Kailash Kher is all set to celebrate his 49th birthday on Thursday.
The versatile singer is known for having a music style influenced by Indian folk music and Sufi music. He was inspired by the classical musicians Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, and the Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Born on July 7, 1973 in a Kashmiri Pandit family in Meerut, Kher's first brush with music came in his childhood. His father Mehar Singh Kher was a traditional folk singer. Brought up in a musical atmosphere, from his school days, he was enchanted and fascinated by music and used to listen to his father's Indian folks songs all day. Even as a four-year-old, Kher displayed natural musical talent and would often impress friends and family by belting out songs with his prematurely powerful voice.
Before venturing into Bollywood, Kher dabbled with jingles for television and radio commercials. He debuted as a playback singer with the 2003 film 'Andaaz', with the song 'Rabba Ishq Na Hove', and since then, there has been no looking back for him.
In a career spanning two decades, Kher has recorded songs in nine languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Nepali, and even in Urdu.
In 2017, the Government of India honoured Kher with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour in the country.
On Kher's birthday, here's a look at some of his best songs:
Allah Ke Bande
Teri Deewani
Saiyyan
Ya Rabba
Yun Hi Chala Chal
