Raj Kapoor suffered a great loss when he decided to leave the flood scene for Satyam Shivam Sundaram so that he could visit Mukesh’s home.
Celebrating his 100th birthday today are all of Mukesh’s admirers, friends, and family. Raj Kapoor and the great vocalist had a closer relationship than just being colleagues. They were kin in the soul. Mukesh provided the voice for the actor in Awara, and it is believed that after the singer passed away, Kapoor confessed that he felt as though he had lost his voice. The actor-director was beyond shocked when word of the singer’s passing spread.
Mukesh, a singer, travelled to the US to perform with Lata Mangeshkar. But regrettably, he had a heart attack and died after the show. The film industry was shocked and devastated by the news.But there was also one other man who was broken, in addition to his family. The man was the actor who lip-synced Ik Din Bik Jaayega Mati Ke Mol when Mukesh sang it.
In her autobiography Raj Kapoor Speaks, Ritu Nanda spoke about this sad event and described Raj Kapoor’s suffering. There was Mukesh, the book declared, “My voice, my spirit, I was just a mere body. He, not I, was the one who touched people’s hearts everywhere. Raj Kapoor was merely a cadaver of flesh and bones, an image. It was devastated when he passed away, and I felt as though my spirit and breath were lost. I am aware of what was taken from me.
Raj Kapoor had already lost two of his closest friends, writer Shailendra and music director Jaikishen of the Shankar Jaikishen duet, when Mukesh passed away in August 1976. When Shailendra left us, Mukesh felt as though he had lost one arm; when Jaikishen died, he felt as though he had lost another. But when Mukesh died, I lost my life—meri jaan hi chali gayi. I am the body, but Mukesh was my spirit.
Nitin Mukesh, a singer, once reflected on the events that followed his father’s passing in an interview with the Mirror. Raj uncle stayed with us until we left for the airport at our home. He had no idea that this would be his last encounter with Mukesh Chand, who was always referred to by his full name; Kapoor. When I arrived back at the house with Papa’s body, he was at the airport, distraught. When he heard the news, he was filming the flood scenes for Satyam Shivam Sundaram close to Pune. Despite understanding how challenging it would be to coordinate Shashi Kapoor’s schedule with Zeenat (Aman), and without giving the costs he would suffer, he drove down to be with our family for next 10 days
After returning from the US, Mukesh had to record a song for Satyam Shivam Sundaram. “Wo Aurat Hai, Tu Mehbooba” was the name of the tune. But regrettably, he returned dead and in a coffin. The movie’s Chanchal Nirmal Komal Sheetal was the last song he ever recorded. Once it was released, the movie was made in his honour. And Raj Kapoor gave Mukesh’s son Nitin Mukesh a large launch since friends look out for one other’s families in that way. A truly beautiful story.
