Cineplot Music

Lata Mangeshkar – Part 3

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Lata Mangeshkar’s detailed profile – Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4

Back to Legends – Lata Mangeshkar

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Lata Mangeshkar

Co-artistes have been kept on their feet by the small wonder. Duets with Lata were always a healthy competition between colleagues. Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore, Manna da would be amazed by the sudden last minute improvisations in the final take. Improvisations that took the song beyond the stipulations of the composition into the realm of eternity. This unpredictability, this heightened anticipation gave that added edge to scores of duets sung with other Legends. Much of this friendly rivalry was indulged in by Lataji with another formidable artiste Mohd. Rafi. Workaholic, perfectionist, master technician, brilliantly versatile Rafi matched her ‘Gayaki’ note for note. And yet, sometimes she took even this breath away.

Perhaps it is this unpredictability that enhances Lataji’s genius as she continues to pit her talents against younger co artistes, always managing to either steal the entire show or making that little extra impact.

Much has been said of the Mangeshkar monopoly. The statement deserves closer evaluation. Augmenting her sincerity and hard work is Lataji’s incredible versatility. Obviously the key to her enduring success.

From bhajan to balmy love song – ‘Allah tero naam’ to ‘Sapnon mein agar’ from classical composition to cabaret ‘Rasik balma’ to ‘Aa jaane jan’ Lataji is able to artfully capture the mood and imagery of the song. Her versatility is linked to her intrinsic sensitivity as this anecdote proves. Bimal Roy once persuaded Salil da to sing a complex Bengali song. Salil da obliged and was alarmed to find that young Lata had fainted. She confessed ‘while listening to the song, I was so overcome. I couldn’t control myself’.

Moving sentiment is the hallmark of every Lata song. From C. Ramchandra’s ‘Katate hain dukh mein’, ‘Dheere se aaja ri ankhiyan mein’ Salil Chowdhury’s ‘O sajana barkha bahar aayi’, ‘Raaton ke saaye ghane’ ‘Aaja re pardesi’, Hemant Kumar’s ‘Man dole mera tan dole’ ‘Kahin deep jale kahin dil’ ‘O beqaraar dil’ Roshan’s ‘Jurm-e-ulfat’ ‘Rahen na rahen hum’ Khaiyyam’s ‘Baharoun mera jeevan bu sanwaro’ ‘Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein’. Every song seems to well out fom the unfathomed depths of the soul of the Nightingale. It is her ability to reach deep inside the lyric, to probe the nuances of mood, so skillfully balance changing cadences that makes her so much in demand.

Waheeda Rehman says Lataji sings for every heroine as that heroine would sing and not just as Lata would. Who else could match the nimble ebullience of wondrous Waheeda in ‘Aaj phir jeene ki’. Nargis declared she never required glycerine to emote for Lataji’s songs. How else can heartwrenching love be better articulated than in ‘Rasik Balma’. Madhubala insisted that Lataji playback for her songs. After all, ‘Aayega aanewala’ immortalized the magical Madhubala onscreen charisma, remaining to date the most requested number in Lataji’s concerts.

Mumtaz’s shokh ada and petulance is brilliantly brought alive in ‘Bindiya Chamkegi’ by Laxmikant Pyarelal and Saira Bano’s nawabi nakhra artfully captured in ‘Who hain zara khafa khafa’ again by Laxmikant Pyarelal.

Jaya Bachchan comments that heroines felt they were successful only when Lata gave vocals for them, and she should know, blessed as she is with the many hits that Lataji created. There is ‘Raaton ke saaye ghane’ and the sensuous ‘Baahon mein chale aao’ from Anamika by Rahul Dev Burman and then the sublime near surreal ‘Nadiya kinare’ from Abhimaan, filled with the tranquility of morning light and fresh dew.

Even Madhuri Dixit designates her as goddess ‘Girls half her age can’t sing like that. Incredible! I just couldn’t match her coy ‘adas’ in Didi tera devar deewana.’ Two years after the Didi tera devar mania, at sixty-eight Lataji lends supple sensuous vocals to Madhuri in Dil to Pagal Hai.

Trends have changed, technology has come to play a crucial part and yet over the past decade, the mega hits have remained with Lataji. So who can accuse young music directors like Jatin Lalit, Anand Milind, Vishal Bharadwaj and Uttam Singh when they flock to her and clamour for her participation in their personal success.

Bollywood