Nitin Mukesh Mathur, known professionally as Nitin Mukesh, is an Indian playback singer associated primarily with Hindi cinema. He is the son of the legendary playback singer Mukesh and the father of Bollywood actor Neil Nitin Mukesh. Active from the late 1970s onwards, he is known for his distinctive voice, often compared with that of his father, and for devotional and film recordings that gained popularity during the 1980s and 1990s.
| Full name | Nitin Mukesh Mathur |
|---|---|
| Profession | Playback singer |
| Father | Mukesh (playback singer) |
| Mother | Saral Trivedi Mukesh |
| Spouse | Nishi Mathur |
| Children | Neil Nitin Mukesh (actor), Naman Nitin Mukesh, Nikita |
| Primary language | Hindi |
| Genres | Filmi, devotional (bhajan), ghazal |
| Honour | Padma Shri (2014) |
Nitin Mukesh was born into a family with deep roots in Hindi film music. His father, Mukesh Chand Mathur, was one of the most celebrated playback singers of the Hindi film industry, having lent his voice to leading actors such as Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and Manoj Kumar. After the sudden death of his father in 1976 in Detroit, United States, during a concert tour, Nitin Mukesh stepped into the world of playback singing, carrying forward the family's musical legacy.
Nitin Mukesh entered the Hindi film music industry in the late 1970s. He recorded songs under several major music directors of the era, including Laxmikant–Pyarelal, Kalyanji–Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan, and Anu Malik. His vocal timbre, reminiscent of his father, made him a natural choice for songs requiring a similar emotional texture.
He sang for a number of successful Hindi films during the 1980s and 1990s. Some of his well-known recordings include:
Outside cinema, Nitin Mukesh is widely recognised for his devotional albums, including renderings of bhajans and tributes to his father's repertoire. He has performed extensively in concerts in India and abroad, often presenting the songs of Mukesh in stage shows aimed at audiences in the Indian diaspora.
Nitin Mukesh is married to Nishi Mathur. The couple has three children: Neil Nitin Mukesh, who is an actor in Hindi cinema; Naman Nitin Mukesh, who works as a filmmaker; and a daughter, Nikita. The family resides in Mumbai.
Nitin Mukesh was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, by the Government of India in 2014 for his contribution to the arts, particularly Indian music.
Nitin Mukesh occupies a notable place in the post-1970s phase of Hindi film playback singing as a continuator of the vocal style associated with his father. While he did not dominate the industry to the extent of contemporaries such as Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, or later Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan, he sustained a steady recording career and helped keep Mukesh's musical heritage alive through stage performances and devotional recordings. His family represents one of the few multi-generational lineages in Hindi film music and cinema, extending from Mukesh through Nitin Mukesh to Neil Nitin Mukesh.