(From top) Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherjee at the music launch of Mangal Pandey: The Rising; Mona Singh; Kailash Kher who has sung five songs for Mangal Pandey and also lent his voice for a music video for Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin

His song Allah ke bande hansde from the movie Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part 2 became an anthem of sorts as its haunting tune landed it on almost every lip last year.

Not only did the popularity of the song far exceed that of the film, it also ensured a passport to filmdom for the voice behind the superhit number.

Kailash Kher would have had to be content with lending his voice to jingles had Allah ke bande not made him a popular playback singer.

“When I set foot in Mumbai in 2001, I had not thought in my wildest dreams that I would be doing playback in Bollywood. For that matter, I didn’t even know what a jingle was or that somebody could make a career by singing them... I had thought I would cut a couple of music albums,” he recounts.

But destiny had other plans for the man from Meerut who started off by singing a jingle for a diamond label, which subsequently signed him on for a series of advertisements.

Kher, meanwhile, gave playback singing a shot with numbers like Dil machal machal jaaye from Baaz and Rabba ishq na hove from Andaaz. Though the songs were appreciated, success still eluded him.

“It was like a market out there with four or five singers giving playback for one song. It was very difficult to get noticed,” cribs Kher.

Then, Allah ke bande happened, much to his surprise. “I had recorded the song a long time ago, but since the people associated with the movie didn’t get back to me, I gradually forgot about it. Suddenly one fine day I could hear it everywhere. I had never thought that the song would be such a big hit,” he smiles.

So did the popularity of the song change the film industry’s attitude towards him? “Not really. To be very fair, I never faced any hostile behaviour from anybody in the industry. I never had to go from door to door asking for work, they came to me themselves.”

The song did make one vita difference ? he never had to look back after the success of Allah ke bande.

Kher tasted success once more with Yunhi chala chal rahi in Swades. The song is a personal favourite as it bears resemblance to his own life, feels the singer.

“I had a very modest upbringing due to restricted resources in the household. I have always been a very impulsive person. Living alone in a city like Delhi brought me face to face with the hard realities of life. I guess that is the reason I have been able to survive in Mumbai,” says Kher.

After migrating to Delhi he completed his BA from Delhi University. Simultaneously, he pursued his training in classical music. He would change his music teacher almost every six months and has trained with 14 teachers in a span of 10 years.

Cut to the present, Kher is now a much-seen face on the small screen as he features in the guise of a fakir in a music album for the serial Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin.

The video, being aired on quite a few channels, also features protagonists Mona Singh and Apurva Agnihotri.

However, it’s his songs for Aamir Khan in Mangal Pandey: The Rising that the singer is most excited about. “Singing five songs in a movie of the magnitude of Mangal Pandey is no mean feat. What makes me more happy is that the songs are integral to the story,” he reveals. Three of the five songs are different versions of the title track.

While awaiting the release of the year’s biggest film next month, Kher is busy with his private album. Called Kailafa (paradise), the album has been titled after his three-member band comprising the brother duo Naresh and Paresh Kamath.

“Usually, an album has only one or two songs worth listening to. But we have tried to make all the songs equally good,” signs off Kher.