Lata Mangeshkar and Anil Biswas

Lata sang approximately 120 songs for Anil Biswas in 29 Hindi films. Out of these, approximately 88 were solos and the rest were duets or songs involving more than 2 singers.

Lata Mangeshkar on Anil Biswas

Another music director steeped in classical and folk music is Anil Biswas. A master of Bengali folk music, Anil also has a good knowledge of Urdu poetic and musical traditions. Out of this rich treasure-house he has evolved a distinct style. I remember we were recording a song in one line of which the word hazaar occurred and Anil asked me to prolong the taan on that word to heighten its significance. While working on a song, music directors usually have in mind the voice of the singer who is going to sing it. Not so Anil. He does not take into consideration the voice of the singer. Once the song is composed, he would literally pull it out of the singer’s throat — successfully.

Anil gives form to his melodies according to the situations in the film. In Indian classical music, there are raagas for different parts of the day and night. Anil’s music is based on the raagas appropriate to the time at which the situation is supposed to occur in the film. I have learnt many things from Anil Biswas. In Maharashtra, it is generally found that singers neglect the words and concentrate on the taan. At one time, I too did this. But Anil taught me how to concentrate on a clear enunciation of the bol for clarity on the microphone. For many months, I studied voice modulation with Anil.

Another ability I acquired through Anil’s training is to inhale while singing without in the least interrupting the song. I worked at this until I reached the stage when it was not possible to tell when I took a breath. Yet another invaluable lesson I learnt from Anil was to avoid any change in voice, whether I was taking the highest note or the lowest. “Your voice must remain the voice of Lata Mangeshkar, no matter at which pitch you are singing,” Anil told me. This is very difficult to do. (Interview conducted in January 1958)

Anil Biswas on Lata Mangeshkar

Lata was a godsend to us composers. With her around there was absolutely no limitation placed on our range. Such was her vocal artistry that we could explore the most complex reaches of composition in the knowledge and confidence that she could take it all in her stride.

Lata Mangeshkar – Anil Biswas Song List

Mohammad Rafi and Naushad

Naushad on Mohammad Rafi

Naushad with Mohammad Rafi

Speaking about Rafi Saab’s singing qualities, I have always been of the opinion that he was very sentimental and worked extra hard at songs which were raga based and melodious. Though people call him versatile, which he was in many senses of the term, I feel he was not happy singing cacophonic songs. This was because there are two distinct types of singing: one from the throat and another from the heart. Rafi used to sing melodious songs from the heart but this heart was never there in the other types of songs.

Rafi use to falter slightly in lower tones. If he was asked to sing in low tones, his voice used to become loose but in the high tones his voice was just like an arrow.

He loved to rehearse his songs. At times he would rehearse as long as five days before turning up for recording. He used to let the song sink completely in his psyche. But if the music director or lyricist wanted to change a word here and there then Rafi would need an hour to adjust as he had already taped the songs in his mind.

Rafi started to sing for me immediately when he came to Mumbai. Since he hailed from Punjab, his Urdu accents were not clean and clear. As such, I had to explain to him first to make his Urdu diction suitable for songs. He was so studious, intelligent and painstaking person that he grasped the required tonal accents in a short time. While grooming him I realised that he had tremendous range but he was singing initially in the low tone since K. L. Saigal was his ideal. I recorded some of his songs in low tone itself in films like “Anmol Ghadi”, “Mela”, “Dillagi”, “Jadoo”, etc. but slowly I started using his voice in higher pitch in films like “Deedar” and “Aan”. However till “Baiju Bawra” even I never had the opportunity to make full use of it. It was from “Baiju Bawra” that people realized the tremendous potential of his range.

Rafi Saab’s greatest asset was that even after scaling highest notes he would stay at the peak without shaking his voice and used to remain firm at it. But again, if he didn’t like the tune he would falter and take a longer time to record it. But if the tune was to his liking, one could get a perfect take in the first round.

As a person he was one of the finest persons I have known. I had a very long association with him. He was very modest. He had a perfect sense of time. He never came late for any song recording and used to meet people around always with a smiling face.

