Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe
Written by P. Haldar
He did send a letter. But it was not an apology letter. And it was not to her. It is the most celebrated prem patra that he delivered on Jai’s behalf, a year or so after they had stopped singing together. And it was at the height of their rift that he recorded Kaise kategi zindagi tere bagair, an unreleased song composed by Madan Mohan, recently released as part of an album by the composer’s son. The song was recorded in her voice too, but fortunately for her, it has been lost. Otherwise, just like what happened with Teri ankhon ke siva a few years later, she would have been out-spun on a turning wicket. Yet every article on Madan Mohan talks almost exclusively about her exquisite deliveries, ignoring his priceless oeuvre for this gem of a composer – at best, he is included as a footnote.
Last year, American football audiences were provided with a snippet of Jaan pehchan ho in Heineken’s Date commercial. The entire song was featured in the American film “Ghost Word” in 2001. This number beautifully delivered by the maestro in his own rocking style – at the height of the cold war – now captivates listeners who don’t know him or the language. Such is the universal appeal of his majestic voice and style.
Circa 1957. Dada has returned from his morning walk to Jet Bungalow when something catches his eye. The ivy on the side of the bungalow that he used to adore so much looks unkempt and unwieldy. He decides to trim it. With Goldie’s debut as a director in 9-2-11, Dada’s attention now turns to another bowler, whom he has rarely used in the past. The twin attacks come in Pyaasa where, along with Sahir, Dada and Guru Dutt, the tenor writes the copybook for playback singing. Four geniuses getting together for the first and last time to leave an everlasting impact on Hindi cinema. After the film’s release, Dada stops working with Sahir because of an ego tussle, and OP follows suit. In the meantime, Mrs. Hope’s naya daur on a tonga takes off at the pace of a Cadillac. And although Geeta enthralls the public with Mera naam chin chin choo, OP dumps her under the Howrah Bridge, responding instead to the siren call of Aaiye mehrbaan. A couple of years later, Dada does the same, leaving one of the most sensuous voices in Hindi cinema to hum in private Mera sundar sapna beet gaya.
If it was Naushad who established him as the leading male voice in the early fifties, in the mid fifties it is OP who makes sure that every actor who can move his lips on screen would do so in the master’s voice. Dada switches from Hemant and Kishore, Roshan from Mukesh and Talat, and Madan Mohan from Talat. And SJ, who have been using him on a regular basis since their debut, along with Mukesh and Manna, make a major strategic move by leaning much more heavily on him. She is still their main weapon. But things are about to change. As the decade comes to an end, SJ bring the two of them together under a moonlit sky for Dheere dheere chal chand gagan mein. Although each asks the other to proceed slowly before their impending love marriage, both try to outpace the other on this fast track. A discerning listener would notice the edge he has developed over her. His deliveries are not only faster but they have started moving beautifully in the air. And from now on, under SJ’s captaincy, she would be sharing the new ball with him.
Soon after the onset of the new decade, SJ pack them off to Darjeeling. And as the toy train winds its way up the hill, he takes a significant lead, sending her flat and shrill delivery to oblivion. She pleads with him in Ehsan tera hoga mujh par but he shows no mercy. A perfect gentleman off the field, he becomes the fiercest competitor on field. Among all the bowlers, it is he who has the maximum degrees of freedom, and several captains – most notably, SJ and OP – let him move the ball any way he wants to.
And one fine day, he walks into Salil’s den where the tigress is waiting. Salil provides her with the strategic depth against him, just as OP provides the depth for him. She is Salil’s raison d’être. To say that she resonates at Salil’s frequency would be an understatement. As he starts his run-up, Salil motions to him to stop, walks up to him and asks him to change his pitch – at the very last minute. He feels insulted. Salil cooks up a different story – that he was having problems with the delivery – and plants it in the press through his favourite chela: Raju Journalist. But the end result is there for everyone to see and hear – his delivery with rich overtones is as good, if not better, than hers; her voice doesn’t seem to have quite the charm as his in the high notes. In private, he rues Jangal mein mor nacha kisi na dekha.
Right from the beginning of her career, she has surrounded herself with strong dadas for protection. After Anil da, Sachin da, Hemant da and Salil da, the fifth dada of film music is about to enter the scene, and like the other dadas, he wants her to play a major role. After five long years, she enters Jet Bungalow to meet him. Dada is waiting in a different room; she is anxious. Both are at a strategic disadvantage without the other; she needs Dada more than anyone else to stave off the threat from her fearsome rival, and Dada is wise enough to realise that he is no OP when it comes to using Asha; also, SJ are creating waves with their two lead bowlers. Back in Dada’s camp after an extended absence, she doesn’t disappoint, producing two stunning deliveries as Dada’s bandini. Dada is sensitive to her insecurity when bowling along with him, and asks him to tone down a little to preserve balance.
And so Dada joins SJ, Naushad, Roshan, Chitragupta and company in the stormy love fest between the two. The two are unstoppable; love is in the air and they produce one hit after another in Tere Ghar Ke Samne, Mere Mehboob, Professor, Asli Naqli, Dil Tera Deewana, Aarti, Taj Mahal, Main Chup Rahungi, Leader and Parasmani, among a host of other films. The lightning is about to strike, but they croon memorable duets like Awaaz deke hamein tum bulao, Tujhe jeevan ke dor se, Mujhe kitna pyar hai tumse, Jo wada kiya woh nibhana padega, Paon chhu lene do phulon ko inayat hogi, Aap ne yaad dilaya to mujhe yaad aaya, Yaad mein teri jag jag ke hum, Koyi bata de dil hai jnaha, Ik ghar banaoonga tere ghar ke samne and Woh jab yaad aaye bahut yaad aaye. And then there is the timeless masterpiece, Tere bin soone nain hamare. For six years, he has been the winning horse in Dada’s stable; she does a good job but still trails behind. She does full justice to the title song in Naushad’s Mere Mehboob, but any unbiased listener would observe that she is overshadowed by his andaz, harkatein and adayein. Insecurity starts creeping in; he tries to comfort her with Dekho rootha na karo. By her own admission, she had a habit of picking up fights, and she decides to pick the wrong one. It is a calculated move on her part – Maharani reckons that if she doesn’t sing with him, most of the music directors would turn to Mukesh or Mahendra Kapoor to sing with her in duets.
