Three sparkling gems of Lata Mangeshkar which left unsung

It’s been one month since we lost her, Goddess of all melodious things. Not a day goes by when we Latabhakts don’t celebrate her priceless gift to civilisation, songs that mankind will hum for as long as there is hope of survival in this godforsaken universe. While we swoon to her sonorous supremacy day in and day out, what about the classics that got left behind only because they didn’t get a proper chance to be heard? Here are three sparkling gems from the Sing Sena Supremo which need to be reclaimed by posterity. ‘Aaj dil pe koi zor chalta nahin’ - Milan (1967)

Laxmikant-Pyarelal created some divine songs for  Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh in this story of reincarnation with songs that will live for many lifetimes. However, the one that did not make it into the film or rather, did make it but was yanked out after release is, in my opinion, the best song of the album. So, what happened to ‘Aaj dil pe koi’? This luminous Ghazal written by Anand Bakshi and powered by the Nightingale’s electric throat was pictured on South actress Jamuna who played the second lead. It came on right after intermission. When the canny producer LV Prasad came to know that audiences took an extra-long loo-break because they knew a song was on after intermission, he promptly snipped it off. However, from all the fabulous melodies in Milan (’Sawan ka mahina’, ‘Mubarak ho sabko’, ‘Ram kare aisa ho jaye’, ‘Hum tum yug-yug se’) ‘Aaj dil pe koi’, the one that got left behind, stands out the most. ‘Mujhe zindagi ki dua na de mujhe zindagi se bani nahin’ - Galiyon Ka Badshah (1989) 

A beleaguered star-stunted potboiler in the making for nearly five years finally did get a sporadic release but I don’t know anyone who has seen this troubled chaotic Raj Kumar-Hema Malini-Mithun-Smita starrer. A pity, because it contains one of Lataji’s most compelling collaborations with Kalyanji-Anandji. ‘Mujhe zindagi ki dua na d_e’ in 2 parts written by the under-sung poetess Maya Govind stands tall, right up there with Lataji’s other superlative collaborations with Kalyanji-Anand like ‘Chhod de sari duniya kissike liy_e’ in Saraswatichandra and ‘Yeh samaa samaa hai yeh pyar ka’ in Jab Jab Phool Khile. Incidentally, ‘Mujhe zindagi ki dua na de’ was filmed on Smita Patil, an actress Lataji loved singing for because Lataji felt Smita experienced the lyrics not just lip-synced them. **‘Mein ghungat na kholungi toh ghunghat mein jal jaaongi’ - Maati Maange Khoon (1983)**

A 1983 dacoit drama directed by Raj Khosla with a slew of scintillating mujras by Lataji, each more captivating than the previous. But the pick of the luminous lot. ‘Main ghunghat na kholungi’ was never filmed. According to Shatrughan Sinha who played the lead opposite Rekha, the film’s producers felt that there were too many of Rekha’s dances in the film, all brilliantly composed by RD Burman: Lataji’s ‘Lo sahib phir bhool gayi main’ was almost as heart stopping . But Main ghunghat which got sacrificed due to overkill, was truly the pick of the lot. I spoke to Rekha about this ‘unsung’ gem and she told me, “Lata Didi was my jaan. She sang some of my best songs, my favourites being in Ghar, Silsila, Utsav and Deedar-e-Yaar. It’s strange that you mention my Mujras by Lata Didi in Maati Maange Khoon. They were beyond exceptional. But on one remembers them.” Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based journalist. He’s been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram