Shailendra Singh is an Indian

playback singer A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He sang several

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

and a few

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

songs during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was very close to

Mehmood Ali Mehmood Ali (29 September 1932 – 23 July 2004), popularly known simply as Mehmood, was an Indian actor, singer, director and producer best known for playing comic roles in Hindi films.Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, India to a Punjabi family. He studied at

Hill Grange High School Hill Grange High School was a private school for boys and girls located on Pedder Road, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. History It was founded in 1939 by Madame Sophy Kelly, a prominent member of the Indian Jewish community. She was a well known ...

Peddar Road Gopalrao Deshmukh Marg is an arterial road in the city of Mumbai, India, passing through the affluent Cumballa Hill neighbourhood. The road is named after a social activist and first Mayor of Bombay (present-day Mumbai) after India's Independe ...

, and did his graduation from

St. Xavier's College, Mumbai St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic, autonomous higher education institution run by the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on January 2, 1869. The college is aff ...

. He then joined the

Film and Television Institute of India The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. It is situated on the premises of the erstwhile ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

to train as an actor. He also learnt classical Hindustani music from a

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

. He first break as a playback singer in the film,

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

, during his second year at the FTII.

Career

Shailendra Singh had many hit songs to his credit.

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

gave Singh a break when he signed him for ''

''. The song "Main Shayar To Nahin" became a big hit. His song "Humne Tumko Dekha" from the film '' Khel Khel Mein'' rocked the entire nation. His rendition of "Jaane Do Na" from '' Saagar'' along with

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; Mangeshkar; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur and occasional actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian Cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the ...

added to the sensuality of the entire song. He tried his hand at acting in films like ''

Agreement Agreement may refer to: Agreements between people and organizations * Gentlemen's agreement, not enforceable by law * Trade agreement, between countries * Consensus, a decision-making process * Contract, enforceable in a court of law ** Meeting o ...

'' (with

Rekha Bhanurekha Ganesan (born 10 October 1954), better known by her stage name Rekha, is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Hindi films. Acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, she has starred in more than 180 fi ...

) and ''

Do Jasoos Do Jasoos () is a 1975 Hindi comedy drama film. Produced and directed by Naresh Kumar, the film stars Raj Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Aruna Irani, Prem Chopra, Kamal Kapoor, Farida Jalal and Asit Sen. The music is by Ravindra Jain. Plot Dhar ...

'', but those films flopped. In addition to his singing career, he acted in a Bengali film ''Ajasra Dhanyabaad,'' opposite

Aparna Sen Aparna Sen (, ''Ôporna Shen'') is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has received several accolades as an actress and filmmaker, including nine National Film Awards, five F ...

. In 1994, he was hospitalized for complication due to

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

. He says that “The talk in the industry was that I had a heart attack and that I had died. I didn’t die. But the rumours killed my career.” He considers himself better in singing that in acting.

Filmography

Films

Television

Discography

Awards

*1974 – Nominated for

Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer The Filmfare Best Male Playback Singer Award is given by Indian film magazine ''Filmfare'' as a part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song. ...

– "Mai Shayar Toh Nahi" (''

'').

References

External links

*
Lyrics of songs sung by Shailendra Singh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Shailendra 1952 births Living people Bollywood playback singers Indian male singers Musicians from Mumbai St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni Film and Television Institute of India alumni Hill Grange High School alumni