The last song he recorded for me was a gazal in a film called “Habba Khatoon”. He was so enamored with the lines and the tune that immediately after recording it he came to me and enveloped me in his arms and said, “After a very long time, I got the opportunity to sing such a beautiful song. Otherwise I had to make sounds of cats and dogs in my recent songs”. He was so happy with my song that he even did not accept payment for the song. Such a great person he was!

Mohammad Rafi – Naushad Song List

Mukesh and Naushad

Naushad composed approximately 23 songs for Mukesh, out of which 15 were solos and 8 were duets. Naushad used Mukesh’s voice in 2 phases. The first was late 40′s phase (1948-1949), when Naushad created some of the best gems for Mukesh including Kabhi dil dil sai takrata to hoga, Main bhanwara tou hai phool and Tu kahe agar. After 1949, Naushad started to patronize Mohammad Rafi as his main singer and Mukesh got sidelined. Naushad didn’t use Mukesh voice for the next 19 years until Saathi (1968) was released.

Mukesh’s main co-singer under Naushad’s baton was Shamshad Begum, Naushad utilized the nasalish tinge in their voices to full extent and they sang 4 duets together for Naushad, all of which are considered classics today – Bhol gaye kiyoun de ke sahara, Aai sawan rut aai, Mein Bhanwara tu hai phool and Mera dil todne wale.

Naushad on Mukesh

I used to call him Mukesh Babu. He was a singer who belonged to Kundan Lal Saigal’s school. Mukesh was excellent in low tones. There was a certain sadness in his voice but the moment he was taken to the high notes, he used to get shaken. Many music directors, including me, were guilty of asking him to sing in a higher pitch.

One particular trait Mukesh Babu had was that he could never sing without a harmonium. This was because he thought that he would go out of tune. In fact, many times I had to pad up the harmonium and whenever we did that the result was much better.

I used Mukesh Babu’s voice for my songs in two phases. First spell was during late forties when films like “Mela”, “Anokhi Ada”, and “Andaz” were made and the second phase started with “Saathi” and so on, which continued intermittently till his sad demise in 1976. The last song I recorded on him was for the film “Pukar” which Producer/Director Sohrab Modi was making in late seventies. I very clearly remember an incident that took place at the time of the song session. After recording the song everyone was being paid. Even Mukesh Babu was given his packet. Everybody was knowing that Modi Saab was passing through a very difficult financial condition. As soon as the packet was received by Mukesh babu, he returned it to Modi Saab with the words, “Take this back, make your film. When it becomes a jubilee hit, pay me double this amount”.

Mukesh-Naushad Collaboration

Mukesh sang approximately 23 songs for Naushad. Details are provided below :-

Naushad & K.L. Saigal

Saigal sang 6 songs [1 duet, 5 solos] for Naushad. They came together for first and last time in Shah Jehan in 1946, which was one of the last films in which Saigal acted. Shah Jehan also marked the debut of lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Naushad on K.L. Saigal

Saigal was a legend to me from the day I saw his film “Pooran Bhagat” (1933). He had attracted me with the haze and glamour of heroes. More so, as he was a singing star, singing in “sur”. His songs and acting in the films of New Theatres carved a niche in my mind.

It was around 1946 I had a chance to meet him. Saigal was at the height of his popularity. D. N. Madhok and I were discussing a point of a picture at Kardar Studios. A tall bald headed figure with thick rimmed spectacles entered the room. Mr. Madhok began to talk with him informally and I receded in the background. As conversation progressed, Madhok saw that I was kept aloof and asked me if I knew the gentleman with whom he was talking. I told him I did not. Madhok looked at me with surprise and asked me, “Why you don’t know Saigal”? I jumped up. Saigal was smiling at me. i offered my apology saying that his bald head and thick rimmed spectacles were far from the boyish idea I had of the great Saigal. There was a heavy laughter from him in reply. That first meeting with Saigal left a lasting impression on me.

Saigal’s mannerisms were just plain. He had no affected accents or no studied poses. He was just a plain gentleman from Punjab. His soul was transparent just as his melodious voice. He hardly ever acted: either on or off the screen. He always went about with his roles just as he would in real life. His singing, too, was marked with the ease of this very naturalness. And that was, indeed, great about his singing.

