Bollywood Retrospect: Top 10 songs that set Mukesh apart

Mukesh may not have had a mass fan following like Mohammed Rafi or Kishore Kumar but is still considered just as important an artist as them in the annals of Hindi film music. His voice is inextricably linked to Raj Kapoor’s films and is identified as the voice of melancholy in Hindi films for over 3 decades. The deep timbre and the nasal quality of his voice lent itself exceedingly well to heartbreak songs of many generations. It was also this specialty that held him back from becoming a singer with mass appeal.

In this post, I talk about Mukesh’s singing career through 10 of his songs for 10 different music directors.

Anil Biswas - Jeevan Sapna Toot Gaya (Anokha Pyar, 1948)

Introduced to the film world by his uncle, actor Motilal, Mukesh started his career as a singer-actor for “Nirdosh” (1941). In the early years, while his acting career sagged, his singing career took off with Anil Biswas’ “Dil Jalta Hai To Jalne De” (Pehli Nazar, 1945). It was Anil Biswas’ guidance that led to Mukesh losing the Saigal influence in “Dil Jalta Hai..” and developing his own sonorous voice. By the time Mukesh sang “Jeevan Sapna Toot Gaya” for Anil Biswas, he’d developed the voice that he would come to be known for in the decades to come.

Shankar – Jaikishan – Hum Tujhse Mohabbat Karke Sanam (Awara, 1951)

If Anil Biswas helped Mukesh develop his voice, Raj Kapoor and Shankar-Jaikishan launched him as one of the leading singers in the Hindi film industry. Mukesh was an integral part of the team behind the musical success of Barsaat (1949) and became the default singing voice of Raj Kapoor for the rest of his career. Raj Kapoor heard in Mukesh’s voice the simplicity of his own onscreen persona and an unmatched ability to tug at the audiences’ heartstrings. One of Mukesh’s songs for Raj Kapoor and Shankar-Jaikishan that showcase these traits of his voice is “Hum Tujhse Mohabbat Karke Sanam” from Awara (1951).

Mukesh - Kise Yaad Rakhoon Kise Bhool Jaaoon (Anuraag, 1956)

His rapid rise as a playback singer in the early 1950s notwithstanding, Mukesh developed an acting itch that he just could not resist scratching. This itch and some poor career decisions rising from it nearly derailed his career. A strange non-compete clause he signed with the producers of Mashooqa – in which he played the lead role – resulted in him walking out of Shree 420 (1955) after singing two songs. Between 1955 and 1957, Mukesh sang only 20 film songs, two of which were for Anuraag, a film he produced, composed music for and played the lead role in. Unfortunately for Mukesh, Mashooqa was a failure and Anuraag was never released. It was probably for the best that Mukesh returned to his singing career but listening to “Kise Yaad Rakhoon” from Anuraag, once wonders why he never made music again.

Khayyam - Cheen-O- Arab Hamara Hindustan Hamara (Phir Subha Hogi, 1958)

Mukesh sang only a handful of songs for Khayyam but they were of such high quality that their partnership deserves a spot in this list. It was Khayyam who delivered Mukesh’s biggest hit in the last year of his life with Kabhi Kabhie (1976). “Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein” tends to corner a little too much attention when we talk about Mukesh, Khayyam and Sahir Ludhianvi. As a result, people tend to overlook a film album that distills their greatness like no other album has - Phir Subha Hogi (1958). My pick from the film is the brilliant “Cheen-O- Arab Hamara Hindustan Hamara” that barely disguises Sahir’s acerbic satire with a veneer of understated charm.

Dattaram - Dil Dhoondhta Hai Sahare Sahare (Kala Aadmi, 1960)

The year 1958 was critical in Mukesh’s career. It saw him recover from his acting career setback and re-establish himself as a leading playback singer in the industry. A handful of hits helped him do so and one of them was Dattaram Wadkar’s “Aansoo Bhari Hain Yeh Jeevan Ki Raahen” (Parvarish). Since this song has already featured earlier in this series, here’s another pick of Mukesh for Dattaram – “Dhi Dhoondhta Hai Sahare Sahare”.

Madan Mohan - Bhooli Hui Yaadon Mujhe Itna Na Sataao (Sanjog, 1963)

One of the song formats Mukesh excelled in was the ghazal. His fondness for the genre reflected in his work outside the film industry. Some of his best work was in non-film ghazals recorded by him. It is therefore a little surprising that the King of Ghazals, Madan Mohan, recorded less that ten songs in Mukesh’s voice. My pick – “Bhooli Hui Yaadon Mujhe Itna Na Satao”.

S.D. Burman – O Janewale Ho Sake To Laut Ke Aana (Bandini, 1963)

One of my most favorite Mukesh songs is “O Janewale Ho Sake To Laut Ke Aana”. Mukesh didn’t have Kishore Kumar’s brilliance or Rafi’s singing ability but used his voice timbre and subtlety to devastating effect. One of my favorite bits in the song is the slight inflection in Mukesh’s voice when he sings “Hai bhed yeh kaisa koi kuchh to bataana” in the second stanza. Maybe he recognized his limitations and played on his strengths. Maybe he recognised that while working with brilliant artists like S.D. Burman and Shailendra, less could be more.

Roshan – Tum Agar Mujhko Na Chaaho To (Dil Hi To Hai, 1963)

Roshan was one of the few music directors who consistently made good use of Mukesh’s voice. Tellingly, the beginning and end Roshan’s career were punctuated by scores that relied heavily on Mukesh – Bawre Nain (1950) and Anokhi Raat (1968). In my pick from Mukesh songs for Roshan – “Tum Kisi Aur Ko Chaahogi” – Mukesh exhibited a flair and an impish charm that he didn’t get a chance to emote in songs very often.

Kalyanji – Anandji – Jo Tumko Ho Pasand Wohi Baat Kaheng (Safar, 1970)

Kalyanji – Anandji recorded the most songs with Mukesh after Shankar – Jaikishan. Mukesh’s most popular songs may have been for Shankar – Jaikishan but his work for Kalyanji – Anandji resulted in a mix of songs that was possibly more varied and that got the best out of Mukesh as a singer. To Kalyanji – Anandji’s credit, they looked beyond Mukesh’s typecast and got him to sing songs like “Jo Tumko Ho Pasand” that in 1970 made eminently more sense in Kishore Kumar’s voice.

Salil Chowdhury - Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye (Anand, 1970)

Salil Chowdhury was another hugely important composer in Mukesh’s career. Like Kalyanji – Anandji, Salil da also did not care much about the audiences’ notions of the kind of songs that Mukesh’s voice suited. Some of Mukesh’s best songs for Salilda were light ("Yeh Din Kya Aaye"), sunny (“Maine Tere Liye Hi Saat Range Ke Sapne Chune”) and downright exuberant (“Haal Chaal Theek Thaak Hai”). Even Salil Chowdhury’s heartbreak song for Mukesh, “Nain Hamare Saanjh Sakaare”, is exquisitely pretty and oddly uplifting. This strange ability of a song to convey a glimmer of redemption beyond the obvious sorrow can be heard in another Salil Chowdhury-Yogesh- Mukesh song – “Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye”. Kishore Kumar may have been the voice of Rajesh Khanna but in Anand (1971), nobody could have matched Mukesh.

A bigger list of Mukesh’s most popular songs can be found here.