LATA'S TOP TEN
Dr. Jai Maharaj
By Subhash K Jha
Mid-Day, via News Plus
http://www.mantra.com/newsplus
September 29, 1999
Mumbai, 28 Sep If you think about it, Lata Mangeshkar is
the only real phenomenon of our times. She has been
defying the law of gravity for more than 50 years by
staying firmly ensconced in her position, as though age
has bypassed her. At 20, she sang Madhubala to eternal
fame with Ayega aanewala in Mahal. At 44, she
immortalised Dimple Kapadia by singing Hum tum ek kamre
mein band hon in Bobby. At 69, Dimple's daughter Twinkle
attained an aura of stardom when Lataji sang Madhosh dil
ki dhadkan for her in Jab Pyar Kissise Hota Hai.
Barely a year later, Preity Zinta swung and sang into
action with Jiya jale in Dil Se. Right now it's Urmila
Matondkar serenading Govinda with Hum Tumpe Marte Hain.
Lataji has lost count of the number of songs she has
sung. Some of the more popular numbers don't find favour
with her. She shocks me when she dismisses the songs we
grew up thinking of as imperishable classics as "Theek
hai". But there are innumberable songs in her awesome
repertoire which cannot be denied either on merit or
success. Songs that contributed to shaping one of the
greatest success stories of the 20th Century. Here's
looking Lataji's Top 10 chart-toppers. And why she likes
them so immensely.
View picture here:
http://www.mid-day.com/bollywood/images/2809lata.jpg
1. Aayega aanewala (Mahal, 1949; music by Khemchand
Prakash) - This was the song that defined the beginning
of the Mangeshkarian magic and transformed Madhubala into
an instant living legend. Ironically, Madhubala didn't
lip-sync it on screen at all! It was played in the
background. But what an impact it made! With one song
Lataji wiped away all the careers of existing female
singers. Ashok Kumar who played the lead in Mahal still
recalls how everyone in the room reacted when the then-
unknown Lata was asked to sing. Even today mention of
Aaayega aanewala lights up Lataji's eyes. "It's hundred
percent my favourite. I had done a number of rehearsals
for the song. Actually the composer Khemchand Prakash
heard me singing for Anil Biswas. A number of tunes were
readied for Aayega aanewala. I was given strict
instructions about the importance of the song. The
producer Ashok Kumar and the director Kamal Amrohi told
me I had to sing as though the heroine was approaching
from a distance. Since the studio was very large, I was
placed in one corner of the room and told to gradually
approach the microphone in the middle of the room while
singing. There were no dubbing and editing devices in
those days. We had to do it all in one go. I still
remember we recorded the entire day."
2. Pyar kiya to darna kya (Mughal-e-Azam, 1960; music by
Naushad) - The image of Madhubala dancing in a thousand
images reflected on the walls of the sheesh mahal set is
as alive today as it was in the 60s. The lyric by Shakeel
Badayuni has acquired the hue of an emblem accentuating
rebellious love. It was composed by Naushad who suggested
the key line Pyar kiya koi chori nahi ki to Badayuni. The
line became the highlight of the song. Naushad feels
Lataji gave her best to Mughal-e-Azam. Listen to Lataji
sing Pyar kiya to darna kya and you'll know why the
composing genius Sajjad Hussain once exclaimed, "Lata
sings, the others weep before the microphone."
3. Aaja re pardesi (Madhumati, 1957; music by Salil
Chowdhury) - From my conversations with Lataji I gather
Salil Chowdhury is one of her absolute favourite
composers. "I love all the songs of Madhumati," the
Nightingale confesses excitedly, and blushingly remembers
how happy everyone was on the day Aaja re pardesi was
recorded. "Lyricist Shailendra gave me flowers. The
director Bimal Roy came forward to congratulate me. The
song was beautiful and it was such a big hit too." The
song won Lataji her first Filmfare award.
4. Kahin deep jale kahin dil (Bees Saal Baad, 1962; music
by Hemant Kumar) - Prior to this song, Lataji had fallen
seriously ill. Doctors had predicted that she'd never be
able to sing again. Being a born fighter, the Nightingale
swore to bounce back. Her first recording after her
illness was this high-pitched number of haunting
dimensions. Lataji was nervous and apprehensive.
