In an old interview that has recently resurfaced online, Bollywood’s first superstar, Rajesh Khanna, offered an honest insight into one of the most defining aspects of Indian cinema — playback singing. The actor spoke candidly to a foreign reporter from BBC curious about how Hindi film actors “mime” songs sung by someone else.
During the exchange, the interviewer asked Rajesh Khanna whether he ever actually sang while performing on screen or simply moved his mouth. To this, the superstar replied with characteristic grace, “No, I sing. I sing with the playback.”
When pressed further on whether the final result usually looked convincing enough to appear as though he himself were singing, Rajesh Khanna explained, “Because this is one of those playback singers. I mean, you hear the playback singer and you feel that it is me who is singing, more or less, because there is a lot of similarity in his voice and my voice. The only thing is, he can sing, I can’t.”
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The conversation highlighted not only Rajesh Khanna’s humility but also the deep synergy between him and the legendary playback voice of Kishore Kumar. Together, the duo created some of the most unforgettable songs in Hindi cinema, from Mere Sapno Ki Rani and Roop Tera Mastana to Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana.
When the interviewer asked whether audiences minded knowing that the star on screen wasn’t actually singing, Rajesh Khanna simply replied, “No.” And when asked if it was accepted, his response was firm, “Absolutely accepted.”
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