Mahendra Kapoor was an Indian playback singer, best known for songs like "Mere Desh Ki Dharti" and "Bharat Ka Rehne Wala Hoon." Let’s revisit his exclusive throwback interview with Lehren. In this interview, Mahendra Kapoor reveals that the legendary singer Mohammed Rafi was his inspiration, not a competitor. He also talks about how he got his major break in Hindi cinema, the Murphy Singing Talent Hunt competition, and his first pop album with then-Pakistani sensation Musarrat Nazir. #mahendrakapoor #mahendrakapoorsongs #musarratnazir #podcast
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00:00O love, the way of the world is always, O love, the way of the world is always, I sing the songs of that place.
00:15I am a resident of India, I tell the story of India. O love, the way of the world is always.
00:27Pehla break mujhe, mila ji All India Singing Competition hua tha, Metro Murphy Competition.
00:34To usme I stood first and there were five judges, all top music directors.
00:42Jaise Naushad sahib, Madan Mohan ji, phir Sriram Chandra ji, Vasant Desai ji, Anil Vishwas ji.
00:50To in paancho ne, to condition ye thi ke bhi jo jeetega, usko kuch na kuch kaam denge.
00:58Ya ek gaana denge, ya duet denge, ya do line gawaye agar ghabra jaaye wo.
01:03To luckily I got ample of songs from everyone.
01:08Naushad sahib ne mujhe Soni Mahiwal mein gawaaya poora daana, phir Sriram Chandra ji ne Navrang mein gawaaya.
01:16Aadha Hai Chandrama, Radha Dhi aur Shyamal Shyamal Baran, takreeman poori picture mein gayai.
01:23Phir aise karke sab ne, they all gave me good work.
01:29Kaunse artist ke liye aapne zyada playback singing ki hai?
01:33Sab ke liye kiya, maine Manoj ji ke liye kiya hai, Manoj Kumar ji ke liye phir Sunil Dutt ji ke liye kiya hai,
01:39Dilip sahib ke liye kiya hai, Rajesh Khanna ji ke liye kiya hai, Amitabh ji ke liye kiya hai, sab ke liye kiya hai.
01:47But you are always the favourite of Mr. Mohammad Rafi?
01:51Aanji?
01:52Mohammad Rafi sahib ke aap hamesha favourite rahe hain?
01:55Aanji, aanji, aanji.
01:56Aap unko imitate karte the, ya wo aapke idol the?
02:00No, he was just my idol, just my inspiration.
02:08To aapne kabhi aisa nahi socha ki aap, jis tarah se Rafi sahib gaate hain, main unko imitate karun, ya unki?
02:15You see, kya ho jata hai Jaggi ji, main Rafi sahib ke haan jaya karta tha, jab main chhota tha, 12-13 saal ka, unse seekhne ke liye.
02:26To, wo khud mujhe kaha karte the, kabhi mujhe follow kaha tak karoge tum?
02:32Tumko classical music seekhne chahiye, to have your own image, to have your own style, to phir maine wo shuru kar diya seekhna.
02:41Aur unki blessing se I got my own style and although he was my idol, but I had my own style and my own way of singing.
02:57Who were yours guru?
02:59Bahut se the, jaise shuru mein Manhar Poddar ji the, phir uske baad Niaz Ahmed Fayaz Ahmed Khan sahib the, phir unke baad Abdul Rehman Khan sahib the, phir Tulsidas Sharma ji the, phir abhi bhi main seekh raha hoon, Shukla ji hain, unse seekh raha hoon.
03:23Aur Pandit Hosanlal ji the, wohi mere guru the, bas aise karke sabse mein seekh raha hoon.
03:32Aap apni iss journey ko kaise define karenge, us zamane ke Mahendra Kapoor sahib jab naye naye aaye the, aur aaj jo ek naam ban gaya hai?
03:43Jaggi ji hummesha I feel, I remember Shantaram ji used to tell me, ke bhi dekho Mahendra jab tak tum student rahoge, apni art ke, you will go on working.
03:57The day you think that you have become a teacher, your art will stop, your development of the art will stop.
