Subhash K Jha celebrates noted actor Raj Kumar by sharing a special playlist of some of his best musical sequences focussing not only on the performance by the actor, but also the brilliance of these songs.
1. ‘Neele gagan ke taley’ (Humraaz):
Raj Kumar’s rough-and-tough image often came in the way of his singing on screen. Not many know that this evergreen Mahendra Kapoor number was filmed on Raj Kumar. But he didn’t lip-sync it. It was placed in the background while RK wooed the stoic Vimi. Weirdly Sunil Dutt who also had a macho image got to lip-sync several songs.
2. ‘Yeh duniya yeh mehfil’ (Heer Ranjha):
Thankfully, director Chetan Anand allowed RK to lip-sync this Mohammad Raf-Madan Mohan memorabilia , with devastating impact. Heart-stopping thoughts on heartbreak.
3. ‘Hiya jarat raat din’ (Godaan):
It’s not everyday that an actor gets to lip-sync a song composed by the Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar. Mukesh gave voice to this ‘unsung’ gem. Raj Kumar gave it soul.
4. ‘Yeh zulf agar khul ke bikhar jaye’ (Kajal):
Sodden and poetic, Raj Kumar was a crowd-pleaser in this beautifully composed Ghazal where his object of adoration was the lovely mujrewali played by Helen. Rafi Saab considered it among his own favourites.
5. ‘Kis terah jeete hain log’ (Nai Roshni):
You would never catch Raj Kumar singing frivolous flirtatious songs on screen. This ruminative reflective composition embodies the core of the actor’s image. Sombre, always probing, never a part of the crowd.
6. ‘Tujhko pukare mera pyar’ (Neel Kamal):
Mohammad Rafi gave a completely new interpretation to the concept of the ghost voice in this song. Raj Kumar played a ghost singing and wooing Waheeda Rehman through many lives.
7. ‘Jo guzar rahi hai mujh par’ (Mere Huzoor):
An extraordinarily poignant wails-pitch , again sung by Rafi Saab and voiced on screen in the anguished presence of Raj Kumar. Again, Raj Kumar stood apart from the conventional romantic song routine.
8. ‘Har teraf bass yehi afsane hain’ (Hindustan Ki Kasam):
To stand out in a film that featured one of Lataji’s finest Hai tere saath meri wafaa, was not easy. But Manna Dey made sure Raj Kumar broke free from his sullen image and was projected as a romantic hero in this mesmeric Madan Mohan melody.
9. ‘Jao jao tum bhi jao’ (Dil Ka Raja):
This is not a song. It is a warning! In this Rafi number, Raj Kumar is projected as a loner, a man who depends on none and expects nothing from anyone. It is the actor’s signature tune.
10. ‘Simti hui yeh ghadiyan’ (Chambal Ki Kasam):
The oddest romantic pair of all times Raj Kumar and Moushumi Chatterjee crooning this exquisite Khayyam number in the impeccable vocals of Lataji and Rafi Saab… wonders never cease!
