On her birth anniversary, Filmfare’s Editor-in-Chief remembers Lata Mangeshkar, her extraordinary voice and the songs that have stayed with him over the years.
In his words:
Lataji’s artistry cannot be confined to her songs in Bollywood alone. For us aficionados, seeing her craftsmanship as her voice touched the greats and troughs of music directors like Hridayanath Mangeshkar in Marathi was a sheer joy. She sang under her own baton for Sadhi Mansa (1965).
So, who does Didi actually belong to? Is it to Burmanda’s pristine compositions or his son Pancham’s eclectic repertoire?
Lata Mangeshkar was the coda; she was the diva of nuance. She wrote and kept rewriting the rules. The heroines she sang for aged in front of her, but her timbre rose and rose. If Bade Ghulam Ali intoned, “Kambakht kabhi besuri nahi gaati,” then Noor Jehan made her sing to her across the border.
What was it about Rula Ke Gaya Sapna Mera (Jewel Thief, 1967), or Beqas Pe Karam Kijiye (Mughal-e-Azam, 1960), or Yun Hasraton Ke Daag (Adalat, 1958), or Aa Jaa Aai Bahaar (Rajkumar, 1964)?
Lataji was the lover, she was mother. She was heartbreak, she was the salve. She unified the heroines with her voice and yet gave them distinct identities.
Did she then belong to Hemantda’s Kuch Dil Ne Kaha or Salilda’s Naa Jiya Lage Na (Anand, 1971)?
I pick a selection of songs I’ve heard as a child over the years, and these are some of my favourite picks…
1. While Ashaji has the lion’s share of the chartbusters in Jait Re Jait (1977), it was Lataji’s voice on Smita Patil in the sensual Mee Raat Takali that wowed the music charts for decades.
2. Mendichya Panavar is as old as the hills, and no compilation of Marathi songs by Lataji is complete without this one.
3. If Smita was the soul of Umbartha (1982), Lataji was its voice. Sunya Sunya Maifilit Majhya isn’t a song, it’s a philosophy. And you can almost touch her pain. It’s that tactile.
4. Allah Tero Naam is the ultimate bhajan, but in Marathi films, it has to be Gagan Sadan Tejomay (Umbartha, 1982), composed by maestro Hridayanath Mangeshkar.
5. Is it just platonic love between a girl and her brother-in-law? Lataji’s voice has that pristine quality to find compassion, as it does in Majha Saranga.
6. It has the softness of a lover’s call, it has the affection of a lullaby. Mogara Phulala is your song for all seasons.
7. When Anandaghan composes for Lata Mangeshkar, you have smashing hits like Malachya Malamadhi (Sadhi Mansa, 1965).
8. How does the first flush of love feel after coitus? Hear Didi’s sensual side in Sarja (Sarja, 1987).
9. For that touch of Konkani along with Suresh Wadkar, dip into Maaje Raani Maajhe (Mahananda, 1984) for the outstanding score in Mahananda.
10. Taking a break from all that political intrigue was Sakhya Re Ghayal (Samna, 1974). It had pain and it had intrigue.
Happy birthday, Didimaushi. May the angels always keep you.
Also Read: Top Solo Tracks Of Lata Mangeshkar