But events unfold in a way that Maharani had not quite expected. Music directors line up for the Badshah like never before and pair him with the talented Suman, who is content to let him bowl at his own speed, swinging the ball any way he wants to. No more tantrums at the other end, whether it’s Suman or Asha. Suman’s fortunes skyrocket and Asha keeps gaining more and more ground. In film after film, music directors team up Suman or Asha with him to produce massive hits. With Asha, he already has had a terrific relationship but it gets even better. Suman successfully partners with him to produce memorable and popular duets like Parbaton ke pedon par sham ka basera hai, Ajahuna aaye balma sawan beeta jaye, Tujhe pyar karte hain karte rahenge, Baad muddat ke yeh ghadi aayi, Dil ek mandir hai, Tum ne pukara aur hum chale aaye, Thehriye hosh mein aa loon, Aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke charche har zaban par and Dil ne phir yaad kiya (along with Mukesh). Even music directors like Madan Mohan, Roshan, Naushad and Khayyam – for whom Maharani is still the lead female voice – are forced to switch to Suman or Asha for duets in films such as Jahanara, Neela Akash, Saaz aur Awaaz, Nayi Umar Ki Nayi Fasal, Shagoon, Bheegi Raat and Mamta.
The biggest threat for her, though, comes from SJ. In film after film – Dil ek Mandir, April Fool, Saanjh aur Savera, Suraj, Rajkumar, Chhoti si Mulaqat, Brahmachari – they include Suman along with him in hit duets. And then there is Kashmir ki Kali, where OP uses his favourite pair brilliantly and surpasses even himself. The most prolific and explosive duo in film music creates two stunning beauties, with Deewana hua badal close on the heels of arguably the best duet ever, Abhi na jaao chhod kar, recorded by the two of them three years earlier.
In the Navketan camp, meanwhile, Dada is totally enamoured by his favourite bowler but Dev wants his buddy Kishore back in the team. And so in Teen Deviyan, after a eight-year gap, Dada brings back Kishore, who sets up a beautiful pace in Kwhab ho tum ya koi haqeeqat. At the opposite end, the Badshah releases an unplayable doosra with Kahin bekhayal hokar.
The music of Guide is to be recorded. Dev is putting increasing pressure on Dada to switch to Kishore but Dada does not relent. He would not let Dev make him do something that Bimal da had forced him to do six years earlier. His lead bowler will have the honour of delivering the crown jewels. As Dev’s line, zindagi bhi ek nasha hai dost jab charta hai to poochho maat kya alam rahta hai, lekin jab utarta hai… seamlessly transitions into aaah aahaah aah… din dhal jaaye hai raat na jaaye, the crooner reaches the deepest corners of his heart to pour out his dard in classic Dev andaz. And when he delivers Shailendra’s last stanza, Dil ke mere paas ho itne, phir bhi ho kitni door, tum mujhse mein dil se pareshan, dono hai majboor, aise mein kisko kaun manaye, din dhal jaaye haye raat na jaaye…, putting top spin on “pareshan” and breaking his voice in “hai”, cinema goers wonder if this may be the best playback they are witnessing on screen. Over the last eight years, he has carefully built Dev’s musical persona in black and white; now he makes his entry into colour even more colourful with three priceless aces. Film buffs come up with an equation that is now well known:
Dev + Dada + x = magic
The irony is that, though the public knows the value of x, Dev could never quite bring himself to solve the equation. Maharani also produces three stunning deliveries in Guide, plus another hit duet with Kishore. For the first time in many years, she becomes the Badshah’s equal in Dada’s team.
The three upstarts, all aspiring to be the next SJ, have already entered the scene. LP mesmerises the nation with their soulful music in Dosti. The tenor taps into all the resources in his heart to deliver five beauties for two unknown street singers on screen, including the winner that was slated to be delivered by LP’s godmother. The two bluff masters produce a major hit in Jab Jab Phool Khile, with the Badshah’s Pardesiyon se na aankhiyan milana again overwhelming Maharani’s version. KA have no option but to use Suman with him in Na na karte pyar tumhi se kar baithe. The following year, the fifth dada creates a different kind of sound, with the Badshah putting his signature on every single song. The songs catapult the son from the ground floor to the third floor. Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera and O haseena zulfowali rock the nation. In the saddest moment of his favourite actor’s life, the tenor uses his multi-layered voice to deliver an absolute beauty, Tum ne mujhe dekha.
The following year, Jai releases the farishta from the heavens to come down to earth and Shankar makes him hum Raat ke humsafar beautifully with Asha along the Seine. In a deadly toe-breaking yorker, the sultan of high pitch makes the skies over Paris scream in ecstasy for a full 15 seconds. Messrs. Shankar and Jaikishan have done it again, goading their number one bowler to go at breakneck speed and unleash an array of lethal deliveries on the tracks of Paris.
The nightingale is feeling the heat. So comprehensively has he dominated her in the three years of their rift and so quickly has Suman risen, that she decides it is time to dispatch her blue-eyed boy – the boy wonder of film music – to try to patch up things. The humble and down-to-earth person that he is, he agrees. Many of his fans, including me, wish that he had not patched up and, instead, continued his successful partnership with Suman, who had played such a wonderful supporting innings. On stage the Badshah and Maharani come together in Dada’s presence and woo one another with Dil pukare aare aare, but it is all pretence; the relationship is over. His hand would never rest on her again. On the field, they continue to bowl in tandem as beautifully as ever, pretending as if nothing had ever happened. She continues to be stunningly beautiful in Dada’s hands, like the Kanchanjunga viewed during sunrise from Tiger Hill – the ultimate, you think, till you tilt your head to the left and, on a clear day, are lucky enough to spot the peak of the majestic Everest.