When an occasion arose to work with him for the film “Shah Jehan” my joy knew no bounds. It was an honor. Before every formal occasion of singing, Saigal made it a point to pray. This I discovered during one of the recordings of “Shah Jehan”. As the time for the “takes” approached, he had a special mattress spread out for him, (he never sang standing or sitting on a chair) and squatting, he was muttering some prayer with a “mala” rhythmically moving between his fingers. A few minutes skipped by and his personal assistant took away the “mala”. Mr. Saigal looked at me to know if everything was all right. I nodded approval. He turned aside and called: Driver, get me ‘kaalee paanch’. Promptly his driver appeared as if from nowhere with a bottle of whisky which he casually poured out into a large glass and offered it to his boss. Saigal emptied it with a certain ease and began singing in the “sur”. He was coming to shape.

An honest appraisal of Saigal, should, of course, mention that he was a victim of alcohol. There is no irreverence about it. It was a fact. He was no less religious a man for that matter.

I went recording “take” after “take” to get the finest from the great artiste. But I noticed, too, that with every take he was having fresh “Kalee paanch”. As “takes” began to mount upon one another, Saigal’s sobriety began to dwindle. He could no more count the bars meant for interlude. He would come in singing either too early or too late. He would admit his fault every time. He was not conscious of his unconsciousness. At last I approached him and suggested that he needed rest and that we would record the song again the next day. That was the end of “kalee paanch” that night.

Saigal loved precious stones. He used to wear rings made with them. He loved “panna” stones in particular. He was fond of displaying his “panna” rings to everyone.

Saigal was a great artiste, no doubt. But he was a great man also. It was this greatness that had attracted Dr. Latiff from Kolkata to become his closest friend and personal physician. Dr. Latiff had left his wife and children, closed down his dispensary and had thrown his lot with Saigal. He literally moved along with Saigal. The doctor-friend always remained with him in the same room, carried his medical kit day and night from set to set and theatre to theatre. I had the chance once to witness the complete dedication this man had for Saigal. Once on a set the cry was heard, “Saigal Sahab has fainted, Saigal Sahab has fainted, Saigal Sahab has fainted”. I reached the spot and found that Dr. Latiff was giving him an emergency injection. After that he threw himself on the ground by Saigal’s side to comfort him.

Once I had the chance to speak to Dr. Latiff. I made it a point to inquire what made him love Saigal so much. I knew that Dr. Latiff had no liking for music or film or acting. His reply was unique: “Saigal is a good man. He is a great friend and he needs understanding”.

As I continued to work with him , I discovered that he was convinced with a false idea about himself. He thought he would never sing in “sur” without whisky. But I had noticed Saigal singing at his best when he was sober, during rehearsals, for instance. One day I took the courage to tell him about this and requested him to have takes without his driver and the bottle. He said he would try but was sure of the poor results. I insisted and he agreed, but on one condition: there must follow a recording session with his driver and the bottle. I agreed.

We had both the sessions. Both went off as I expected. When I played the recordings of both and asked him to choose which he thought the best rendition of the song, he unmistakably picked out the really good recording done without drinks. The song was “Jab dil hi toot gaya”.

That Saigal recorded songs without drinks became the news. It spread like fire among music directors. Khurshid Anwar tried it, too, for “Parwana” and was successful. But hen Dr. Latiff had to be by his side always ready with injections.

I took occasions then to tell him that someone had made a psychological fixation in him about alcohol and his singing. I insisted that it was simply untrue and that he had seen the results himself. He looked a me wistfully and said: “What a pity, Naushad Sahab…This good news is too late to be good to me. Had I met you a little earlier, I might have been a different Kundan altogether…..” By referring to a song line from “Shah Jahan” he said “Chaah barbaad karegi hamen maloom na tha”.

I wonder how many Saigal fans know what he thought about drinking. He regretted it wholeheartedly. There are many among us who like, admire and imitate him even to the point of drinking. But he would never approve of it. I am sure he would say, “We ought to imitate always the good trends in others, not the bad ones”.

