Music And Movies

The link to all parts of this series is given here: Series Links Many collaborations are famous in movies. Director-Actor, Director-Music Director, Actor - Music Director, Producer-Actor, Producer - Director, and so on. One of the most popular collaborations in Hindi film music was that of Lata and Madanmohan. Madanmohan is probably one of the greatest melody makers in Indian film music. His melodies are haunting, mellifluous, and complex. Lata's bond with him was much beyond that of a singer and a music director. She lovingly referred to him as 'Madan Bhaiyya,' and he was her rakhi brother. On his part, he gave her some of the greatest melodies that have ever been tuned. Madanmohan is mainly known for his melodious numbers, and that too solo numbers. The Hindi film world probably did not see him as a versatile music director who can churn out hit after hit, a la C. Ramachandra or Shankar Jaikishen. His concentration seemed to be on the melodic aspect more than anything els...

The link to all parts of this series is given here: Series Links Lata's collaboration with S.D.Burman, aka Dada Burman, was an enduring one. It lasted for two and half decades till the death of Dada. It survived various changes in trends, and it survived a huge misunderstanding that kept them apart for a few years. They together created a huge number of unforgettable songs. Logically, I should have written about Dada Burman around the same time I wrote about Anil Biswas and C.Ramachandra because Dada Burman was very active in the 1950s. I write about him after having spoken about Lata of the 60s because their greatest hits happened more in the 60s. Those songs are famous even to date and are enjoyed by people of all ages even today. Dada Burman was a unique music director who could morph his style to suit the times. His songs, whether composed in the 50s or 60s or 70s, sound fresh even now. Hindi film music went through multiple trends from the late 40s to the 70s. Many music direc...

The link to all parts of this series is given here: Series Links Every music lover has their own concept of what was the Golden Era of Hindi film music. Some, like me, believe that the late 40s and the early 50s were the greatest time for Hindi film music. Some claim the 60s, and some love the RD Burman era of the 70s. Whatever it may be, when it comes to Lata, as far as popular imagination is concerned, her greatest 'hits' happen to be in the 60s. (Of course, it is not logical to divide musical progress by decades. It is not as if when the decade changed, some changes abruptly happen. This is more for our convenience.) Before some of the lovers of 1950s Lata ger angry with me, I want to state that the decade of the 60s has the most number of hits that are still present in the popular imagination. These songs define Lata to even the current generation of music lovers. The music directors, who were initially responsible for providing Lata with hits and guidance, were slowly fadi...

The link to all parts of this series is given here: Series Links In an earlier part of this series, we saw Lata's growth in the initial part of the 50s when she started climbing to the top and by the mid-50s was already the most established voice of Hindi film heroines. She started delivering hit after hit under the baton of almost every music director. She became the most sought-after voice of all: music directors, heroines, producers, and directors. In this part, let us look at some of her major hits from the late 50s.  (I have to put a caveat here. She sang a huge number of songs during the later part of the 50s. So it is almost impossible to list down every hit song. So I will be restricting myself to some songs only. The idea is to show her range and also her work under various music directors.) We will start with beauty from 1956. 'yeh raat bheegi bheegi' from 'Chori Chori.' A composition of Shankar Jaikishen.  Lata leaves her stamp in this song right in the b...

  The link to all parts of this series is given here: Series Links In the last part, we saw the partnership between Lata and C.Ramachandra and the many hits they gave together. Another important music director (duo) who established Lata as the numero uno of Hindi film music singing was the Shankar-Jaikishen duo. Shankar-Jaikishen broke into the Hindi film music world through the movie 'Barsaat.' They then went on to rule the Hindi film music world for over two decades, churning out super hit numbers for many films. They formed successful partnerships with major heroes like Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, and Rajendra Kumar, to name a few. They were the court musicians of RK Films. They withstood competition from music directors like Naushad, C.Ramachandra, O.P.Nayyar, and S.D.Burman to remain in the top slot.  Their association with Lata started from their first film itself. 'Barsaat' was not a major milestone in their career, but the songs of that film became a major milest...

  The link to all parts of this series is given here: Series Links Great music directors like Anil Biswas and Sajjad Hussain showed the world what Lata was made up of musically. They gave her complex compositions that required great vocal range, voice control, vocal dynamics, and the ability to emote perfectly. Lata, though she was in her teens, rose to the challenge and satisfied the demands of the music directors. An important aspect of becoming a great singing star is the ability to deliver blockbuster hit songs and the ability to sing songs that capture the imagination of the masses. The songs may structurally be simpler compared to certain other songs, but these are the songs that filmgoers sing repeatedly, and many visit the cinema hall multiple times to hear these songs. The songs demand a different kind of singing, and singing these songs expands the singer's repertoire. Lata, in her formative years, was lucky to be associated with two music directors who gave her many bloc...

The link to all parts of this series is given here: Series Links When you read this series in its entirety, you will be surprised that I had dedicated a chapter to Lata Mangeshkar - Sajjad Hussain's partnership while not bothering about some other partnerships that produced a lot more songs. That is because of the quality of music delivered by Sajjad Hussain and the great regard Lata had for him. In an interview whose link I can't find, she had said that Sajjad Hussain was the best music director she worked with. She also mentioned that only when she had to sing a song for him she used to feel scared. Lata had mentioned that he was a perfectionist and would not tolerate anyone playing out of tune. (There is a lot more to say about Sajjad Hussain's music and his temperamental character, but I will say that in a different article dedicated to Sajjad Hussain.) Sajjad Hussain, too, had great regard for Lata. He knew what she was capable of. You can hear him talk about Lata in t...