On the golden anniversary of their rift, in an interview published in a major Indian newspaper, the nightingale gives a different version of what had actually happened. The question many people are asking is why she would stoop so low and rake up unpleasant memories that were buried a long time ago, especially when the other person is long gone and never uttered a single word about the incident. Isn’t that totally unbecoming of a Bharat Ratna? Well, to really understand why she said what she said, you will have to first understand human psychology. And also recognise that this was a battle she lost – lost very badly. That is why she desperately wants to rewrite her legacy. To all those third-rate journalists who keep publishing such interviews in the guise of veteran film critics, here’s a simple piece of advice: do your homework. Ask a follow-up question, Do you have the letter? Or better still, ask yourself, What was the need for him to apologise when he was ruling the music world like an Emperor?
In closing, I want to pose the following quiz question: How many duets did Maharani get to sing with other male singers under SJ’s baton during the cold war? The answer will shock you.
To all posters who are ranting about Lata’s monopoly:
Being a Lata fan, I am wary of getting into these debates lest my ‘fan-dom’ be seen as affecting objectivity, but I cannot resist this. Even if we accept that the sisters Mangeshkar DID attempt to sabotage others’ careers, just what WAS the hold they had over MDs, producers, and other singers that made these worthies bow to the sisters’ dictates? The sisters were merely singers, after all – they didn’t produce the films (except a handful), they didn’t finance them, they didn’t own the studios, they were women in a man’s world – so just HOW did they get all these people to kowtow to their whim and sabotage others’ careers??
In a dog eat dog world where making money reins, it is surprising that producers/MDs would choose Lata even when she would charge more money and was the only one who demanded royalty and got it. I have yet to read any statement by any MD or producer who claims that she pressured them to keep someone else out. I recall one interview of Asha, where she mentioned that if we really don’t want others to come, we can drop our price, but we charge the most. In a male world, two young girls with no real connection had good in their art to survive. Were they ruthless – probably but was necessary. Many MDs used
to make tunes specially for Lata.
Since its unlikely that Lata had contacts with deadly serial killers, the only reason for MD’s to be ‘afraid’ of her would be her threat to stop singing for them (actually thats unlikely, too..because in those days the MDs would always be in a position of supreme command over the singer, NOT the other way around). In that case, what prevented people like O.P.Nayyaar (just to give an example) who didn’t need Lata, to speakout against her devious actions ? Especially as he could (reportedly) make tasteless comments against Lata’s looks; and more importantly, be frank enough to admit his own role in supporting Asha’s ‘monopoly’ over Geeta Dutt ? (according to him he was ‘under Asha’s spell’ at
that time) Why didn’t Shankar, even during the ‘hate Lata, get Sharda’
phase ? ( I could be wrong here, please correct me if I am ). As for other MDs, supposing they kept their mouth shut for fear of Lata ruining their careers, what prevented them from revealing Lata’s secret actions, AFTER THEIR RETIREMENT ? I mean..people like Anil Biswas were not exactly known to be cowardly or timid. Neither was Sajjad Hussain, who in fact ruined his career because of his outspokenness, if some people are to be believed. Similarly, the producers and directors, while complaining about her ego etc (Raj Kapoor used to say that Lata had the biggest ego in the world), never complained about her alleged ‘monopoly’, as Abhayji pointed out.
I am not trying to suggest that Lata was a ‘bholi-bhali’ saint. That would be naive. After all, how many musical personalities have been known to be ‘saints’ ? Once she admitted in an interview ..”Yes, I do believe I
should be preferred over others if I happen to sing better than them ! After all, I worked insanely hard, and sacrificed everything in life to attain my skills. If you think I reached the top by unfair means, why do you think another Lata Mangeshkar was never born ??” . However arrogant she might sound, I think she has a valid point. People talk about her monopoly;; why don’t they talk about how hard she worked? Naushad would narrate how Lata once fainted during the rehearsal of a song, and the first thing she wanted to do after coming round is to
rehearse again. So the point is that the monopoly allegations against Asha and Lata are blown out of proportion. I know I lack enough musical knowledge to
have an opinion on this, but does anybody seriously believe that Aarati/Shamshad/Suman/ etc had the ability to do justice to a super-complex western classical based Salil Choudhury song, and a simple but divinely serene Roshan song, at the same time ? Or, render an Indian classical song in such a manner that prompted classical Ustads (who, again, had nothing to fear from Lata) to say that the effect they created in half an hour of singing Lata could create in 5 minutes of singing ? That doesn’t mean those other female singers are
not in my list of favourites. Of course they are, because they all had their unique appeal. Neither am I saying that Lata has to be everybody’s favourite singer; many people prefer a ‘different’ kind of voice, with all its limitations (most common example being Geeta Dutt). All I am saying is, if the Mangeshkar sisters got more song than others, that’s because THEY DESERVED IT. Period.
Lataji’s historic unbeatable record is tarnished forever. Her reputation destroyed due to dishonesty to her sacred work and talent. None will ever look at their joint songs as a work of talent and art. it is forever tainted for dishonesty and abuse of power.
She had an affair with Bhupen Hzarika, workplace affairs are a convenience due to close proximity and long hours, give any corrupted person some power and s/he will never fail to abuse it. Easiest thing to sleep on the work couch every sleazebag does it. Shame on Lataji. She too is corrupted. Her bhajans will never sound the same.
Dear Haldar ji,
Also Rafi Saab’s pronounciation in words like “roshan”
and “gulshan” are also very attractive.Both the words
had been used in the song “Ek banjaara gaaye” from
the film “Jeene ki raah”
Dear Kapil,
Great Top10 Lata list for Madan Mohan in the 1960s. I found it difficult to compile my Rafi Top10, because I could have selected ten songs from 1964 alone. But six of the songs from the list below should definitely be there in anyone’s top 10; let me know what you think.