He was an artiste through and through. Many incidents are told about this. Once after a night long search, a director was pleasantly surprised to find Saigal in fond embrace with an electric post at Matunga in the early hours of the morning while he was supposed to be on the set. When asked, how come, he said he lost his bearings on the way to the studio and was seeking directions from the lonely electric post.

Another day, Saigal reached home very thirsty. He walked into the kitchen and took some tea from the oven, kept a cup at his feet and poured the contents right down on his feet. The “tea” turned out to be boiling oil, which burnt his feet and hands, canceling his shooting schedule for weeks and keeping Dr. Latiff busy for months.

With the completion of “Shah Jehan” I lost the contacts with this great man. News of his death did not come to me as a surprise. i could imagine his deathbed and Dr. Latiff sitting with his medical kit saying “Mera Kundan…Mera Kundan…..”

During Saigal’s funeral, one of his relatives told me later, the music of “Jab dil hi toot gaya” from the film “Shah Jehan” was played by the band as per his wish.

Every generation has its crop of artistes. Often God replaces disappearing great men with worthy substitutes. No doubt, after Saigal, many singers have arisen in the Hindi film world. Some of them may have overtaken him in some sense, some may not have. But I feel there was none to replace Saigal. He is just….Saigal”.

It should not sound too effusive, if I say in conclusion, that Saigal outdid Tansen in popularity. Mian Tansen was, of course, the beloved of his times. But his voice was, in a way, imprisoned by palace walls and a select upper class audience. Saigal, on the other hand, had the whole nation behind him as he was the singer of the general public. He was, in fact, their Tansen.

Saigal belongs to that category of human beings, who defied death. He is alive even today. We have the proof that he is. His voice, his style, his intonation is amidst us. Saigal is immortal. In that sense he has even surpassed the legendary singer Tansen in popularity.

K.L. Saigal – Naushad Collaboration

Back to Legends – Lata Mangeshkar

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Sajjad Hussain with Lata Mangeshkar

Sajjad Hussain was known as the only original composer of Hindi cinema. His compositions rank amongst the most complex scores of Hindi film music. Known for his forthrightness which resulted in many tussles and controversies, he ended up doing only 14 films and less than 100 songs in his 20 years long film career spanning from Dost (1944) to Rustam Sohraab (1963).

He composed only 14 songs [13 solos and 1 duet] for Lata in 6 films, but each and every one of those songs could be considered a musical masterpiece ranking among Lata’s best.

Sajjad Hussain on Lata

I was composing music for a film called 1857. The Hindustani title of the film was Gaddar. We were rehearsing in a production office on the fourth floor of a building, and Latabai’s guru, Amanat Khan Devaswale, happened to give singing lessons on the third floor. We were friends and visited one another. One day he said: `Sajjad Sahib, I have a disciple, a girl, so gifted by the grace of Allah. She is so intelligent and so incredibly musical, a kind of musical genius. No matter how difficult the piece she sings it at once. Every night I think of another intricate exercise to teach her — sing this sargam, or taan or murki in a particular way — and she sings it. She sings everything effortlessly. Now I am so worried. Allah, what can I ask her to sing next?’

I was amazed to hear him say this because Amanat Ali Khan, a fine singer himself, never praised anyone. He had a very complex nature. He was a recognized master and had a big name, and for him to speak in this way was most out of character. So I thought to myself, one day I must ask his young disciple to sing for me.

In 1950, I was working on K. Asif’s Hulchul. It had a fine cast with Dilip Kumar and Nargis. It was the first time I called Latabai for a rehearsal. I explained the song, `Aaj mere naseeb ne’ to her. She is very intelligent and thought about it carefully and then sang. I was pleased with the rehearsal and the song was recorded.

As it happened that particular song was deleted from the film. The producers finally gave it to another company. I didn’t complete Hulchul because they hadn’t paid me. Perhaps someone else finished the film. But I did compose three songs for the film: a mujra, and two other songs by Latabai, which included `Aaj mere naseeb ne.’ Sometime later, I heard `Aayega aanewala’ from Mahal. I think it was Khemchand’s song. That’s when I thought to myself: `Amanat Khan Devaswale was absolutely right. This girl is bound to be a brilliant singer one day.’

