On Kishore Kumar’s 97th birth anniversary, NDTV revisits how the singer’s voice becomes closely associated with actor Rajesh Khanna in Hindi cinema. The article frames Kishore Kumar’s career as a series of major breakthroughs that reshape playback singing, highlighting his role in establishing a strong on-screen vocal identity for Khanna. It describes the way audiences come to connect Khanna’s screen presence with Kishore Kumar’s distinctive singing style, presenting this pairing as part of a broader musical journey in Bollywood. While the focus remains on the history of their association, the piece also situates the development within Kishore Kumar’s larger trajectory as a prominent figure in film music. Overall, the coverage presents Kishore Kumar’s rise and his work as key factors behind why he is regarded as the “new actor” Rajesh Khanna’s voice, linking a specific singer-actor match to a lasting impact on mainstream Hindi film music.