PROPONENTS of classical music say it is essential to have some learning in this genre of music even for those who just wish to confine singing light songs. I endorse the view as practising classical singing, not necessarily ragas, enables the singer to apply correct notes, while singing light songs.

On the contrary, there are several examples of playback singers who became popular film singers without any training in classical singing. These include Ahmad Rushdi, Masood Rana and Mujeeb Alam in Pakistan and Kishore Kumar and Mukesh in India. All of them have been pop singers in their respective countries. In fact, playback singing is a unique field in which requirements of success are quite different from those of classical singing. Someone criticised the singing prowess of K. L. Saigal before Ustaad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan but was snubbed by the latter, who said that had he possessed the same voice as that of Saigal, he would have been the greatest classical singer of all times.

Mukesh, whose 41st death anniversary falls on Aug 27, was one of the leading playback singers of India. However, the type of voice which he possessed was highly suitable for film songs and he could never have sung ragas. Mukesh had the tinge of sadness in his voice and his forte was singing sad songs but he would do equal justice to hilarious songs.

Mukesh sang hundreds of songs during his association with the film world from 1945 to 1976. It is difficult to select a few of his songs for reference but the following will give an idea of his singing stature:

Tu kahe agar (Film: Andaz); Mujh ko is raat ki tanhai mein (Dil bhi tera, ham bhi tere); Waqt karta jo wafa (Dil ne pukara); Chand ahen bharayga (Phool banay angaray); Ansoo bhari hein (Parvarish); Saranga tere yaad mein (Saranga) and Mera joota hae japani (Shree 420).

Mukesh was known to have a limited voice range but he negated this view by displaying wide singing range in the song “Jane kahan gaye woh din” in “Mera naam joker”. It is ironical that in 1975, he sang poet Majrooh Sultanpuri’s, “Ek din bik jayega maati ke mol, jug mein reh jayenge pyaray tere bol” (One day you will be sold out at the price of dust, leaving behind in the world your beautiful words) for Raj Kapoor’s film “Dharam Karam” and died a year later.

Parvez Rahim

Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2017