"Fortunately the recording went off very well. Hemant
Kumar was of a very quiet temperament. He knew exactly
what to compose for me." Interestingly Hemant Kumar
recorded Lataji's voice during the rehearsal and okayed
it as the final take, the Nightingale says she's glad she
made a comeback after her illness with an intricate song
like Kahin deep jale. She had a point to prove to her
detractors who were waiting for her downfalls and she
proved it. The song won her another Filmfare award.
5. Allah tero naam (Hum Dono,1961; music by Jaidev) -
When Dev Anand's Navketan banner decided to give this
prestigious assignment to S.D. Burman's assistant Jaidev.
It was on condition that Lataji sing for the film.The
softie that she is Lataji immediately set aside her
differences with Jaidev to sing one of the tallest
devotional numbers ever. Classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj
remembers waking up from sleep with tears streaming down
his streaming down his cheeks after hearing the bhajan in
Hum Dono. "Allah tero naam her very first song that we
recorded for the film," Lataji recalls. "Like Shankar -
Jaikishan, Jaidev's tunes were steeply scaled." Though
she has sung at unbelievably high-pitch all her life
Lataji detests singing at what's traditionally the male
scale.
6. Naina barse rimjhim (Woh Kaun Thi,1963; music by Madan
Mohan) - Every song in Woh Kaun Thi is precious to
Lataji's heart. But Naina barse was the all-time hit."
There's an interesting story attached to Naina barse
since I was indisposed Madan bhaiyya recorded the song in
his own voice for the shooting. Onlookers at the shooting
in Shimla were aghast when 'ghost' Sadhana sang in a male
voice.When Madan Mohan missed getting the Filmfare award
for his score in Woh Kaun Thi. Lataji was truly heart
broken. "He never got any popular award," she laments
"People realised his greatness only after his death."
7. Aa jaan-e-jaan (Inteqaam, 1969; music by Laxmikant-
Pyarelal) - Cabaret songs used to be sister Asha Bhosle's
domain. Until Aa-jaane-e-jaan. Tuned and styled specially
to suit Lataji, Aa-jaan-e-jaan is today regarded as the
best cabaret song in Hindi films Tell her this, and
Lataji laughs. "I remember telling Laxmikant not to give
me any cabaret songs to sing. He assured me I could swing
it without a hitch. Aa jaan-e-jaan was tailored to suit
my taste and style." The song cracked open the charts
it's a favourite with Helen who danced to the opulently
orchestrated numbers.
8. Bindiya Chamkegi (Do Raaste, 1969; music by Laxmikant-
Pyarelal) - Filmmaker Raj Khosla was a man of many
talents, Music to him was life, A born singer he could
hum tunes for hours-together. Bindiya chamkegi was a
Punjabi folk tune that Khosla had board his mother
singing. He wanted it in his film. Not a hot favourite
with the singer herself. Bindiya chamkegi brings the roof
down at every live concert of Lataji. When spectators
break into a jig in the aisles the decorous Nightingale
baulks. But what to do. Its just one of those unavoidable
things . Interestingly Lataji sang this Punjabi-folk hit
long before it became fashionable to have such items in
Hindi films.
9. Dil deewana (Maine Pyar Kiya, 1989; music by Raam
Laxman) - Who would believe that Lataji was ready to call
it a day when she agreed to a sing this song for the
little -known Raam Laxman? And who would believes that
Raam Laxman had originally prepared the tune for a
nondescript film called Agent Vinod for the Rajshris?
Prior to the recording of Dil deewane Lataji's health had
deteriorated. But I still recorded five songs in one day
for Maine Pyar kiya. "Dil deewana is no doubt a lovely
song," she concedes softly. It boosted the career of
RaamLaxman who had been struggling for more than a
decade. It also turned around the slumping fortunes of
the HMV music company which according to rumours was on
the verge of closure. Finally Dil deewana helped Lataji
to change her mind about quitting playback singing. There
was hope for film music.
