Obituary | How Bhupinder Singh remains one of India’s most significant cultural icons

The multifaceted Bhupinder Singh might not have been the greatest singer of his generation or even the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of playback singing. Yet, the chances of his songs being the ones associated with an era are high. Some of his songs such as ‘ Dil dhoondta hai’ from Mausum (1975), ‘Ek akela iss shehar mein’ from Gharonda (1977), ‘Thodi si zameen’ from Sitara (1980), ‘Karoge yaad’ from Bazaar (1982), and ‘Kisi nazar ko’ from Aitbaar (1985) have come to be identified with the 1970s and 1980s. Additionally, his contribution as a guitarist on epoch-making tracks including ‘Dum Maro Dum’ from Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), ’Chura liya hai’ from Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), ‘Mehbooba’ from Sholay (1975), ‘Chalte Chalte’ from Chalte Chalte (1976) and ‘Tum jo mil gaye ho’ from Hanste Zakhm (1973) makes his contribution indelible. Singh’s mellifluous voice was unique and made him stand apart in the pantheon of the all-time great male singers that dominated Hindi playback singing from the 1960s to the 1980s, but it was also the new ground he broke in the world of ghazals both as a vocalist and composer that make him legendary in more ways than one. Born in either 1939 or 1940, depending on the source of information, Bhupinder Singh’s father, Prof Natha Singh, a trained vocalist, was his first teacher. Young Bhupinder displayed a great potential and learnt to play the guitar and violin as well and legend has it that music composer Madan Mohan heard him at a party and invited him to Bombay. Singh’s first big hit was ‘ Ho ke majboor mujhe ussne bulaya hoga’ from Haqeeqat (1964) where he shared the microphone with much-established and successful Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mahmood and Manna Dey. Singh also sang ‘Hothon par aisi baat’ in Jewel Thief (1967) composed by SD Burman. Around this time, Bhupinder Singh also forayed in non-film albums and is widely recognised as introducing Western instruments like the Spanish guitar and drums as part of the arrangement in ghazals. One of the factors that helped a playback singer attain popularity beyond the usual scope was his/her association with a star — the more successful a star became, the more popular the playback singer. Unlike a Rafi or a Kishore Kumar, who became the go-to choice for most upcoming male actors in the 1970s and 1980s, Bhupinder Singh wasn’t lucky to hitch his wagon with a new star. Singh sang for much-established stars such as Sanjeev Kumar, rendered classics such as ‘Beete na beetayi raina’ in Parichay (1972) and ‘Meri awaaz hi pehchaan’ in Kinara (1977) for Jeetendra, and many popular numbers for Amol Palekar, the ‘other’ kind of hero of the decade, but largely remained out of the inner sanctum. He could be called for that one exquisite song, many of them that were perhaps unimaginable in anyone else’s voice, and transform the song into a gem — ‘ Machalke jab bhi aankhon se’ in Griha Pravesh (1979), ‘ Zindagi tum mera saath dena’ from Bedard (1982), and ‘ Yeh kis bandhan mein’ Doosri Dulhan (1982) to name a few. In the early 1980s, Bhupinder gave Mithun Chakraborty one of his most iconic songs – ‘ Thodi se zameen’ in Sitara (1980) with as much ease as belting out the seminal ‘Kisi nazar ko’ from Aitbaar (1985) for Suresh Oberoi for equal ease. The former became more associated with Disco Dancer kind of image and the latter went on to become a successful villain, which in other words meant that Singh couldn’t sing for either. Bhupinder could sing with as much gusto for a leading man, a ‘character’ artist such as Saeed Jaffery in Masoom (1982) —  Huzoor iss kadar’ as he would for a Malayalam film, ‘ Rasiya mann behka ye’ in Manju (1983). Through the 1980s, Singh remained a regular force in the Hindi playback business but focused more on ghazals and live performances with his better half, Mitali Mukherjee. In the late 1980s, Gulzar decided to make Mirza Ghalib, a long cherished dream, and his choice of singers to infuse life into the words of Ghalib and his bete noire, Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq, brought two of India’s most popular ghazal singers together. While Jagjit Singh became the voice of Ghalib, Bhupinder rendered Ustad Zauq’s poetry, especially ‘Lai hayat aae_qaza le chali chale_’ with such passion that an entire generation rediscovered him. Bhupinder Singh’s last big film hit was ‘ Badalon se’ from Satya (1998), penned by Gulzar and composed by Vishal Bhardwaj. Bhupinder Singh’s legacy isn’t limited to just songs he sang or memorable guitar riffs that he strummed; his subtle presence in some of the most identifiable moments, such as Pakeezah’s ‘Chalte chalte’ where he played the guitar is too wide and deep. Bhupinder Singh remains one of India’s most significant cultural icons. The writer is a film historian. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.