972.
Some of his famous Hindi film songs are listed below
- Chand Chupa Aur Taare Dube, Raat Ghajab ki Aayi- Sohini Mahiwal
- Aaadha Hai Chandrama, Raat Aaadhi- Navrang
- Tere Pyar Ka Aasra Chahta Hoon- Dhool Ka Phool
- Chalo Ek Baar Phir Se Ajnabi Ban Jaayen Hum Dono- Gumraah
- In Hawaon Mein, In Fizaon Mein. Tujhko Mera Pyar Pukare-Gumraah
- Chod Kar Tere Pyar Ka Daman – Woh Kaun Thi
- Neele gagan Ke Tale, Dharti Ka PYar Phale- Humraaj
- No Mooh Chupa Ke Jiyo, Na Sar Jhuka Ke Jiyo-Humraaj
- Tum Agar Saath Dene Ka Waada Karo-Humraaj
- Mere Desh Ki Dhart Sona Ugle, Ugle Heere Moti- Upkaar
- Hai Preet Jahan Ki Reet Sada- Purab Aur Paschim
- Dil Ki Yeh Aarzoo Hai Koi Dilruba Mile-Nikaah
- Ramchandra Keh Gaye Siyase, Aisa Kalyug Aayega- Gopi
- Ek Tara Bole Tun Tun- Yaadgar
- Aur Nahin Bas Aur Nahin- Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan
- Fakira Chal Chala Chal-Fakira
- Mera Pyar Woh Hai Ke Jo Marke Bhi Tumko-Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi
- Yeh Kali Jab talak phool Banke khile- Aaye Din Baharke
- Din Hain Baharke, Tere Mere Ikrarke-Waqt
- Title Song-TV serial Mahabharat
On 27th Sept, 2008 Mahendra Kapoor died following a cardiac failure , in Mumbai, at the age of 74.
Waiting for your views/feed backs/comments.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
16th Nov, 2018