The quality and purity of her voice, presentation, performance, sureelapan, the way she feels the words and tries to give a sense of what the words mean – these are her talents.

Thanks to Allah, I was very happy to have found such an elegant singer. And I decided that whenever I needed a singer, my first condition would be:

`I will only sign the contract if Latabai sings or else I won’t.’ Filmmakers are always in a tearing hurry, and if only I happened to have no other choice, did I use another singer — say if she was unwell and couldn’t come to the recording. I always asked her to sing my songs, whether it was for a big or small film. I could see no singer better than her. If they had existed, they would be visible. Good singers cannot be hidden.

The most important thing in music is `sur.’ Music is nothing without tunefulness. If someone sings out of tune, then the musical value of a song is nil. Whether classical music, film music, a ghazal or a bhajan — she sings everything perfectly in tune.

Great Hindu and Muslim classical singers, classical musicians, and laymen say she sings without compare. Other playback singers and people who know how to appreciate good music, all say the same thing. And without doubt, she is without compare. No one can equal her intelligence. Nor can anyone equal her simplicity. She has such grasping power — and understands a song like no one else.

Anyone who sings without really understanding the words cannot feel them. How can they? That is why she decided to learn Urdu and made sure she pronounced and understood all the difficult words. She understands good poetry and just how intoxicating words can be. Once you know the word meanings, they penetrate the heart.

Everyone wants to listen to a good singing voice. That’s why music-lovers have no choice but to admit that Latabai is without compare. That’s how I understand it.

Lata on Sajjad Hussain

Nasreen Munni Kabir: Were there any music directors you found difficult to please?

Lata Mangeshkar: At the beginning there are difficulties with everyone. I was always apprehensive when I sang for Sajjad Hussain Sahib because he was very particular. He never liked loud singing. Sometimes an alaap is sung rather loudly — he didn’t like that. He insisted all the musical instruments were perfectly tuned. He played the mandolin extremely well and if a single musical instrument was slightly out of tune, it displeased him. Compromising was not in his nature.

I often wondered when I sang for him: ‘Will he like it? Am I singing correctly?’ But I always wanted to work with him. Even now when you hear his songs, though the verses are sung in a high octave, they sound effortless. They aren’t painful to hear, nor do they sound as though they were strenuous for the singer. This was his approach and I found it a little difficult. (Source :- Lata Mangeshkar …in her own voice by Nasreen Munni Kabir)

Lata – Sajjad Collaboration

Lata sang 14 songs for Sajjad Hussain, details are provided below :-

Back to Legends – Suraiya

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Suraiya and Khurshid Anwar

Suraiya sang approximately 13 songs for Khurshid Anwar in 3 films – Ishara (1943), Parwana (1947) and Singaar (1949). Khurshid Anwar was kindly disposed towards K.L. Saigal and Suraiya, both of whom (during their days) had captured the imagination of cine-goers in the Sub-continent. Once Khurshid said, “Suraiya, she is like blotting-paper… the blotting-paper reproduces exactly what you write, likewise Suraiya reproduces exactly what you compose,”

The melancholic Jab tumhi nahin apne and chirpy Naya nainoin mein rang from Parwana (1947) and Singaar (1949) respectively were two of the best songs Suraiya sang for Khurshid. The great chemistry they shared is evident from the fact that Khurshid won the Clare Award for Best Music Director for composing the music of Singaar (1949).

Back to Legends – Noor Jehan

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C. Ramchandra & Noor Jehan

Noor Jehan in Lal Haveli (1944)

Noor Jehan sang only 1 song for C. Ramchandra in Lal Haveli (1944) – Aao mere pyaare sanwariya.

C. Ramchandra on Noor Jehan

C. Ramchandra: “If you must know, what I really saw in Lata was a Marathi Noorjehan. Noorjehan was my ideal as a singer. You must surely know that I even composed a solo for Noorjehan in ‘Lal Haveli’, the film in which I was an assistant to Mir Sahib. This music director was not available to do the last song of the film, so I got a rare opportunity to compose it myself and, what is more, record `Malka-e-Tarannum’ Noorjehan as Aao mere pyaare sanwariya. From that moment, Noorjehan became my vocal idol, my vocal ideal.”

