I missed Raj Kumar’s birth centenary, which was on October 8, 2026 (he was born, Kulbhushan Pandit, in Loralai, now in Pakistan, in 1926). Ten days late, but better late than never, I guess.

Given that I’ve never really raved about Raj Kumar, you may well be surprised about this post. But the fact of the matter is, Raj Kumar was not an actor to be lightly brushed under the carpet. While his mannerisms (and that “Jaani” of his heyday) tended to put off some viewers, there were plenty of people who were diehard fans. His dialogue delivery was much acclaimed by many, and he acted in a number of really big films: Waqt, Kaajal, Dil ek Mandir, Dil Apna aur Preet Paraayi, Pakeezah… a reliable actor, a popular star, and one who seemed to have no trouble sharing the screen with other male leading men, or working in experimental cinema (Heer-Ranjha, for instance, with all its dialogue in verse). He did plenty of romantic roles, like all the other male stars of the era; but he also worked in films like Vaasna, Pyaar ka Bandhan, Waqt or Zindagi, in which he wasn’t there because of the love interest; he had another, more grounded part to play—often self-sacrificing.

Also, while Raj Kumar acted in quite a few films that had lovely music, his character didn’t necessarily end up singing the best songs. Think of Dil Ek Mandir or Dil Apna aur Preet Paraayi, in both of which his co-star Meena Kumari got to lip-sync to some gems. But he did ‘sing’ some good songs, and those are the focus of this list: songs in which he lip-synced (which is why background songs like Chalo dildaar chalo and Ae neele gagan ke tale don’t feature in this list). As always, these are all from pre-1970s Hindi films that I’ve seen, and are in no particular order. Also, no two songs are from the same film.

1. Chhoo lene do naazuk honthon ko (Kaajal, 1965): Kaajal is the film that had not one, but two of my favourite Raj Kumar songs. There was the exquisite Yeh zulf agar khulke bikhar jaaye toh achha; and there was this, both songs featuring Raj Kumar’s character, Moti, while in his cups. Kaajal got Raj Kumar a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, though it was for Waqt, also in the same year, that he won the award. In this song, with Meena Kumari acting as a visibly distressed wife to his romantic drunk, he manages to be quite maudlin without coming across as genuinely loving.

2. Hiya jarat rahat din-rain (Godaan, 1964): Based on one of Munshi Premchand’s best-known novels, this story of an impoverished farmer starred Raj Kumar in what I consider one of his best roles: as Hori, driven to desperation, his acting was understated and very real. In Hiya jarat rahat din-rain, Hori wanders about his fields and further out, hoping and praying for rain, for some relief. Raj Kumar is excellent here, and I think Mukesh’s voice suits him very well.

3. Aaja tujhko pukaare mera pyaar (Neel Kamal, 1968): I have to admit that Neel Kamal isn’t a film I like: it’s too melodramatic, too silly for my liking (reincarnation, anyway, is not something that appeals to me, so perhaps that has something to do with it). But Aaja tujhko pukaare mere pyaar re was a very popular song, and I think when it comes to a list of Raj Kumar’s songs, it certainly merits inclusion. Aaja tujhko pukaare mera pyaar appears in two versions in Neel Kamal: this version doesn’t actually show Raj Kumar lip-syncing to the song, but focuses instead on the effect of the song on Waheeda Rehman’s character. This version, however, when Raj Kumar’s character is being bricked up for daring to love someone he shouldn’t have, has him front and centre.

4. Taaron ki zubaan par hai mohabbat ki kahaani (Nausherwan-e-Aadil, 1957): Produced and directed by Sohrab Modi, Nausherwan-e-Aadil was an unusual film, with more than a passing resemblance to Quo Vadis. Raj Kumar here played a Zoroastrian prince named Naushahzaad who falls in love with a Christian girl, Marcia (Mala Sinha), only to have their forbidden love put his father the king Nausherwaan ‘The Just’ in a quandary. Raj Kumar, despite the beard and the curly wig, looked quite handsome here, and this beautifully romantic song is a gem.

5. Jhanak-jhanak tori baaje paayaliya (Mere Huzoor, 1968): Eleven years after they’d acted together in Nausherwan-e-Aadil, Raj Kumar and Mala co-starred in Mere Huzoor. His role here was typical of the ‘other man’ roles he played so frequently in the 1960s: that of the man who loves the heroine, but loses out to the hero, the man she actually loves. Something similar happened here, with Mala Sinha’s character marrying Jitendra’s romantic young poet, only to end up abandoned by him and married to Raj Kumar’s angsty nawab on the rebound. Melodramatic and weepy, but with this classic song that has an intoxicated nawab singing his woes to two dancing girls.

