By Dr Amjad Parvez

Daily Times August 20, 2014

   


It was directed by Bimal Roy based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novel of the same name. Songs “Jise tu qubool karle”, “Ab aage teri marzi” and “O jaan-e-wale ruk ja” are Lata Mangeshkar numbers from this movie.

In Raju Bharatan’s biography on Lata Mangeshkar, he says “for six years Lata did not sung for SD Burman and it gave chance to her sister Asha Bhosle to groom herself as a complete singer under Dada Burman tutelage, taking up from where she had left off in the recording custody of O. P. Nayyer. However the moment SD made up with Lata, Asha was relegated to second status. “Lata was always my first serve. Dada explained to me, paan-tinged tongue-in-cheek. “Asha became my second serve, once I again got my first serves Lata working!” “For a certain song,” Lata is quoted as saying, “I was asked by Dada Burman to sing in an extra-soft voice. I obeyed. The song was Okayed. Later Dada thought that the choice of an extra-soft voice was not a happy one. So I got another message for a re-recording. I requested for a few days’ time, as I was busy with other recordings. The machinations of certain ‘kind’ souls led to a misunderstanding and Dada called in another singer to re-record the song,” ends Lata”.

Raju Bharatan adds that certain “kind soul”, Jaidev revealed that the song was ‘Pag thumak chalat balkhaaye haay saiyan kaise dharun dheer’ set to go on Vyjantimala in “Sitaron Sei Aagey” made in 1958. It did not come up to SD’s standards. Ironically this tune was used again by SD in the movie ‘Guide’ as ‘Saiyyan be-imaan’. SD however did not agree to this observation of the interviewer.

On the above controversy, I must report the two versions, one that of Jaidev and then that of Lata (as already written above) on the reasons of estrangement. Jaidev was on the phone at Dada’s home when the request was made, through him by Dada, for a re-recording of ‘Saiyan kaise dharun dheer’ by Lata. Jaidev told me he reported to Dada, even while holding onto the receiver, what exactly Lata had said. Lata, Jaidev said, had told him there was no way she could then fit in Dada Burman for a re-recording because she was on the verge of proceeding abroad. “In that case,” Jaidev said Dada told him, “tell Lata she must give us first preference when she returns from abroad.” Jaidev said he duly communicated those Dada tidings to Lata who, according to him, would make no such first-priority re-recording commitment over the phone. “In that case,” Jaidev said Dada finally told him in a fit of pique, “tell Lata that we don’t want her at all if she can’t give us first preference on her return!”
Lata’s version is “I was upset,” “However, whenever we ran into each other (after that incident), the conversation followed the same course. “Namaskar, Dada”, I would say. To which Dada would say: “How are you Lota?” To which I would say: “I am all right Dada,” and Dada would move on. Then in Guide or Bandini, I cannot recall, I received a message that Dada wanted me. I was clearly reluctant. Then Dada telephoned himself: Lota, “I have some work, do come.” Dada scolded her and they ended up in recording two wonderful songs for ‘Bandini’, ‘Jogi Jab Sei Tu Aaya mere Duware’ and ‘Ab Kei Bhaij Bhaiya Ko Babul’. I may have missed many other Lata-SD songs but above submission suffices in the way SD used Lata’s voice amicably well in all its flexibility. All said and done, my all time favourite remains Lata’s ‘Ab Tau Hei Tum Sei Har Khushi Apni’ from ‘Abhimaan’ though ‘Teri Bindiya Re’ a duet by Lata and Rafi too is good.

Jaidev & Lata: I would remember Jaidev and Lata for at least three songs; two bhajans ‘Parabhu Tero Naam’, ‘Allah Tero Naam. Eishwar Tero Naam’ from Dev Anand-Sadhna-Nanda 1961 movie ‘Hum Dono’ and ‘Tumhain Daikhti Hun Tau Lagta Hei Aise’ pictured on Vidya Sinha and Sanjeev Kumar for the film “Tumhare Liye” with lyrics by Naqsh Lyallpuri.

It was in 1963 that Lata’s song ‘Raat Bhi Hei Kutch Bheegi Bheegi, Chand Bhi Hei Kutch Madham Madham’ kept haunting me for a long time when Sunil Dutt-Waheeda Rehman starrer movie ‘Mujhe Jeeney Do’ was released. Apart from the dance pictured by Waheeda Rehman on this song, the music was enchanting. It had another beautiful song ‘Terey Bachpan Ko Jawani Ki Dua Daiti Hun’ based on the story of a bandit who has a child from Waheeda Rehman and fearing that their child might follow his father’s footsteps, she is skeptical while praying for his long life.
His big break as a full-fledged music director came with Chetan Anand’s film, Joru Ka Bhai, with Lata’s beautiful song ‘Subha Ka Intizar Kaun Kare’.