Raju Bharatan: “So what you saw in Lata was a Marathi Noorjehan,” I said. “And wasn’t it in Noorjehan’s vocal idiom you cast Lata in ‘Anarkali’?”

C. Ramchandra: “Almost all songs I did initially with Lata were composed with the image of Lata as a Marathi Noorjehan,” admitted C. Ramchandra candidly…

Back to Legends – Noor Jehan

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Noor Jehan

Datta Korgoankar composed approximately 11 songs for Noor Jehan in Nadaan (1943) and Badi Maa (1945). He was a Noorjehan believer to the core. To date K Datta remains the only top composer from Maharashtra to whom Noorjehan came first, Lata after. No one regretted Partition more than K Datta. Indeed, his creativity seemed to come to an end once Noorjehan left him high and dry by moving, with a song on her lips, to Pakistan. He once said, “Noor Jehan left for Pakistan and took my creativity with her”.

Take `Badi Maa’ itself in which Lata and Asha, as kid stars, first encountered Noorjehan in all her vim and vitality. So distinctive were K Datta’s creations for Noorjehan in `Badi Maa’ that her four solos in it ring in our ears to this moment as Diya jala kar aap bujhaya, Aa intezaar hai tera, Turn hum ko bhula baithe ho and Kisi tarah se mohabbat mein chain paa na sake. These four Noorjehan numbers, as fashioned by Maratha Datta, are historically most important. Because it was hearing and absorbing these four nuggets of Noorjehan, while acting with her in `Badi Maa’, that Lata Mangeshkar learnt to shape her vocal technique. If Lata came to sound a Noorjehan replica for so long, the tonal base for this was laid, just imagine, by a robustly tall Maharashtrian from the ghats called K Datta in `Badi Maa’.

There was much for Lata to admire in the way K Datta composed for Noorjehan. How can anyone of that musically refined generation forget the virtuosity Noorjehan brought to those `Nadaan’ tunes of K Datta: Roshni apni umangon ki mita kar chal diye, Ab to nahin duniya mein kahin apna thikana, Dil doon ke na doon baaton pe unka kya bharosa, Naachti jaa gaaye jaa ho ho mujhe behlaye jaa and Ek anokha gham ek anokhi musibat ho gayi.

The last-named number of Noorjehan, K Datta told me, fetched him the ultimate tribute from no less a movie stalwart than Mehboob Khan, who said: “Bhai Datta, yeh gaana to aap ne Khuda ke darbar mein baithe hue banaya lag raha hai” (“It sounds as if you created this song sitting in Allah’s abode”). K Datta now played for me that Allah-given Ek anokha gham ek anokhi musibat ho gayi on a harmonium presented to him by O.P. Nayyar. How grimly significant that the one music director, O.P. Nayyar, who never in his life commissioned Lata, should have gifted that harmonium to the one Maharashtrian composer who believed only in Noorjehan!

Back to Legends – Lata Mangeshkar

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Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh

Lata and Mukesh sang almost 152 duets together in Hindi films. The bulk of Mukesh-Lata duets were composed by Shankar Jaikishan (34 duets), Laxmikant Pyarelal (29) and Kalyanji Anand Ji (20). Together these three music directors composed 54% of the total Lata/Mukesh duets.

Shankar Jaikishan gave Lata/Mukesh the maximum number of duets and most of these duets remain popular even today. Both Lata and Mukesh sang for Shankar Jaikishan’s debut film Barsaat (1949) which was a superhit. Also Lata, Mukesh, Shanker and Jaikishan were part of films made by Raj Kapoor Banner and that explains the strong collaboration between these legends.

Mukesh with Lata Mangeshkar

Lata on Mukesh

We shared a lot of love and respect and looked out for one another especially if either of us made a mistake. Sometimes a singer can make a mistake or forget a song word. We reassured each other by saying: `Never mind, it will be all right.’

