Through the '90s, Udit Narayan was the closest rival of Kumar Sanu for the title of most popular male playback vocalist in Indian cinema -- no small feat, since films remain the primary vehicle for disseminating popular music to the Indian public. Though he wasn't quite as prolific as Sanu, Narayan boasted one of the most distinctive voices and original singing styles the music-reliant film industry had seen since the glory days of Mohammed Rafi (Narayan's primary initial influence) and Kishore Kumar. Narayan was born in the village of Mithla Nagri in Janakpur, near the border of Nepal; his father was a farmer and his mother a singer, and she encouraged him to pursue music as a career. For most of the '70s, Narayan worked as a singer on Nepalese radio in Kathmandu, performing Nepalese and northern Indian folk songs