10. Jiya jale jaan jale (Dil Se, 1998; music by
A.R.Rahman) - This is by far Lataji's most favourite
number of the 90s.Mention Rahman and the experience of
working with him in Chennai and she expresses the joy of
a flower that has newly learnt to bloom. "A.R. Rahman's
style is amazing," she enthuses. "No doubt his style is
Indian. But there's heavy Arabic influence I don't think
that man thinks of anything except his music." During
recording she kept humming an alaap at the end to a
herself. Rahman overheard her. "Keep doing it, I'll just
continue to records," he urged the Nightingale. "At first
I didn't think all that much of the tune," Lataji
confesses. "But when I heard the recorded song I was
floored. I got to sing an outstanding number after quite
a while," she sighs as she prepares to give voice to
Aishwarya Rai in Aditya Chopra's Mohabbatein for the next
millenium.
Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the
educational purposes of research and open discussion.
Panchaang for Thursday, October 7, 1999:
Pramathin Nama Samvatsare Dakshinaya Jivana Ritau
Kanya Mase Krishna Pakshe Guru Vasara Yuktayam
Uttarphalguni Nakshatra Shukla-Brahma Yog
Vishti-Shakuni Karana Chaturdashee Yam Tithau
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jyotish
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Om Shanti
Arun Sampath
saying thing not to talk about the junk characters in the end...
Arun
Ke...@iag.net
says...
>LATA'S TOP TEN
>greatest success stories of the 20th Century. Here's
>looking Lataji's Top 10 chart-toppers. And why she likes
>them so immensely.
>1. Aayega aanewala (Mahal, 1949; music by Khemchand Prakash
>2. Pyar kiya to darna kya (Mughal-e-Azam, 1960; music by Naushad
>3. Aaja re pardesi (Madhumati, 1957; music by Salil Chowdhury
>4. Kahin deep jale kahin dil (Bees Saal Baad, 1962; music by Hemant Kumar
>5. Allah tero naam (Hum Dono,1961; music by Jaidev
>6. Naina barse rimjhim (Woh Kaun Thi,1963; music by Madan Mohan
>7. Aa jaan-e-jaan (Inteqaam, 1969; music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal
>8. Bindiya Chamkegi (Do Raaste, 1969; music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal
>9. Dil deewana (Maine Pyar Kiya, 1989; music by RaamLaxman
>10. Jiya jale jaan jale (Dil Se, 1998; music by A R Rahman
Could someone who has lived during those times confirm the claims of greatness
of songs 1-8 on the list? Were they really chart toppers overshadowing any and
every song released in those years? Was this list made by her or was this info
culled from some Binaca Geet Mala type program?
SKalra902
....snipped...>
>>1. Aayega aanewala (Mahal, 1949; music by Khemchand Prakash
>>2. Pyar kiya to darna kya (Mughal-e-Azam, 1960; music by Naushad
>>3. Aaja re pardesi (Madhumati, 1957; music by Salil Chowdhury
>>4. Kahin deep jale kahin dil (Bees Saal Baad, 1962; music by Hemant Kumar
>>5. Allah tero naam (Hum Dono,1961; music by Jaidev
>>6. Naina barse rimjhim (Woh Kaun Thi,1963; music by Madan Mohan
>>7. Aa jaan-e-jaan (Inteqaam, 1969; music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal
>>8. Bindiya Chamkegi (Do Raaste, 1969; music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal
>>9. Dil deewana (Maine Pyar Kiya, 1989; music by RaamLaxman
>>10. Jiya jale jaan jale (Dil Se, 1998; music by A R Rahman
>
>Could someone who has lived during those times confirm the claims of
>greatness
>of songs 1-8 on the list? Were they really chart toppers overshadowing any
>and
>every song released in those years? Was this list made by her or was this
>info
>culled from some Binaca Geet Mala type program?
1. Aayega aanewala needs no adjectives. It sure was a chart buster, what may
be called a super-duper hit and more. I remeber listening to this song on a 78
rpm disc sometime in 1949/50, and falling in love with the voice right away as
a young child. And there must have been millions others like me in those
days.
2. Pyar kiya to darna kya may not have been the rage with me as aayega
aanewala was, but for the masses, this song was more popular than the 'mohe
panghat pe nandlal' or any of the qawalis or 'khuda nigehbaan ho tumhara'.
