Singer Mukesh and Dillip Kumar
Anil Biswas succeeded in doing this with the song `jeevan sapna toot gaya` in 1948. Naushad insisted on pulling up Mukesh sternly whenever he imitated Saigal. He brought out his individualism in several early songs for Dilip Kumar like `Gaye ja geet milan ke` and `Hum aaj kahin dil kho baithe`. Today it is hard to imagine anyone else singing `Suhana safar` or `Dil tadap tadap ke` from Madhumati but Dilip Kumar was not too sure about Mukesh`s voice and wanted Talat Mahmood to playback for him. Mukesh was redeemed not just by the success of these memorable songs but by Dilip Kumar`s admission that Mukesh was indeed his voice.
Mukesh sang the songs for Dilip Kumar in Mehboob`s Andaz. Songs that laid the foundation for the thespian`s career. In fact, Mukesh was responsible for even Lata Mangeshkar`s first break. He insisted that Lata meet Naushad and when the then struggling phenomenon was reluctant, he personally accompanied her to the composer`s residence. Lata`s big break in andaz was brought by Mukesh and she never looked back after that. Generosity, benevolence and sincerity were second nature to Mukesh. These attributes were the reason for his long-standing relationships with actors, composers and co-singers. The most memorable and cherished of all was the relationship with Raj Kapoor.