Rang aur noor ki baraat kise pesh karoon (Ghazal 1964)
Main yeh soch kar uske dar se utha tha (Haqeeqat 1964)
Kar chale hum fida jan-o-tan saathiyon (Haqeeqat 1964)
Tu mere samne hai (Suhagan 1964)
Kaise kategi zingagi tere bagair (unreleased 1965)
Aap ke pehelu mein aakar ro diye (Mera Saya 1966)
Ek haseen sham ko dil mera kho gaya (Dulhan ek Raat ki 1966)
Tumhari zulf ke saaye mein sham kar loonga (Naunihal 1966)
Meri awaaz suno pyaar ka raaj suno (Naunihal 1966)
Teri aankhon ke siva duniya mein rakha kya hai (Chirag 1969)
Regards,
P. Haldar
Dear Siva ji,
You are absolutely right; he had that innate ability to make your heart sing. And he could play with words. By the way, his favourite word was “hai” (he would use this word quite often with spectacular effect during his live shows). For example, he would begin with “Sau saal pahele…” and then interject “hai ram”.
Regards,
P. Haldar
Dear Siva Ji, I am in complete agreement with your views on “Din Dhal Jaye”. One of the finest Rafi songs and the finest SD song from the 60s. I also agree with Mr. Kutty, Kahin ek masoom nazuk si ladki is indeed a gem as precious as Rafi’s gems from the previous decades.
Dear Haldar Ji, you have made some very good points which cannot be refuted but I would like to air my opinion as well. How do you rate “Mohe Bhool gaye swariya” from Baiju Bawra? In my opinion it’s as effective as any other song from the album. If “Man tarpat haridarshan ko” is the finest exposition of Malkauns in HFM, I believe “Mohe bhool gaye swariya” too is the finest exposition of ahir-bahirav to date. You might be familiar with the story of CR going gaga over this song. That apart, there is another melody delight from the same album, bachpan ki mohabbat, what a treat to ears and again not inferior to any song in any way. Also, you name any super-hit Naushad album from the 50s and Lata is there: “Mother India”, “Baiju Bawra”, “Babul”, “Deedar”, “Jadu”, “Aan”, “Shabab”, “Udan khatola” etc.. In my opinion, in the 50s, Rafi and Lata are at par as far as Naushad is concerned. I shall write more in this regard.
On a different note, did you happen to go through the following SD tribute? If Dev is to be believed, RD composed the mukhda of “Gaata rahe mera dil”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TREyKxXTzcs
My Lata-MM top 10 from the 60s:
1) Wo chup rahen to mere(Jahan Ara)
2) Naino mein badra chhaye(Mera Saya)
3) Lag ja gale ki phir ye(Wo kaun thi)
4) Naina Barse rimjhim rimjhim(Wo kaun thi)
5) Aap ki nazro ne samjha(Anpadh)
6) Hai isi mein pyar ki aabro(Anpadh)
7) Wo jo milte the kabhi(Akeli Mat Jaiyo)
8) Zara si aahat hoti hai(Haqeeqat)
9) Maine Rang lee aaj chunaria(Dulhan ek raat ki)
10) Tu jahan jahan chalega(Mera Saaya)
Best Regards!
Dear Siva ji,
Please see how Rafi Saab had sung the song “Kahee ek
masoom ladki” – the expressions he has given and the
word he pronounced in “uff” in the line “zaba se kahee”.
Also in the song “Matlab nikal gayaa he to” from the
film AMAANATH Rafi Saab smiling in the line “Ab
hum manaa rahe hai magar” is so attractive.In another
song with Asha ji “hotom pe hasee aakom me nasha”
in Rafi Saab’s portion he is taking his voice to high
pitch and landing then again starting and it is also
wonderful.If we take each of his song,we feel he has
done magic in one way or another.
Rafi Saab left us more than 33 years back.It is a miracle
he is coming on top in almost all recent polls.During this
period Lata ji had sung minimum 5000 songs with new
MDs and with new technology.Then also she cannot
become number one.My other wonder is why Rafi Saab’s
voice is selected for the song “Subha na aayee” in the
film “Cha Cha Cha” even though it is related to a heroine.
The way he is singing,the expressions will lead the lady
to stand first and run and that can only do Rafi Saab.
Sorry for typographical error=”Scholarly exchanges”..
Dear Haldar ji and Kapil ji..Nice sholarly exchanges between you two…..
When you hear Rafi & Lata at their prime, you always feel they are almost equal as far as technicalities of singing. However Rafi always had that slight edge over all others by giving that extra “soul” into his songs . Just an example–in the song Din dhal jaaye hai..raat na jaye ” from Guide…just note that part, “tum mujhse, mein ..dil se par e…s ..ha..a a…n–the way he sings that pareshan,,,you can immediately grasp the import of that phrase. That is why many actors felt that when Rafi sings, their job becomes more easier as 75% of the emoting is done by him ( for some actors whom I shall not name, it is only Rafi who acted through his songs!!). In the same song just after this stanza,, he adds his special touch to ‘HAI” in the line Din dhal jaaye..I feel so helpless that I cannot express in words, the way he does that HAI…YOU NEED TO GET INTO THE SOUL OF RAFI TO UNDERSTAND HIS SONGS..That is why his fans do not consider themselves as fans but devotees!!!
Hi Kapil,
Went through your SD-Lata list; it’s great! I was surprised that you didn’t include No. 3 and No. 4 in the top 20 list for Lata in the 50s; they should definitely be there. I gave you four SD-Rafi songs and in response you’ve provided 15 SD-Lata songs; that’s a mark of respect. Rafi perhaps sang a total of 15 solos for SD in the 50s, but look at the overall impact of just four songs.
On the surface, the fact that Lata sang so many more songs for major MDs appears to tilt the scales heavily in Lata’s favour. But I’ll ask you to do a simple exercise. Count the number of female solos and male solos composed by SJ during the 1950-56 period and tell me what you find. Then you’ll get a better answer as to why Rafi got much fewer songs than Lata under SJ’s baton. Add to this the fact that their main patron, Raj Kapoor, wanted Mukesh (and sometimes Manna) as his voice; what could SJ do? Dev Anand wanted Kishore (and SD was happy with that, though he used Hemant also very well). Who was left? Dilip Kumar. And, at the beginning of that decade, Talat was still his main voice. Then Rafi made his impact felt with Deedar, Aan and Uran Khatola, and became the thespian’s voice. Lata never had to fight to become anyone’s voice, because no heroine used to insist on a specific singer. Her voice remained the same, whether she was singing for Nargis, Madhubala, Waheeda or Vyjanthimala.
