Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Mukesh and Raj Kapoor.


Mukesh and Raj Kapoor.

By: CR Chatterji.

Mukesh was one of the respectable characters of bollywood films in the 50s, 60s and 70s. He created an image for himself and was mostly associated with cultured performances during the golden age. His voice suited Raj Kapoor the most and both of them had provided unforgettable records for future generations.

Songs like “aja re” from the film Aah, picturised on RK and composed by Shankar Jaikishan has not lost their appeal even today. Most of the songs of Anari, composed by SJ like “kisiki muskurahato pe ho nisar”, “ sub kuch sikha humne”, etc., became everlasting hits.

Mukesh’s performance in the film Phir Subha Hogi, composed by Khayyam and picturised on RK including “who subha kabhi to ayegi”, “phir na kije yeh gustakh”, etc., were appreciated due to their tragic andaz. Also the song “aanso bhari hai” from Parvarish, composed by Dattaram became successful.

“a ab laut chale”, and “mera naam raju” from the film Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, composed by SJ became extremely successful. Also “chaliya mera naam” and “dum dum diga diga” from Chalia, composed by Kalyanji Anandji became hits.

Songs from Teesri Kasam, carried the folk effect, with SJ creating tunes based on the folklore of villages of UP. Songs of Mukesh like “duniya bananewale”, “sajanwa bairi”, “sajan re jhoot mat bolo”, impressed the viewers with strong lyrics written by Shailendra.

SJ’s experiments in the film Diwana, were also successful. Mukesh probably sang all the songs in the film including “ai sanam jisne tujhe”, “pateka baat kahega”, “tumhare bhi jai jai”, “taron se pyare”, etc. Also the songs in the film Around the World like “duniya ki sair kar lo” were equally successful.

Songs of Sangam and Mera Naam Joker sung by Mukesh and composed SJ had become masterpieces over a period of time. The songs and the films should be restored for their musical value.

3 comments:

Supriya said...

The other notable songs of RK and Mukesh include "awara hoon", "dam bhar jo udhar mu phere" from Awara.Also songs from Dulha Dulhan, Dil Hi To Hai, were hits.
Supriya Chatterji.

Unknown said...

Raj Kapoor was so popular in the 50s and 60s, that Mukesh, by primarily singing in his films, became a leading singer in that age after Rafi. Besides, Shankar Jaikishan used all the potentials of Mukesh to their fullest extent in RK films.
CR Chatterji.

Rumi said...

Mukesh also sang melodious songs for Raj Kapoor in the film Kanhaiya, Ek Dil Sau Afsana, where SJ had composed the music for the films. The songs are also known for their classic orchestration.
Rumi Chatterji.