New Delhi, Apr 22 (IANS): He has acted in more than 50 films and has done more than 2,500 theatre shows, but veteran actor Raghubir Yadav says singing is his first love and will always remain above acting for him.

"I love singing and can't leave it. I might quit acting someday but singing will always be with me and I can't let that go. I realised that acting is one profession where you need to know everything and get to learn a lot, that is why I took it up but singing is life for me," Raghubir, popularly known Mungerilal of TV show "Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne", told IANS.

"I always wanted to learn music and be a singer. I joined a Parsi theatre company as singer in late 1960s at the age of 15, where I used to get two rupees fifty paise per day and later landed up acting, but singing is my first love," added the actor.

An alumnus of the National School of Drama, Raghubir has performed as an actor and a singer in more than 70 plays. He has even composed and sung for films like "Maya Memsaab", "Rudaali" and "Delhi 6". His song "Mehngai Dayain" from "Peepli Live" was a chart-topping number.

However, Raghubir admits he never thought of taking music as a career.

"I like to sing but when I am asked to sing in a movie, I take my own time to see if I will be able to do justice to it or not. I never thought of taking up singing as a career," he said.

"I am happy singing once in a while for a film. It is a hobby for me," said the actor, who has given his voice for ads like Pepsi, Parle, Vim, Kotak Mahindra and Icy Cool Mint.

Last seen playing Nazi dictator Hitler in "Gandhi to Hitler", Raghubir is now gearing up for the release of "Yeh Khula Aasmaan", where he portrays a supporting and encouraging grandfather.

The film is slated to release May 25 and revolves around a challenging phase of a young boy, who is an IIT-aspirant and faces academic failure. It also highlights family problems and how to bridge generation gap. It is helmed by first-time director Gitanjali Sinha.