3. Aaja re pardesi - again, it had the same aura as in 'aayega aanewaala', and
attained the same popularity. In the last East Coast RMIMeet, I had meant to
say something about Madhumati, after Dr. Aziz's talk on 'duur hato ai
duniyawalo..'. In the scheme of things, we moved on from one item to the
other, and I did not get to talk about Madhumati. Here is what I wanted to say
there.
As lata says that Aayega aanewala was recorded with her moving in slowly
towards the mike (I don't know how far that is correct, or even feasible in
those days with limited technological capabilities), the aaja re pardesi song
in the film was picturized with great directorial finesse. When Dilip Kumar
first hears the voice coming from afar, the voice is at a low volume, and
gradually, with each stanza, he sees her a little nearer, and so does the
volume of the song also grow. It is only in the final,third stanza, that even
we, the film goers get to see a close up of the heroine, and a full volume
stanza.
Further, there was a chorus song in the film "kancha le kanchi le.."
which was not retained in the film, only a few beginning refrains can be heard
in the far distance. Once again, Bimal Roy showed his directorial touches even
in the two lines kept in the film - the effect has to be seen in the film to be
believed. But what most film lovers don't know is that the main reason the
song was cut from the film was not because of the film's length or any such
thing, but because of the wordings in one of its stanzas. Remember the words
"naye paise ko leke aaya hai naya saal..". The new, decimal currency system
had been introduced in 1956/57, and the film was released later. Since the
story line was based on reincarnation, etc., Bimal Roy felt that a referral to
the "naye paise" would be out of continuity in the film. And he used his
editor's scissors. Sadly enough, continuity does not even seem to be in any
current director's dictionaries. E.g., even Subhash Ghai is seen himself in
the opening scenes of Taal, listening and singing along his own "Pardes" song
'do dil mil rahe hain..'. Later on, the heroine is shown achieving great
success, after coming to Mumbai, etc., etc. And the film itself was releasxed
in 1999, just two years after Pardes in 1997. But why am I lamenting on such
TRIVIALITES!!!! :))
Sorry folks, got carried away on the side tracks. Back to the topic.
4. Kahin deep jale kahin dil
In the early spring of 1962, when the song first hit the market, it became
an instant rage, long before the film was released. The stories about Lata
having been sick for months before the recording of this song were unknown to
us (at least to me) in those days. It was only many many years later that I
heard about it, and it was then that I understood the meaning of "Special
Thanks to Lata Mangeshkar" in the credits of the film inserted by Hemantda, the
producer. This osng was as popular as the Nagin song 'man dole' and used to be
blared out at every nook and corner of all cities, to some extent making it
very stale and even unbearable. Thankfully, in the early summer, the Anpadh
song 'aapki nazron ne samjha' came along and displaced the Bees Saal Baad song.
I am in a mood to write a lot more, but the dinner bell has been sounded, and
so I shall return a little later and continue on.
Happy listenings.
Satish Kalra
SKalra902
>>>5. Allah tero naam (Hum Dono,1961; music by Jaidev
>>>6. Naina barse rimjhim (Woh Kaun Thi,1963; music by Madan Mohan
>>>7. Aa jaan-e-jaan (Inteqaam, 1969; music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal
>>>8. Bindiya Chamkegi (Do Raaste, 1969; music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal
>>>9. Dil deewana (Maine Pyar Kiya, 1989; music by RaamLaxman
>>>10. Jiya jale jaan jale (Dil Se, 1998;
5. Allah tero naam has been known to be a peronal favorite of Lata's. It did
evoke deep feelings in every heart whenever the song played on the Radio or on
the juke boxes. On the original 78 rpm discs, the song had two stanzas, the
first one being "is dharti ka ruup na ujade..". This stnaza was edited out of
the film, in which the first stanza is "maangon ka senduur na chhute..". The
last stanza, "o saare jag ke rakhwale.." was the second stanza in both the film
and the 78 rpm records. I don't remember correctly, but I think there was some
write up on the recording of this song in Raju Bharatan's biography on Lata
Mangeshkar.
