Fantastic Five : Top Actor - Singer Pairs

Hindi Films and their songs have been an integral part of modern Indian society. Indeed they form an important glue in joining the fabric of Indian society. There is one phenomenon which is peculiar to Indian film songs which is the fact that the singer and actor emoting the song could be different persons hence giving rise to the concept of the playback singer. Though this is prevelant in other societies too its all pervasive in the Indian context. And this has always fascinated me, as to how a voice matches a face so exactly, so much so that you percieve it to be the same person. In this edition of Fantastic Five' I profile five Actor-Singer pairs which best exemplifies this fact. So here goes...

1. Rajesh Khanna and Kishore Kumar
Legend goes that when Kishore kumar crooned 'Mere sapno ki rani' in Aradhana for Rajesh khanna people believed that Rajesh khanna was indeed singing it himself. That was the kind of face-to-voice rapport this pair had. No single Actor-Singer pair in hindi films before or since has been so prolific and they deserve the top billing. The number of solo hits given by this pair is endless covering all moods and situations. From the happy-go-luck 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar' to the melancholic 'Chingari koi bhadke' this pair had everything. Their careers also coincided with that of genial RD Burman who composed hit after hit to form somewhat of a holy trinity. Though the partnership lasted for a short while during the haydays of rajesh khanna's superstardom they gave memorable hits.

2. Shammi Kapoor and Mohd. Rafi
The tough part in choosing a face for Rafi was that he sang so brilliantly for all of them, imbibing their characteristics when rendering the songs. In an era when Rafi sang for everyone and everybody - from comedians to heroes , such was his versatility, Shammi Kapoor was the one actor he had the most hits with. In fact if it was Shammi on screen it had to be Rafi behind the mike, such was their chemistry. Probably it will be a good quiz question to ask some one to sing a Shammi kappor song not sung by rafi! The songs are plentiful with personal favourites being 'Tum mujhe yun bhula na paogi' and 'Asman se aaya farishtha' among others. A truly memorable pair.

3. Raj Kapoor and Mukesh
Mukesh was the third of the triumvirate that ruled hindi film music from the 50s - 70s. And where would Raj kapoor be without Mukesh? The question can be posed the other way round too such was their combination. Indeed they shared a great off-screen rapport too. So much so that when mukesh died raj kapoor reportedly said he had lost his soul and never acted in a film thereafter. The chemistry was so strong that its hard to imagine a Raj kapoor song without mukesh. Similar to the Rajesh khanna - Kishore - RD combo Mukesh and Raj kapoor had a very successful combination with music directors Shankar-Jaikishan. Starting from 'Dum dum diga diga' to 'Jeena yaha, marna yaha' they created some ever green melodies.

4. Amitabh Bachchan and Kishore Kumar
After the Rajesh khanna era the hindi filmdom got a new superstar in Amitabh Bachchan. Kishore kumar with his natural baritone voice was the automatic choice for him. Though this pair was not as prolific a the previous combination, they gave some awesome hits. The point to be observed is how Kishore kumar adapted to Amitabh's on screen persona and sang his songs so beutifully. Though Rafi and Mukesh sang a few of Amitabh's songs kishore was the main singer for Amitabh untill his death in 1987. The songs that one recollects instantly are 'Khai ke Paan Banaras wala' and 'My name is Antony Gonzalves' and many others.

5. Salman Khan and SP Balasubramanium
This was the most unliklyest of combinations. A typical south Indian singing for a muslim pathan. It was the most disparate combination one could have come up with. But it worked. At a time when SPB was singing only for sothern exports such as Kamal Hasan and Rajnikanth music directors Ram-Lakshman took a gamble and made him sing for Salman in 'Maine Pyar Kiya'. What resulted was celuloid magic and it lasted for a better part of a decade before Salman started drifting to other singers and SPB became busy down south. But the time they lasted it looked as if they were made for each other. SOngs such as 'Dil deewana' , 'Bohoth pyar kar the hai' and 'Didi tera devar divana' spring to mind instantly and make you wonder why they are not at it nowadays.