Rajesh Khanna, the first superstar of Indian cinema, witnessed a period of success and popularity in Hindi cinema that is still cited as an example. He set a record of 15 consecutive solo hit films, a record that remains unbroken. His fans affectionately called him “Kaka“. He has given many famous films like Anand, Aradhana, Amar Prem, Haathi Mere Saathi. He married the famous actress Dimple Kapadia in 1973, and they have two daughters, Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna.
Besides acting, he also entered politics in the 1990s, serving as a Congress Lok Sabha MP from New Delhi from 1992 to 1996. For his immense contribution to cinema, he was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2013. There was a time when Kishore Kumar became the voice of Rajesh Khanna, singing many famous songs for him.
Meanwhile, a new singer emerged who became immortalized as the voice of Rajesh Khanna. This singer was not a prominent figure but Indian playback singer Mukesh. He was a singer known for providing evergreen songs to Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Feroz Khan, Sunil Dutt, and Dilip Kumar. Kishore Kumar may not have become as famous as Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, and Asha Bhosle, but his velvety voice captivated everyone.
His songs became popular in the 70s, playing everywhere. He sang for Rajesh Khanna. This was the first time Mukesh was cast as Rajesh Khanna’s voice instead of Kishore Kumar. When Mukesh sang this song in the studio, the director jumped with joy. He had an old voice, but the lyrics were velvety. Delighted with this achievement, the director asked the lyricist to write another song.
The song we’re talking about is the 55-year-old “Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye,” from the superhit film Anand. This song was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, starring Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. The film’s music was composed by Jim Salil Chowdhary. Salil Chowdhary was the one who chose Mukesh over Kishore Kumar to be Rajesh Khanna’s voice in the film Anand and had him sing this song.
According to IMDb, Salil Chowdhary believed Mukesh’s voice would bring emotion. Not only the voice, but also the lyrics, written by lyricist Yogesh, were beautiful. When the song was released, it was a huge hit, and it became immortal. This song was Rajesh Khanna’s favorite.