6. Naina barsein
This was another song in the tradition of aayega aanewala, and took off from
day one after its release. Just to reminisce, this song was played on Radio
Ceylon in its Aap Hi Ke Geet program almost once every fourth day, a great feat
for any song in those days. The 78 rpm records had the song on both sides of
the disc, and only one side had the additional aalaap after the first line of
each stanza, and the other side had the aalaap after the mukhada and again
before the mukhada repeated at the end of the song. For unknown reasons, that
used to be the highlight for me. :))
7. Aa jaanejaan..
Somehow, I do not think tha tthis song achieved the level of populairty that
each one of the prior seven had, but there is no denying that the song was (is)
a very nice one. Her personal bias for this song can be understood from the
fact that it was composed not only by her favorites in those days, Laxmikant
Pyarelal, but that it also allowed her to show that she could excel in cabaret
songs as well, like, or better than Asha. She had tried at a cabaret type song
earlier, in Shararat under Shankar Jaikishan, but the songs "tera teer o be
peer..' , ' ajab hai daastaan teri ai zindagi', 'hum matwale naujawaan', and
'dekha babu chhed ka maza' kind of obscured this number - "lushqa lushqa lushqa
lui lui sha lui lui sha",a duet/chorus with Rafi. The film's demise at the box
office (probably due to the delay of more than a year in the film's release
caused by censor problems) also did not help the song. The other, more popular
songs had also faded out from the public's memory by then.
8. Bindiya chamkegi..
This, in my opinion, is a song that should not have been included by Lata in
this list of hers. Even though immensely popular in its day, like or more than
the Naagin or Bees Saal Baad songs, it was a mediocre song (IMO) at best. It
was a song that she included in her first concert at the Royal Albert Hall in
London in 1973/74, and drew a great applause. She may have had personal reasons
for including it in there.
By the way, only two songs in the above eight appear in her Ten Best songs'
list as it appeared in 1967, at the celebration of her reaching the Silver
Jubilee mark in playback singing in the films.
These were:
1. Kahin deep jale kahin dil; and
2. Allah tero naam
The others were:
O sajna barkha bahaar aayi - Parakh
Lag ja gale ke phir- Woh Kaun Thhi
Bekas pe karam kijiye - Mughal-e-Azam
Airi main to prem diwani - Naubahar
Jeevan dor tumhin sang - Sati Savitri
Bairan neend na aaye - Chacha Zindabad
Bahaaren phir bhi aayengi - Lahore; and
Mavalatya dinakara - Non-film
Even that list had surprised many a music cirtic at that time, for its
inclusion of the Ati Savitri song composed by LP, while leaving out many
beautiful gems of SDB, SJ, Anil Biswas, Vasant Desai, Sudhir Phadke, among
others, and of course, one of the most prolific composers of all time, C.
Ramchandra, for whom she sang some of her best numbers ever.
Like all of us, her 'best' list also keeps on changing, depending on the
'moods', I guess.
Happy listenings.
Satish Kalra
Pankajkumar Chauhan
>> This, in my opinion, is a song that should not have been included by Lata in
>> this list of hers. Even though immensely popular in its day, like or more than
>> the Naagin or Bees Saal Baad songs, it was a mediocre song (IMO) at best. It
>> was a song that she included in her first concert at the Royal Albert Hall in
>> London in 1973/74, and drew a great applause. She may have had personal reasons
>> for including it in there.
I also think that this is not such a great song. Instead, I would
choose songs like Dikhaye diye yuun, from Bazaar or Chalte Chalte,
Inhi logn ne, Chalo dilar chalo from Pakeeza or a bhajan Jyoti Kalsh
Chalke.
Best,
--
- Pankaj
hn...@yahoo.com
Ke...@iag.net wrote:
> In article <Bharat-19...@news.mantra.com>,
address....@web.site
> says...
>
> >LATA'S TOP TEN
>
> >looking Lataji's Top 10 chart-toppers. And why she likes
> >them so immensely.
>
Kumar
>
> Could someone who has lived during those times confirm the claims of
greatness
> of songs 1-8 on the list? Were they really chart toppers
overshadowing any and
> every song released in those years? Was this list made by her or was
this info
> culled from some Binaca Geet Mala type program?
Interesting to see that none of these appear in her "My favorites"
collection of 50 songs! When I heard that collection, I was surprised
not to find "aayega aanevala" in there. In this list it is #1! Well,
she has sung so many songs and has had so many memorable experiences
that it really must be hard for her to define a small set of her
favorite songs and the reasons why she likes them.
H.
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