Background
Shailendra Singh was born in Mumbai, India.
Shailendra Singh was born in Mumbai, India.
He studied at Hill Grange High School at Peddar Road, and did his graduation from Saint Xavier"s College, Mumbai.
He sang several Hindi songs during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He then joined the Film and Institute of India in Pune to train as an actor, but got his first break as a playback singer in the film, Bobby, during his second year at the FTII. Shailendra Singh had many hit songs to his cartulary-register Raj Kapoor gave Singh a break when he signed him for Bobby.
The song "Main Shayar To Nahin" became a big hit after which offers started pouring in.
His song "Humne Tumko Dekha" from the film Khel Khel Mein rocked the entire nation. However, his popularity was short lived.
His rendition of "Jaane Do Na" from Saagar along with Asha Bhosle added to the sensuality of the entire song, and ranks among the top sensuous numbers in Bollywood He tried his hand at acting in films like Agreement (with Rekha) and Do Jasoos, but those films flopped. He acted in a Bengali film "Ajosro Dhanyobaad", where Mohammad Rafi sang his only Bengali film song "Nawal Kishoro Shyamo Sundoro".
Comment from Kaushik Maitra: This was not the only Bengali film song of Rafi saab.
He had a song in film "Haraano Sur" also. Composed by Nachiketa Ghosh Correction from Subrata Sengupta: Actually the Bengali film in which Maryland Rafi sang is "Indrani" – not "Haraano Sur" – The lyrics is "Sabhi Kuchh Luta Ke" and the music director was Nachiketa Ghosh. He has never sung for Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan and Amir Khan but by the time the latter two started in Bollywood, the singer stopped singing.