04:04Toh main toh student hi hoon aur main humesha roz hi seekhta hoon, koi na koi nahi cheez.
04:11Abhi kya seekh rahe hoon aap?
04:13Abhi main classical seekh raha hoon, abhi bhi.
04:16Kya aapko yaad hai us zamane ki baat, jab aapko pehli baar gaane ke liye bulaya gaya, aur kaha gaya aapko ye gaana gaana hai, ye geet hai, aur ye aapki orchestra.
04:27Tab kya aapka reaction tha, wo kaunsa gaana tha, kya thi wo baat?
04:31You see, pehla gaana jo mera tha, wo tha film Navrang se.
04:39Toh C. Ramchandra ji music director the, aur main jab pehli baar gaya wahan, toh unhone mujhe rehearsal karayi, chaar-paanch din rehearsal chalti rahi.
04:56Toh pehle din toh main bohot nervous tha, ke pata nahi kya gaana hoga, kaisa hoga.
05:02Lekin music director wo us zamane ki itne talented tha ye log.
05:10Ke ye log ko pata tha ke bhi singer ko kaise accommodate karna hai, kaise isko nervous nahi rakhna.
05:20Aur kaise samjhana hai, ke gaana kaise samajhna hai tumne.
05:24Toh unhone mujhe actually gaana sikhaya, ke bhi kaise samajhna music director sikhana.
05:29Toh wo dhire-dhire main, unke saath aapna waise hi hasna, khelna, ke bhi ye nervous nahi rahe.
05:38Toh kaise record hogaya, kya hogaya pata hi nahi chala.
05:44Lekin main bachman se Rafi saab ke saath jaya karta tha, unki recordings mein.
05:50Toh I was used to that atmosphere, you know.
05:53Us zamane ke gaane aur aaj ke gaane mein kya fark hai?
05:57Us zamane mein aisa tha ke log mehnat bohot karte the.
06:05Kyunke time bohot tha, hamesha ek gaane ke upar ek mehna, do mehne mehnat hoti thi.
06:13Writer ko kaafi time diya jaata tha, gaana likhne ke liye.
06:18Aur wo depth jo us kaam mein thi, ab wo depth itni rahi nahi.
06:26With due respects.
06:27Although aaj kal ke bhi bohot talented hain saab.
06:30Lekin wo waqt ki pabandi se, ke waqt ab hai nahi itna producers ke paas ya kisi ke paas intazaar karne ka.
06:38Ke do do mehne pehle record ho jayega na, ab koi nahi karta aisa hi.
06:43Toh iska reason kya hai? Because of the technology?
06:46I think reason could be because of the money involved.
06:51Yaha jaise ab dekhiye Subhash Ghai ji hain ya Yash Chopra ji hain.
06:57Yeh log hain, yeh log toh apna birjatiya concern hai.
07:04They can, they I think use the same formula which olden times ka formula tha.
07:11Ke they work on it, they have time, they give time to the writer to write.
07:17Isliye result in ka kaam mein, I feel isliye result bahut acha aata hai.
07:24Aapne lekin phir bhi apne aap ko patriotic aur ghazal par hi kyun rakha?
07:30Major aapka patriotic song hi raha hai.
07:35Jiggy ji ab funniest cheez yeh hai, ke zyada mene romantic gaane gaye hain.
07:43Jaise Gumrah mein, Hamraaz mein aur yeh sab pichron mein yeh Raat Firna aayegi.
07:51Major sahab ke gaane sab.
07:56Lekin ek chhaap jo lag jaati hai, logon ko jo pasand aata hai.
08:00Wo bhi aaye unko gaane bahut pasand.
08:02And patriotic zyada pasand aaye aur chale bhi bahut patriotic.
08:12Bas aise hi ho jaata hai, you don't realize ke what people will like.
08:20Aur kya orchestra aur studio waghaira ka fark bhi aajaata hai?
08:26Aaha bahaan bade studios hote hain, ab to orchestras rahe nahi.
08:31Ab to wo hi apna music feed karte hain aur record karke phir singer se gavate hain.
08:42To yaha bhi aise hi hai, private albums mein bhi aise hi hai.