Mukesh Bhaiya had this habit of clearing his throat in the middle of singing. I used to pull his leg: ‘What, Mukesh Bhaiya? Why do you keep doing that?’ And the poor fellow hurriedly said: ‘Sorry, Didi. I won’t do it again.’ I smiled and told him I was only joking.

Sometimes when we were recording and a musician played a solo piece slightly off key, Mukesh Bhaiya would turn to me and say: `Who is copying me?’

There was a lot of affection between us. I would visit his house and spend time with his family and his three children, Nitin, Rita and Neelu. When Nitin was very young, he sometimes accompanied his father to the recordings.

It was Mukesh Bhaiya who introduced me to Naushad Ali. One day he came to Nanachowk and said: ‘Didi’, come with me. I want to take you to Naushad Sahib because he wants you to sing for him.’ I recorded some songs for composer Shyam Sundar’s film Lahore and I believe Naushad Sahib had heard them.

I was singing for a number of film composers by the late ’40s. When I would meet a composer with whom I hadn’t previously worked, he would invariably ask me to sing. The one thing I disliked was auditioning. I had sung at so many classical music concerts with my father and somehow felt auditioning was humiliating. So, from the outset I told Mukesh Bhaiya: ‘I won’t audition for Naushad Sahib or any other composer. If they want me, then I will record the song.’ Mukesh Bhaiya replied: ‘All right. Let’s at least go and talk to him.’

We went to Kardar Studio and met Naushad Sahib. Ghulam Mohammed Sahib was working as his assistant then and he was there too. Perhaps Mukesh Bhaiya had already warned them I disliked auditioning. When I was introduced to Naushad Sahib, he cleverly said: `Latabai, I have heard you mentioned many times. I hear you sing very well. I’d like to hear you but don’t think you’re on trial. Nothing of the sort. But why not sing a ghazal?’ So I sang ‘Umeed ke rangeen jhoole mein ek aas bandhaaye jaati hai’ from Lahore. It didn’t take me long to figure out Naushad Sahib just wanted to hear my Urdu pronunciation because he was going to ask me to sing for Andaaz. He heard me sing the ghazal and was pleased.

Lata Mangeshkar & Shamshad Begum

Shamshad Begum was reigning playback queen when Lata joined the film industry. Therefore, it is not surprising that in their first song together [along with Mohantara Talapade], Lata sang with other chorus girls while Shamshad was the main singer! Their first popular duet together was Darna mohabbat karle from Andaz (1949) composed by Naushad.

Considering that Shamshad and Lata were Naushad’s favorite female playback singers, it isn’t surprising that Naushad composed the maximum number of Shamshad-Lata duets and most of these duets remain popular even today.

Lata on Shamshad Begum

“Shamshad Bai and Zohra Bai were always very sweet to me and we shared a great sense of camaraderie and understanding between us”. (Source:- Lata in her own Voice by Nasreen Munni Kabir)

Lata Mangeshkar once told Shamshad, “No one has seen the kind of stardom and respect that you did!” (Source:- Shamshad Begum’s interview conducted by Lata Khubchandani)

Following is the list of Shamshad-Lata duets provided by my friend Mahesh (Source :- Hindi Film Geet Kosh compiled by Har Mandir Singh ‘Hamraaz’)

Lata-Shamshad Duets

Lata and Shamshad sang approximately 30 duets together. Details are provided below :-

Note :- Song list provided above only gives approximate number of duets Lata and Shamshad sang together and it only includes songs sung in Hindi Films (doesn’t include songs sung in regional languages).

yeh tirchi nazar aur teekhi ada composed by C. Ramchandra was used twice – first in Lehrein in 1953 and then in Duniya Gol Hai in 1955.

According to the Book “Lata Mangeshkar… in her own voice”, Lata mentions another duet with Shamshad Begum, “… But I believe a greater number of playback singers sang together in a qawali for composer Shyam Sunder. There was Zohra Bai, Rajkumari, Shamshad Begum, Kalyani, Hamida [Bano], her brother, Iqbal and me. These artists were well known in their time. I don’t remember the title of the qawali or the name of the film.”

Listen!

Listen to Shamshad-Asha-Lata troika from Chandni Chowk (1954) composed by Roshan.