6. Pyaar mein milna sanam (Ardhangini, 1959): Perhaps one of the most visible endorsements of Raj Kumar’s stature is in the fact that he starred opposite Meena Kumari in so many films. In cult classics like Pakeezah and popular dramas like Kaajal, Dil ek Mandir, and Dil Apna Aur Preet Paraayi, to lesser-known films like Shararat and Ardhangini, he acted alongside one of Hindi cinema’s most famous (and most acclaimed) actresses. Ardhangini, about a woman who is deemed manhoos (inauspicious) and therefore shunned by all, was a somewhat lacklustre film, but it was redeemed by some good songs, by Meena Kumari (of course) and by Raj Kumar, who looked dashing in uniform.

I love this song. Lata and Subir Sen sound wonderful, Vasant Desai’s music is melodious, and the chemistry between Meena Kumari and Raj Kumar is spot on.

7. Chaand aahe bharega (Phool Bane Angaarey, 1963): This is a slightly unusual song in that it is one scenario built into another. Mala Sinha’s and Raj Kumar’s characters are travelling in a car, and this song begins to play on the car radio. She goes into a reverie and imagines him singing the song—but not really to her: her daydream revolves around herself, revelling in her newfound love, with him only occasionally shown in a dream-like way, a dream embedded within a dream. Still, we do have Raj Kumar lip-syncing to a song, and that too a good one. While many singers (Manna Dey, Rafi, Mahendra Kapoor, Subir Sen, Chitalkar Ramachandra) did sing playback for Raj Kumar, I think Mukesh is one singer whose voice especially suited him, and this is one of the best examples of a Mukesh-Raj Kumar song.

8. Daulat ne paseene ko aaj laat hai maari (Paigham, 1959): For a change of mood, a song of protest, of socialism and workers’ rights. Paigham tends to be remembered mostly for the romantic songs sung by Dilip Kumar’s and Vyjyanthimala’s characters, but Raj Kumar, as a mill worker who finally has enough, sang this one. C Ramachandra, who composed Daulat ne paseene ko, also sang this song, the fervour of which I find quite stirring. Also, interestingly, this is one of those rare songs (like Aage bhi jaane na tu, also featuring Raj Kumar) which actually has dialogues being intercut with the verses of the song.

9. Zara bachke o baliye (Pyaar ka Bandhan, 1963): The better-known Raj Kumar song from Pyaar ka Bandhan was Ghoda Pishori mera taanga Lahori mera, an upbeat sort of introduction to his tongawallah character in the film. More than that, though, I like this Punjabi-inflected dance song where Raj Kumar’s and Nishi’s characters sing and dance at a gathering, celebrating their love. A happy, light-hearted Raj Kumar, dancing alongside Nishi, is a refreshing change from the often sombre characters he played in films (though I hasten to add: do not watch this film expecting that cheerfulness to last).

10. Aaj is darja pilaa do (Vaasna, 1968): I began this list with a daaru song, and I’ll end with another. Raj Kumar acted as an alcoholic in several films in the late 60s: this one, Kaajal, and Nai Roshni among them—but it was in Vaasna that his character’s ‘lust’ for alcohol took centre stage in the plot, because everything eventually revolved around that, and the way it destroyed his life and that of his family. Chitragupta’s music for Vaasna included the hauntingly lovely Yeh parbaton ke daaere yeh shaam ka dhuaan, but this melancholy song, a drunk’s wish to drink himself into oblivion, is also beautiful.

And, a bonus song, because I could not resist this.

Aawaaz do hum ek hain: Though this song was released by the Films Division of India, it’s not actually from a film: it used to be played in cinema theatres before the start of the main feature. Produced in 1962 as part of an effort to stir up patriotic fervour and unite the country during the Indo-China War, Aawaaz do hum ek hain was written by Jan Nisar Akhtar, composed by Khayyam, and sung by Mohammad Rafi. The picturization starred several of India’s most popular male actors, dressed in uniform (or, in the case of Sunil Dutt, as a farmer) and lip-syncing to the song in a setting evoking war. Rajendra Kumar was in this, as were Sunil Dutt and Kamaljit—but the song begins with Raj Kumar, and somehow, even while seated, he manages to convey an energy that is quite infectious.

Happy 100 years, Pandit Sahib.