08:46Ke directly orchestra ke saath to record hota nahi.
08:49Pehle music record hoti hai, phir singer gaata hai.
08:52Pehle zyada maza aata tha ya ab aata hai?
08:55Lekin pehle zyada maza aata tha.
08:57Pehle isli kyun ke live hota tha sab.
08:59Orchestras, orchestrasation hoti thi poori.
09:02Aur poore, matlab the orchestra used to follow the singer.
09:09Ab kya ho gaya ke orchestra record ho jaata hai
09:14and the singer has to go according to the rhythm of the song.
09:18If he wishes, he wishes kabhi ye thoda slow hota tha better tha.
09:23To wo mushkil ho jaata hai ab.
09:25Wo mood mein aane ke liye.
09:28Aisa ho jaata hai.
09:30Kaisa lag raha aaj aapko? Is stage par rehne ka?
09:34Oh I love it.
09:36I love everything.
09:38I am still yearning to learn more.
09:41Aur specially jab main stage bhi jaata hu
09:48aur interaction hoti hai with the audience.
09:50I love it.
09:51Aur aise interaction hoti hai with the soldiers when I go there
09:54to entertain my Indian jawans.
09:57Aur wahan bhi bahut maza aata hai.
10:00To ye interaction mein, ek stage shows ki
10:03interaction jo hai, audience ke saath bahut maza aata hai.
10:07Koi aapka ek favourite sa patriotic gaana gaakar batayiye.
10:14Favourite to sabhi hai gaane.
10:20Hai preet jahan ki reet sada
10:26Hai preet jahan ki reet sada
10:30Main geet wahan ke gaata hu
10:35Bharat ka rehne wala hu
10:39Bharat ki baat sunaata hu
10:42Hai preet jahan ki reet sada
10:47Kapoor ji, saamaanita aap ghazal ya phir deshbhakti gaana gaate hain.
10:52Par achanak aap pop singing ki tarab kyun chale gaye?
10:55Kya aapka koi pop star banne ka ab irada hai?
10:59Nahi Jaggi ji, actually you know I have
11:04I think I was the first one to sing the pop album
11:08which was M3
11:11which I and Musarrat from Pakistan
11:14we sang Boney M
11:17That was the first album which we had taken out
11:21by Polygram
11:23So that is why Polygram wanted me to sing these songs
11:26So I recorded that in London
11:29Boney M, which people liked a lot
11:32What was that album? Tell us about it
11:35Boney M ke gaane the jo Hindi me
11:39Amit Khanna ji ne likhe the, bade achche likhe the
11:42Aur London me hum logon ne record kiye the wo gaane
11:46Jaise main aapko sunao toda sa wo tha
11:49Rani
11:52Kal kyun aayi teri yaad
11:56Rani
11:59Haan mujhe bohot dino ke baad
12:03Kuch aisa laga, soya hua dard
12:06Kuch aisa laga, soya hua dard
12:10Kuch aisa jaga, aisa jaga
12:13Rani aayi yaad
12:16Toh tu bhi aaja
12:20Mahendra ji, kya aapko nahi lagta ki aaj ki humaari filmon me kuch missing hai?
12:24Kya ji?
12:25Jaise pehle ke zamane me jo filme banti thi
12:28Aaj waise nahi banti
12:30Nahi aaj bhi banne ko dekhiye
12:32Datta sahab ne kitni achchi pichar banayi
12:34Yeh Border
12:36Bahut achchi pichar banayi hunne
12:39Jo itni chali wo pichar
12:42Toh mujhe nahi lagta
12:44I think
12:47Jo aap public ko den
12:50Aur public accept kargi agar achcha hoga toh
12:53Patriotism ho
12:55Ya romantic pichar ho
12:58Ya kisi type ki pichar ho
13:00Achchi banne chahiye
13:02That is very important
13:03Aap kis tarah ki filme dekhte hain?
13:06Aap kis tarah ki filme pasan ka?
13:08Main toh har tarah ki pichar dekhta hu
13:10Wish you all the success
13:12Thank you very much
13:17Thank you