You wrote that Hemant-Lata combo cancels out OP-Rafi combo, but that’s true only if you consider solos. If you examine OP’s output in the 1954-59 carefully, you’ll find what an impact he had. The OP-Geeta combo is absolutely top-notch; Lata would never have been able to match the playfulness inherent in Geeta’s vibrant OP voice. But let’s talk about what impact OP had with respect to Rafi. Within a few years, Rafi became the voice of Guru Dutt, Johnny Walker, Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor. Whether it’s Rafi, Geeta, Shamshad or Asha, the king of rhythm sent tremors through the music world. You can say “waah waah” to songs composed by Madan Mohan and Roshan during that period, but is there any comparison with OP in terms of impact? By the way, Roshan would taste major commercial success only after switching to Rafi in the next decade.
The equation of Rafi with SJ is a very interesting and special one. I’m not going to dwell on this topic in this post. If you read my article carefully, you’ll get some hints. There’s a clue in the quiz question I have posed. If you can answer that question, you’ll have a much better idea of why there were problems between the main characters in this story. Suffice it to say that while Rafi was always keen on keeping the hyphen between Shankar and Jaikishan intact, Lata had other ideas.
You wrote, “I am quite sure that SDB would have called Lata to deliver Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam.” That wouldn’t have happened because Kagaaz ke Phool was Guru Dutt’s film. And, my friend, based on my hearing experience of over several decades, I can tell you that there’s no way that Lata would have surpassed Geeta in that song. Nor in Aaaj sajan mohe and Jaane kya tune kahi too. That both SD and OP ditched her when she needed them the most is one of the saddest stories of the music industry. Among all the female singers, it is with Geeta that Rafi had the best chemistry.
You also said that it’s a tie between Rafi and Lata when it comes to Naushad. Well, give me the proof. I think “ganga ki mauj” was blown away by “jamuna ka dhara”.
The top 5 MD’s of the 50’s, by any measure, were: Naushad, CR, SJ, SD and OP. By your own admission, Rafi leads in two of them; I believe he leads on the Naushad front too. I have cited 20 Rafi songs in response to your list of 20 Lata songs; no unbiased observer would say that Lata’s is any better. In this post, I’ve also discussed how Rafi became the voice of every major actor, except Raj Kapoor. And, at the end of the decade, a lady MD, came to fame by giving 10 songs, most of them superhits, to Rafi (incidentally, her favourite female singer was Mrs. Hope). How are you so sure that Lata had greater impact than Rafi in the 50s?
Regards,
P. Haldar
One more interesting thing.In the poll conducting by the
Ranking.com Rafi Saab is far ahead of all the singers as
on today.
Rafi Saab 1,48,061
Kishore Kumar 94,852
Lata Mangeshkar 40,159
Hi Haldar Ji,
I enjoyed your post, particularly that Johnny Walker thing 🙂 .. By the way, I did consider the fact that Rafi was competing with the likes of Talat, Mukesh, Manna and Hemant but please see that he was competing with same set of singers in the 60s as well. Had the impact been same, he would have decimated the competition in the 50s as well like he did later in the 60s – a Rafi decade beyond any doubt. Had the impact been same, the top MDs would have switched to him just after Baiju Bawra like the way they switched to Lata in the early 50s. By the way, Shamshad, Rajkumari, Geeta and Asha also gave many hits in the 50s, did it affect Lata anyway? Such was her impact those days. In fact, SDB’s first major hit “Tadbeer se bigdi hui”(Mera SUndar Spana and Upar Gagan Vishal were also hits but I am considering this one to be his turning point) was with Geeta and Roshan’s first hit “Ib Kya hoga” was with Rajkumari yet they were so infatuated with Lata’s voice, they hardly cared about the other ladies. And had there been no rift, I am quite sure that SDB would have called Lata to deliver “Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam” as well- such was his infatuation with Lata.
If you wish let’s discuss their output with top MDs of the 50s to see who had greater impact those days. With regard to S-J, CR, MM and Roshan it’s Lata all the way – what say? Hemant-Lata combo cancels out OP-Rafi combo. But let’s discuss SDB and Naushad first where Rafi has the strongest hold. The solos from Pyasa and Kagaz ke phool are definitely outstanding which give Rafi an edge, but the following 15 songs are enough to conclude that Lata too does not lag far behind in the SDB-land, rather she’s very close – what say? In the Naushad-land, it’s a tie, I will give my reasons after hearing your views:
1) Phaili hui hai sapno ki baahen (House No. 44)
2) Aakhon se door door hain( Mashaal)
3) Tum na jaane kis jahan mein kho gaye(Sazaa)
4) Thandi hawayen(Naujawan)
5) Rote rote guzar gayi raat(Buzdil)
6) Jhan jhan jhan payal baje(Buzdil)
7) Jane na dunia ye dil ki lagi(Buzdil)
8) Pighla hai sona(Jaal)
9) Khaak hua dil jalte jalte(Shehenshah)
10) Dil jale to jale(Taxi Driver)
11) Jise tu qubool karle(Devdas)
12) Ghayal Hiraniya(Munim ji)
13) Ab aage teri marzi(Devdas)
14) Jayen to jayen kahan(Taxi Driver)
15) Chaad phir nikla(Paying Guest)
Please give me some time to come up with my Lata top 10 for MM in the 60s but my top two anytime would be “Wo chup rahen to mere dil ke daag” and “Naino mein badra chhaye”.
Best Regards!
Dear Haldar ji,
Thank you.In all the recent contests, Rafi Saab came to
the number one position.The following facts will tell us:
01) Rafi Saab has been selected as the “Singer of the
Millennium” by Hero Honda – Star Dust.
