Mahendra Kapoor

Mahendra Kapoor stands among the leading playback vocalists during the Golden Age of Hindi film music, where signature numbers such as "Chalo Ek Baar Chalo" and "Neele Gagan Ke Taale" elevated his fame to match that of the actors who lip-synced his voice. He entered the world on January 9, 1934, in Amritsar, India, yet passed the greater part of his early years in Mumbai after claiming first place in the nationwide youth talent competition. That achievement drew the notice of director Raja Nawathe, who gave him a role in the 1958 production Sohni Mahiwal. The following year, composer Ramchandra Chitalkar chose him to sing the standout track "Aadha Hai Chandrama Raat Aadhi" for Navrang, propelling Kapoor into the uppermost tier of Bollywood vocalists.

Even measured against Bollywood’s broad expectations, Kapoor displayed remarkable range by recording in numerous regional tongues in addition to his primary Hindi output. Within Marathi cinema he became the favored voice for superstar Dada Kondke, and his catalog eventually surpassed 25,000 songs. Patriotic material became closely identified with him after he performed "Mere Desh Ki Dharthi" for Manoj Kumar’s 1968 film Upkaar, a rendition that also secured the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer.

Across a five-decade screen career Kapoor continued to register successes with the 1970 release "Iktara Bole," the 1975 track "Fakira Chal Chala Chal," and the 1981 song "Ab ke Baras." Although he worked with scores of directors, his longest and most productive association was with B.R. Chopra on titles that included Dhool Ka Phool in 1959, Gumrah in 1963, Waqt in 1965, and Dhund in 1973. Beginning in 1980 he appeared chiefly in modest Punjabi- and Bhojpuri-language pictures, while joining son Rohan for concert tours throughout India and abroad. The Indian government later bestowed the Padmashri Award upon him, and the government of Madhya Pradesh presented the Lata Mangeshkar Award. Declining health marked his final period, culminating in a fatal heart attack during sleep on September 27, 2008.