Remembering one of Hindi cinema’s most prominent singers, Mahendra Kapoor, on his 85th birth anniversary today.

Mahendra Kapoor is one among the most prominent singers of the golden era of Hindi film music. Over the course of his five-decade-long career, Mahendra Kapoor sang thousands of songs and established a place for himself in the annals of Hindi film music.

Though he had a fairly successful career as a playback singer, Mahendra Kapoor never really got his due as he should have. Coming in to the film industry at a time when the likes of Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar and Kishore Kumar were well established and ruled the roost, Mahendra Kapoor nevertheless created his own space and distinct individualistic style but, unfairly, was always considered a rung lower than them.

This gifted singer will always be remembered for songs like Chalo Ek Baar Phir se (Gumrah (1963)), Neele Gagan Ke Tale (Humraaz (1967)), Mere Desh Ki Dharti (Upkar (1967)) and Hai Preet Jahan Ki Reet Sada (Purab Aur Paschim (1970)) among countless others.