Mehboob at 100: The Enduring Legacy of Kerala's Maverick Singer

Opposite Aspinwall House in Fort Kochi stands the office of the Mehboob Memorial Orchestra — a sanctuary of memories dedicated to H Mehboob, Kerala's beloved singer who never failed to delight his audiences, on stage and off it.

Mehboob's legacy remains intact here. Old photographs hang on the walls, and the stage in the central hall showcases paintings of him and singer Mohammed Rafi, whom Mehboob idolised.

Members of the 'club,' as they call it, gather every Friday and offer their modest stage to aspiring musicians. 'This is how we keep the spirit of his music alive,' says K A Hussain, secretary and one of the Mehboob Memorial Orchestra's (MMO) earliest members. The building itself is over 130 years old, he adds.

Seated by a window overlooking the street and an ancient raintree, Hussain speaks about Mehboob with care. 'Bhai was one of a kind — a true maverick. No one could guess what he had up his sleeve, and that was part of his appeal.'

Founded as an informal collective called Raag a year before Mehboob's death in 1981, the MMO was formally launched in 1985 to celebrate his life and music. Among the founding members was the late ghazal singer Umbayee, who shared a close bond with Mehboob and performed alongside him on many stages.

Over four decades, the MMO has continued to spread the joy of music, much like Mehboob himself, whose story is among the most dramatic and significant in Kerala's music history. For everyone who grew up in the Fort Kochi-Mattancherry region during his heyday, Mehboob was an emotion, says Hussain. 'He was 'Bhai' to everyone. He had a rare knack for connecting with people. There was a time when his stage shows would draw more crowds than even K J Yesudas's,' he recalls, often pausing to recite a couplet from Mehboob's famous songs.

Apart from the Friday mehfils, the MMO's Rafi Nites are a hugely popular event in the city's cultural calendar. 'We have been organising this tribute to Mohammed Rafi since 1981 — for 43 consecutive years. We stopped during the Covid-19 years and restarted when normal life resumed,' says Hussain. The event celebrates Rafi's evergreen melodies.

'His style was unique — there was a touch of humour, soul, and spontaneity in everything he sang. Even his sartorial choices were unique. He wore loose shirts, which added to his persona,' Hussain recalls.

Born in 1926 in Mattancherry, Mehboob grew up in an impoverished family. He spent his childhood in the military barracks at Pattalam, Fort Kochi. His intrinsic talent endeared him to the people, and he sang everywhere — at weddings, mehfils, or just with friends under Fort Kochi's benevolent canopies. Along with lyricists Nelson Fernandez and Meppally Balan, he created original songs, some later used in mainstream Malayalam films like Annayum Rasoolum (Kayalinarike…).

His talent soon caught the film world's attention. Actor T S Muthaiah recommended him to composer V Dakshinamoorthy, who gave him three songs in the film Jeevithanouka. However, it was K Raghavan's composition 'Maanennum vilikkilla' from Neelakkuyil (1954) that catapulted him to film fame. Soon, he was singing for all top Malayalam film music composers.

But Mehboob did not care much for fame. According to music historians, he was elusive. 'That was also part of Mehboob's Sufiesque charm. He was a poetic wanderer who did not want to possess anything. Ask anyone — from a barber to a fishmonger in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry — and they would speak with a sense of warmth that few artists can elicit,' says K Pradeep, a veteran journalist and one of the founders of Kraft, a literary and thought festival. The recent edition of the festival included a session, 'Mehboob: The Elusive Singer,' which explored his life and music.