Cineplot Music

Lata Mangeshkar – Madan Mohan Collaboration

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Back to Legends – Lata Mangeshkar

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Madan Mohan & Lata Mangeshkar

Lata on Madan Mohan

Madan Mohan always called Lata 'Beta' and Lata Mangeshkar regarded him as a brother. At Madan Mohan's Peddar Road house, in the 1960s."

Nasreen Munni Kabir: I know you were very close to Madan Mohanji. Could you say something about how your friendship started?

Lata Mangeshkar: When Ghulam Haider Sahib wanted me to sing in Shaheed, and it hadn’t worked out, he still went ahead and recorded a duet which was going to be mimed in Shaheed by actors playing a brother and sister. Madan Bhaiya sang this duet with me, but it was ultimately deleted from the film and never released on disc. However, Madan Bhaiya liked my voice and said: ‘I am composing music for a film and you must sing for me.’ I said: ‘Very well.’

In the meantime someone came and told me Madan Bhaiya had spoken against me. I don’t know what came over me, but I refused to sing for him. I never went to the recording. He was hurt and a few days later he came over to see me and said: ‘Why did you do this to me?’ So I asked him why he had spoken ill of me and he assured me he hadn’t. ‘Are you crazy? We sang a duet as brother and sister, so I am like a brother to you. On rakhi you will have to come and see me.’ And so Madan Bhaiya became my rakhi brother.

While we were rehearsing, Madan Bhaiya would keep singing and then say: ‘Take whatever sounds right to you.’ Taken aback, I would react: ‘How is it possible, Madan Bhaiya? [laughs] Teach me the whole song from start to finish in the way you want me to record it.’

Sometimes he hummed a long musical phrase [she hums]. I had to ask him to stop: ‘Madan Bhaiya, how long is this taan?’ He just wouldn’t stop. He would finally say: ‘All right, I’ll sing it properly for you.’ Then he would teach me the song — from start to finish. He was a fine music director. No one wrote film ghazals like Madan Mohan. Many have tried and are still trying, but no one has succeeded.

Nasreen Munni Kabir: Once he became your rakhi brother, how did your relationship change?

Lata Mangeshkar: We were like one family. I spent days with him. He cooked very well, and mutton cooked by his hand was delicious. He often invited me over for a meal. One day he told me: ‘Beta [child] I’m going to Punjab and bringing back a sister-in-law for you.’ Then he showed me a photograph of his future wife and asked: ‘How do you like her? If you like her then I’ll marry her, if you don’t, I won’t.’ I said: `What are you saying?’ [laughs]

In 1952, he got married to Sheila Dhingra and came back to Bombay. I attended a small party he held to celebrate his wedding. He didn’t invite many guests, but Naushad Sahib, Ghulam Mohammed Sahib, and just a few other composers were there.

Madan Bhaiya made me sit next to him and treated me as a family member, and together we welcomed the guests. He also made sure I ate well.

Lata sang approximately 213 songs for Madan Mohan (including unreleased films). Details are provided below :-

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