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Filmmaker-actor Raj Kapoor and singer Mukesh had a strong bond when they started their career in the 1940s, and years after they became stars, the bond continued to flourish. Sameer Udesh Sharma, grandson of the late legendary singer Mukesh, recently opened up about his grandfather’s deep bond with Raj Kapoor — a friendship rarely seen in the Hindi film industry. Sameer shared that Mukesh lent his voice to so many of Raj Kapoor’s songs that people often mistook it for Raj singing himself. In fact, Kapoor actually travelled with Mukesh to Russia so he could introduce him to his fans in USSR.
Sharing how Raj Kapoor once took Mukesh to Russia to introduce him to his fans, Sameer said, “My grandfather was a movie-star looker, and Raj Kapoor had told my grandfather to sing for him whenever he would make a film. They became friends. Raj Kapoor said, ‘Tu hi gaayega (You will only sing for me).’ In Moscow, Russia, people for the longest time thought that Raj Kapoor sang his own songs. Many years later, Raj Kapoor took Mukesh to Russia and told people that it wasn’t him but Mukesh singing all his songs.”
Before becoming a playback singer, Mukesh had tried his hand at acting but found himself out of work after his debut film Nirdosh flopped. “After this, I became a share broker, a dry-fruit seller, and did one thing after another as playback singing as a profession did not exist until 1942, when Debaki Bose began singing in Calcutta,” Mukesh had said in an interview with BBC Hindi. However, after his acting career failed to take off, Mukesh focused on singing, and his song “Dil Jalta Hai Toh Jalne De” became a massive hit.
He rose to fame after partnering with Raj Kapoor, beginning with Aag (1948). Kapoor famously declared, “Mukesh meri rooh hai!” (Mukesh is my soul!). Mukesh went on to lend his voice to iconic Kapoor films such as Barsaat (1949), Mera Naam Joker (1970), and many more.
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