02) In the “Who popular” contest Rafi Saab is far ahead
of all the singers.
03) Rafi Saab was on 12th position in the CNN-IBN poll
to select the “Greatest Indian after Gandhiji” LM was
on 15th and KKon 32th position.
04) On the occasion of Celebrating 100 years of Indian
Cinema CNN-IBN conducted poll to select the best
in each category.Rafi Saab and LM are top in their
categories but Rafi Saab got more votes than her
(Rafi Saab 7,666 and LM 6,499)
05) Rafi Saab’s song “Baharom phool barsaao” has been
selected as the Best song of Hindi Cinema – a poll
conducted by BBC-Asian Net Work.
06) Rafi Saab has been selected as the “Greatest Voice
of Hindi Cinema” – a poll conducted by IBN.
By considering all these facts I think Rafi Saab should
be honored The “Bharath Ratna” award POSTHUMOUSLY.
These facts tell us that nobody even Lata Mangeshkar
is nothing in front of Rafi Saab.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Lata may have manipulated a lot of people in the industry to sing her praises and put her name forward for good publicity and awards, etc but nearly 35 years after Mohd Rafi’s death he continues to remain in peoples hearts and that’s the way it’ll remain.
Recently she was critisized for putting her sisters name forward for a major award. This really makes my blood boil as Mohd Rafi had a lot of love and recognition from his fans but never got the awards he deserved and it’s amazing that not only has she managed to win so many awards due to her influence of who she knows but now she’s making sure that her family benefits from getting awards which other artists are more worthy off. Simply disgusting that’s what I say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dear Kapil,
You are mixing issues here. I disagreed with you when you said that Lata was Chitragupt’s number one singer and that Lata was the number one singer for small-time MDs. What’s the difference between 203 and 218? Have you taken into account the fact that while Rafi was always competing with Talat, Manna, Mukesh and Hemant for a song, Lata had a near monopoly? Chitragupt had used Rafi regularly throughout the 50s; I’ve given you examples of two songs, one from the first half and one from the second. Why don’t you give me two examples of Lata’s songs composed by Chitragupt with equal or greater impact from the 50s?
If you go by numbers alone, Asha should be the best singer in the industry. And she has sung many more songs for small-time MD’s than Lata. It is a well-known fact that small-time MD’s with low budget used to approach Rafi and Asha. Rafi sang less than 100 songs for SD; why are there so many listeners who just love this combo?
I didn’t ever say that Lata didn’t rule the 50s; she’s ruling even now. That’s why we call her Maharani. Vani Jairam’s “Bol re papi hara” is better than every song of hers you listed for Madan Mohan in the 70s, except for “Baiyan na dharo”. What award did Vani get for that song? Maharani sent her packing to the south. She’s not only a ruler, but a ruthless one, too. Ask Vani, Suman and Runa Laila and you’ll hear about her darker side. While the male singers operated on a level playing field, she tried her dirty tricks against anyone who posed a threat.
Khair, let’s not talk about politics, because Rafi saab was definitely bad at it. Let’s talk about the 50s, which is what we were originally talking about. I looked at your Lata list and then at my Rafi list (reproduced below) as objectively as I could, and I have to admit that your list cannot match mine in terms of impact. I know that these opinions are subjective, but I would like to stress the following points:
Other than Ye zindagi usiki hai and, to a lesser extent, Aaja re pardesi, no song in your list had the same impact as Nos. 2, 3, 12, 13 in my list; you may consider this to be my opinion but I believe that most neutral observers would side with me. There are countless people who consider No. 13 to be the best song ever recorded in film music. What I was surprised to find is that there are some who consider even No. 12 to be the best. Many other music fans consider No. 3 to be the best, and I don’t think there is anyone who would contest No. 2 as the best bhajan ever created in film history.
In my list, I have four Rafi songs composed by Naushad (early 50s) and four Rafi songs composed by SD (late 50s); give me four Lata songs composed by each of them with the same impact from the 50s. Please don’t constantly bring up CR, Anil Biswas and Salil; if they didn’t give songs to Rafi, you can’t expect him to sing in a vacuum. I am not a numbers guy, but I think that Lata sang many more songs for SD, and probably more for Naushad than Rafi in that decade. The question is, Did she have a greater impact? From what you have shown me so far, the answer is a resounding NO. The songs from Adalat and Jailor are definitely very good, but impact-wise, they won’t be able to match the Majrooh-SD-Rafi gem, “Hum bekhudi mein tumko pukare chale gaye”. Do I need to talk about “Dekhi zamane ki yaari”?
My list encompasses mainly a few (serious) facets of Rafi’s oeuvre in the 50s, which I thought would be enough to contest Lata’s. I haven’t talked about Johnny Walker yet, better than any blended scotch whiskey. I haven’t talked about Bombay’s national anthem, Bhangra and Rock ‘n Roll; actually, there’s no need to.
We can keep having this debate about who had a greater impact in the 50s, or if you wish, we could move over to another interesting topic: What, in your opinion, is Lata’s top 10 for Madan Mohan in the 60s?
As always, I enjoy my interactions with you.
