When Lata Mangeshkar arrived, competition became an irrelevant concept

When exactly did the super-lionized sovereign of sonority Lata Mangeshkar arrive in the music scene to permanently redefine the epiglottic tradition of singers like Noorjehan and Shamshad Begum?

While Lataji began playback singing in 1945 her breakthrough year was 1949 when she sang as many as one hundred and sixty songs!! Yes, that many.

Remembering Lata Didi on her birth anniversary. There is so much that I recall…the innumerable interactions in which she would shower so much affection. I am glad that today, a Chowk in Ayodhya will be named after her. It is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest Indian icons.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 28, 2022

“I don’t know how it happened. I don’t even know the numbers that you are aware of. I just sang and sang. I had a large family of mother, three sisters and a brother to support. To my good fortune, music composers suddenly grew aware of my singing. There was no dearth of offers. I was happy,” Lataji once told me.

Among her cascade of songs in 1949, Raj Kapoor ’s Barsaat, Mehboob Khan’s Andaz and Kamal Amrohi’s Mahal were decisive. They decided not only Lataji’s future in Hindi cinema but also the future of playback singing in Hindi cinema. Every song of Lataji in Barsaat from Hawa mein udta jaye to Jiya beqaraar hai was a game-changing chartbuster.

But it is Aayega aanewala in Mahal composed by Khemchand Prakash which Lataji considered the most decisive song of her career. It was this song that made civilization sit up and acknowledge what they already suspected: this was no ordinary talent.

Aayega aanewala in Mahal changed the ground rules of playback singing. So far the name on the record next to the title of the song used to be that of the character singing the song in the film. Aayega aanewala was credited to ‘Kamini’. Madhubala ’s character in Mahal.

Lataji fought against this absurd practice. Her logic was simple. Why would the credit for a song go to anyone except the one singing it? Initially, there was a lot of resistance. Finally, she got her way, as she always did.

Khemchand Prakash who composed Aayega aanewala proudly took the credit for discovering the true talent in Lataji. There are many versions and stories of who discovered her and who was instrumental in giving me her the first big break.

Here is the true story. When Lataji in her teens came to Mumbai she worked for the eminent director-actor Master Vinayak (actress Nanda’s father). Lataji and her sister Meena stayed with Master Vinayak’s father while the rest of Lataji’s family lived in her mother’s parents’ home. In 1946 Lataji who was 17 then, told Master Vinayak that she needed to live with her family. That’s when the entire Mangeshkar family started living in one home.

In 1947 Master Vinayak passed away. Ten days after his death a photographer who worked in his company took Lataji to a music director Harishchandra Vade. He heard her sing and recorded two songs in her voice for a film called Love Is Blind. That film got shelved. However, a junior-artiste supplier, a Pathan, heard her sing. He recommended her to Master Ghulam Haider who had just come from Pakistan. Lataji respected him for his music in Khazanchi, Shahid, Khandaan, etc. She went to meet him.

Recalled Lataji, “This was 1947 and I was merely 18. I remember Master Ghulam Haider was recording. He kept me waiting till evening. My cousin sister was with me. He finally called me to sing at around 5 pm. When I went in he was playing the piano. I got frightened when I saw him. I wondered what a music composer who had worked with Noorjehan would think of me. He asked me to sing. I sang one of his songs from the film Humayun. Then he said to sing one more song.I sang a Noorjehan number. Then he wanted to record my voice. During those days songs were recorded on film. There was no tape. He asked me who my guru was. When I told him it was Amanat Ali Khan Saab he said they were friends.”

Master Ghulam Haider played Lataji’s voice to the very successful producer Shashadhar Mukherjee who said, “Yeh awaaz nahin chalegi, yeh awaaz bahot patli hai (this voice won’t work, it’s too tinny)”. Shashadhar needed a playback voice for actress Kamini Kaushal. And he felt Lataji’s voice didn’t match the actress’ voice.

Master Ghulam Hyder was livid. He ordered Lataji to accompany him to the Bombay Talkies studio in Malad where Majboor was being shot. He was the music composer. He didn’t say anything to Lataji. He just made her rehearse a song. After the recording, Ghulam Haider predicted, “People will forget everyone including Noorjehan when they hear you.”

The first song he recorded with Lataji was a duet with Mukesh, Angrezi chora chala gaya. This was Lataji’s first major break. She recorded some more songs for Majboor. Composer Khemchand Prakash heard them and signed her for Ziddi. For this film, Latji sang a duet with Kishore Kumar. Then composer Anil Biswas heard her sing.

Setting the record straight (pun intended) Lataji said, “The credit for giving me my first major break goes to Master Ghulam Haider.”

Shashadhar Mukherjee later admitted he was wrong about Lataji’s voice and crazy to have rejected it. She sang for many of his films including Anarkali and Nagin.

Apart from Ayega aanewala which are the songs, Lataji considered to be milestones in her career? “That question has no easy answer. To me, every song that I sang was a challenge. I had to make sure I gave my best to every song I sang. But yes, certain memories are attached to some of my songs. Hemant Kumar’s Kahin deep jale kahin dil (Bees Saal Baad) came at a time when doctors had said I would never be able to sing again. Ae mere watan ke logon was special because I sang it live in front of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The Meera Bhajans composed by my brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar are very close to my heart. Jaidev’s Allah tero naam, Salil Chowdhary’s O sajna barkha bahaar ayee and Sajjad Hussain Ae dilruba are also my own favourites. There must be many more which I cannot recall.”

Posterity will do the needful.

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.

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