With warmest regards,
P. Haldar
Rafi 20 from the 1950s:
1. Meri kahani bhoolne wale (Deedar 1951 Shakeel-Naushad)
2. Man tarpat hari darshan (Baiju Bawra 1952 Shakeel-Naushad)
3. O duniya ke raakhwale (Baiju Bawra 1952 Shakeel-Naushad)
4. O dur ke musafir (Uran Khatola 1953 Shakeel-Naushad)
5. Kahan ja rahe hai (Seema 1955 Shailendra-SJ)
6. Hum laye hai toofan (Jagriti 1955 Pradeep-Hemant Kumar)
7. Aaye bahar banke (Rajhaat 1956 Hasrat-SJ)
8. Duniya na bhaye (Basant Bahar 1956 Shailendra-SJ)
9. Main ne chand aur sitaron (Chandrakanta 1956 Sahir-N. Dutta)
10. Chal ud ja re paanchhi (Bhaabi 1957 Rajinder Krishan-Chitragupt)
11. Jawaaniyan yeh mast mast (Tum sa nahin dekha 1957 Majrooh-OP)
12. Jinhe naaz hai Hind par (Pyaasa 1957 Sahir-SD)
13. Yeh mahalon yeh takhton (Pyaasa 1957 Sahir-SD)
14. Mohabbat zinda rehti hai (Chengiz Khan 1957 Q. Jalabadi-Hans Raj Behl)
15. Hai kali kali ke lab par (Lala Rookh 1958 Kaifi-Khayyam)
16. Tujhe kya sunawoon (Aakhri Dao 1958 Majrooh-Madan Mohan)
17. Tute huwe khwabon ne (Madhumati 1958 Shailendra-Salil)
18. Hum bekhudi mein (Kala Pani 1958 Majrooh-SD)
19. Kahe do koyi na (Goonj uthi shehnahi 1959 Bharat Vyas-Vasant Desai)
20. Dekhi zamane ki yaari (Kagaaz ke phool 1959 Kaifi-SD)
Ahamed Kutty ji,
Well said; she ruled the music industry by hook or crook, but she cannot rule the hearts of people like Rafi saab. Rafi saab is long gone and she was active till very recently, but she loses to him in every poll. Amazing, isn’t it? Especially with sponsors like Yash Chopra and liars like Raju Reporter around. Now Chopra is gone and Raju will not live forever; who will do her publicity then? Those Chopra brothers — think of the harm they have done by giving all those beautiful gems penned by Sahir and composed by Ravi or Khaiyyam to other singers.
Who cares about what Anil Biswas, Salil Chowdhury or R. D. Burman thinks about Rafi saab? We can keep listening to his songs composed by Chtiragupt, S. N. Tripathi, Iqbal Quereshi, N. Dutta, Ravi, Jaidev, Khaiyyam, C. Arjun, Sonik Omi, Sapan Jagmohan, Usha Khanna, Ganesh and others.
In the voting to select “The Most VersatileSinger India
has ever produced” – conducting by The Ranking.com,
Lata Mangeshkar is trailing behind Rafi Saab for about
1,07,808 points.It is a shame for the pestigious “Bharath
Ratna Award”.
I have recorded one Vividh Bharathi Programme of 31st July 2012
an interview of Anand – Milind (sons of Chithra Gupt Saab) with
Kamal Sharma.In this they were telling that after the recording
Rafi Saab’s songs needs only very limited compression as he was
controlling himself his voice.Also according to them Rafi Saab was
very punctual for rehearsals with their father.They were narrating
the specialties of Rafi Saab in the songs “Agar dhil kisee se
lagaayaa na hota”,”Jaag dile deewaana” and “Muje darde dil
ka pataa na tha”that he was giving special touches in some
words which are astonishing.
Dear Kapil,
You are mixing issues here. I disagreed with you when you said that Lata was Chitragupt’s number one singer and that Lata was the number one singer for small-time MDs. What’s the difference between 203 and 218? Have you taken into account the fact that while Rafi was always competing with Talat, Manna, Mukesh and Hemant for a song, Lata had a near monopoly? Chitragupt had used Rafi regularly throughout the 50s; I’ve given you examples of two songs, one from the first half and from the second. Why don’t you give me two examples of Lata’s songs composed by Chitragupt with equal or greater impact from the 50s?
If you go by numbers alone, Asha should be best singer in the industry. And she is the one who has song more for small-time MD’s, not Lata. Rafi sang less than 100 songs for SD; why are there so many listeners who just love this duo?
I didn’t ever say that Lata didn’t rule the 50s; she’s ruling even now. That’s why we call her Maharani. Vani Jairam’s “Bol re papi hara” is better than every song of hers you listed for Madan Mohan in the 70s, except for “Baiyan na dharo”. What award did Vani get for that song? Maharani sent her packing to the south. She’s not only a ruler, but a ruthless one, too. Ask Vani, Suman and Runa Laila and you’ll hear about her darker side. While the male singers operated on a level playing field, she tried her dirty tricks against anyone who posed a threat.
Khair, let’s not talk about politics, because Rafi saab was definitely bad at it. Let’s talk about the 50s, which is what we were originally talking about. I looked at your Lata list and then at my Rafi list (reproduced below) as objectively as I could, and I have to admit that your list cannot match mine in terms of impact. I know that these opinions are subjective, but I would like to stress the following points:
Other than Ye zindagi usiki hai and, to a lesser extent, Aaja re pardesi, no song in your list had the same impact as Nos. 2, 3, 12, 13 in my list; you may consider this to be my opinion but I believe that most neutral observers would side with me. There are countless people who consider No. 13 to be the best song ever recorded in film music. What I was surprised to find is that there are some who consider even No. 12 to be the best. Many other music fans consider No. 3 to be the best, and I don’t think there is anyone who would contest No. 2 as the best bhajan ever created in film history.
In my list, I have four Rafi songs composed by Naushad (early 50s) and four Rafi songs composed by SD (late 50s); give me four Lata songs composed by each of Naushad and SD with the same impact from the 50s. Please don’t constantly bring up CR, Anil Biswas and Salil; if they didn’t give songs to Rafi, you can’t expect him to sing in a vacuum. I am not a numbers guy, but I think that Lata sang many more songs for SD, and probably more for Naushad than Rafi in that decade. The question is, Did she have a greater impact? From what you have shown me so far, the answer is a resounding “no”. The songs from Adalat and Jailor are definitely good, but impact-wise, they won’t be able to match the Majrooh-SD-Rafi gem, “Hum bekhudi mein tumko pukare chale gaye”. Do I need to talk about “Dekhi zamane ki yaari”?
My list encompasses mainly a few (serious) facets of Rafi’s oeuvre in the 50s, which I thought would be enough to contest Lata’s. I haven’t talked about Johnny Walker yet, better than any blended scotch whiskey. I haven’t talked about Bombay’s national anthem, Bhangra and Rock ‘n Roll; actually, there’s no need to.
We can keep having this debate about who had greater impact in the 50s, or if you wish, we could move over to another interesting topic: What, in your opinion, is Lata’s top 10 for Madan Mohan in the 60s?
As always, I enjoy my interactions with you.
With warmest regards,
P. Haldar
Rafi 20 from the 1950s:
1. Meri kahani bhoolne wale (Deedar 1951 Shakeel-Naushad)
2. Man tarpat hari darshan (Baiju Bawra 1952 Shakeel-Naushad)
3. O duniya ke raakhwale (Baiju Bawra 1952 Shakeel-Naushad)
4. O dur ke musafir (Uran Khatola 1953 Shakeel-Naushad)
5. Kahan ja rahe hai (Seema 1955 Shailendra-SJ)
6. Hum laye hai toofan (Jagriti 1955 Pradeep-Hemant Kumar)
7. Aaye bahar banke (Rajhaat 1956 Hasrat-SJ)
8. Duniya na bhaye (Basant Bahar 1956 Shailendra-SJ)
9. Main ne chand aur sitaron (Chandrakanta 1956 Sahir-N. Dutta)
10. Chal ud ja re paanchhi (Bhaabi 1957 Rajinder Krishan-Chitragupt)
11. Jawaaniyan yeh mast mast (Tum sa nahin dekha 1957 Majrooh-OP)
12. Jinhe naaz hai Hind par (Pyaasa 1957 Sahir-SD)
13. Yeh mahalon yeh takhton (Pyaasa 1957 Sahir-SD)
14. Mohabbat zinda rehti hai (Chengiz Khan 1957 Q. Jalabadi-Hans Raj Behl)
15. Hai kali kali ke lab par (Lala Rookh 1958 Kaifi-Khayyam)
16. Tujhe kya sunawoon (Aakhri Dao 1958 Majrooh-Madan Mohan)
17. Tute huwe khwabon ne (Madhumati 1958 Shailendra-Salil)
18. Hum bekhudi mein (Kala Pani 1958 Majrooh-SD)
19. Kahe do koyi na (Goonj uthi shehnahi 1959 Bharat Vyas-Vasant Desai)
20. Dekhi zamane ki yaari (Kagaaz ke phool 1959 Kaifi-SD)
Hi Haldar ji,
Nice post as always, however, in my opinion Chitragupt was as much a Lata composer as he was a Rafi composer. In fact, for Chiragupt, Lata(218) has sung more songs than Rafi(203). Also, let’s see the things beyond lip services, for if we go by lip services it would make a huge Rafi fan out of someone like Raj Kapoor who supposedly held Rafi in his highest esteem but actually did not care much about him in the 70s. If despite of their royalty tussle he could use Lata for Dimple and Zeenat he could also have used Rafi for Rishi and Shashi – had he been really fond of him. In the 70s Raj Kapoor used him only once and that too because no one else could sing that song. The same goes for Gulzar as well. Also, I don’t know your stand on this but I don’t believe Lata was solely responsible for all the biases against Rafi. Lata might have added some fuel to the fire but we must also acknowledge that in the 70s the likes of RD, Shakti Samanta, Salil, Hrishikesh Mukerjee, Jaidev, Raj Kapoor, SD Burman, Gulzar, Basu Chaterjee etc had their own biases against Rafi.
With regard to the 1950s, while drawing comparisons, I hope you will keep in mind that in this decade she sang 220+ songs for C Ramchandra, 200+ songs for Shankar-Jaikishan, 100+ songs for Roshan, 100 songs for Madan Mohan, 90+ songs for Hemant Kumar, 80+ songs for SD Burman, 80+ songs for Anil Biswas, 70+ songs for Husnlal-Bhagatram, 50+ songs for Naushad and 50+ songs for Vasant Desai among others. All of them have used Lata more than Rafi in the 50s and needless to say that during the 1950s these composers were the chief architects of the music. Every other song composed by them was melodious with rich poetry.
Being a die-hard Rafian you may thrash me for this but I still maintain that though as a singer Rafi was way ahead of others and had an edge over Lata, it was Lata who ruled the HFM “overall” like no one else ever did.
Best Regards!
Dear Kapil,
I’m not sure where you are getting your facts from, but some of them are simply not true. For Chitragupt, right from the beginning till the end, the number one singer was Rafi. Here’s a beautiful bhajan composed in kirtan style by Chitragupt from the film Tulsidas (Mujhe apni sharan mein le lo ram) in 1954:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wikNuVhRjco
The composer’s sons, Anand and Mlind, have gone on record saying that the greatest regret in their life was not being able to work for Rafi saab. If Rafi were alive when Nasir Husain replaced RD with Anand-Milind in QSQT, all the songs would have gone to Rafi.
It is also a well-known fact that Rafi was the favourite singer of most of the small-time music directors. And he was the darling of the cine musicians. But you are young and no one should expect you to know all these trivia. The very fact that you appreciate and know so much about songs from the golden age is by itself amazing.
I’ll write about Rafi’s impact in the 50s vis-a-vis Lata’s in a couple of days.
Regards,
P. Haldar
Despite Lata’s indubitable greatness, there’s no gainsaying the fact that she has always been very scheming, manipulative and morbidly vindictive. Uttam Kumar (one of the closest friends of Rafi) and Salil Chaudhury knew this very well that a strong Bengali lobby with Lata’s behind-the-curtain support was working against Rafi and they conveyed this to him (Rafi). In fact, Rafi never got his due in his lifetime. He was a far better singer than all male singers put together and greater than Lata and Asha.
Because of a very powerful Bengali lobby comprising S D Burman, his useless son R D Burman, to some extent Kishore and Shakti Samant with Lata’s tacit support, Rafi’s singing career suffered a temporary setback. Lata couldn’t compete with Rafi. Her voice faltered. It’s really painful to read when a singer like her talks so casually about a the greatest singer whose voice is considered to be one of the finest voices in the history of music and who never said anything against anyone.