Lata Mangeshkar - The Queen : Part 12: Lata - Madamohan - Part 1

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 else. That is why, though he may have scored songs with variety, those that are still remembered are his melodic numbers. We can say that unlike other music directors like C.Ramachandra, Shankar Jaikishen or S.D.Burman, Madanmohan gave extremely sober melodies to Lata but then who can ever complain about that when the melodies include numbers like, 'hum pyar mein jalne walon ko,' 'mera says,' 'aap ki nazron ne samjha,' 'zara si aahat hoti hai,' and many more.

In many cases, if you observe carefully, you can make out the signature of a good music director. Something in the way the tune moves or the orchestration will give you an idea of who the music director could be. In Madanmohan's case, many a time I could make out it is his song based on the tone of Lata's voice. The tone of the singer does change based on the demands of the music director. For example,  Lata under Naushad sounds much different from Lata under Madanmohan. It is not just the tune or the orchestration, but it is also the way the voice is used. Under Madanmohan's baton, Lata's voice modulation was top-class, and it is clear that Madanmohan demanded that she sing in a certain way. (In an interview with Javed Akthar, Lata stated that Sajjad Hussain used to be extremely stringent on how she sang a particular song and how she modulated her voice. I am sure Madanmohan, too had such requirements.)

Lata - Madanmohan bond was so strong that their collaboration continued even after his death. (Many know of this, but if you don't know, I will mention it towards the end. ) Their association started in 1951, and right from the beginning, Madanmohan depended on Lata to deliver his best songs. In one of the tapes, Lata says that she and Madanmohan sang a duet together first, and at that time, Madanmohan had said that if he became a music director, she should sing for him. Just like the case of S.D. Burman,  Madanmohan also gave many good songs to Lata in the 1950s, but it was in the 1960s that their evergreen songs happened. And what a phase it was with so many amazing gems. 

I plan to cover Lata - Madanmohan collaboration in two parts. In this first part, we will look at Lata-Madanmohan songs in the 1950s and see their mutual evolution as musicians.

Madanmohan - Lata collaboration started in 1951 for the movie 'Ada'. 'pritam meri duniya mein'.

Lata's voice during this period, under the baton of other music directors, had a childlike quality. In this song, you can feel the absence of that quality and an amazing assurance in her voice. Also, observe the voice control and modulation in this song. The low-volume sound production at the same and the rise in volume at 'hum prem ke sagar mein' show the control of Lata over her voice. In the antara, it is the other way, the volume being high and then naturally becoming low. It is clear to me that the music director was insisting on such changes, and Lata executed them perfectly. The stamp of Madanmohan's orchestration is felt throughout the song.

In the 1952 movie, Madanmohan gave this lovely song, 'mere piya se koi ja ke kehde' from "Aashiana'

I would think this is quite a modern song for those times. It carries the Madanmohan signature right from the prelude orchestration to the tune. We would hear a similar sound later in 'hum pyar mein jalne walon ko.' Right from the way the word 'koi' is uttered in the mukda, you realize that this is a song that has the composer's stamp. In this song too, while the rhythm is steady, the voice raises and falls throughout the song. The modulation is what adds more charm to this already charming melody. Without the voice modulation, this would have been a straightforward song that could have been sung by anyone, but due to the modulation, it required a Lata to deliver it.

'dukhiyare naina' from 'Nirmohi' (1952)

Madanmohan tunes this song as if he is tuning a khayal. Given Lata's brilliance in singing raag based melodies, she is the perfect choice for this tune. It is an amazing tune, though not often heard now. The humming in the prelude clearly establishes Lata's credentials for singing such a classical melody. (My knowledge of Hindustani music is less than minimal, so I am unable to tell which raag this is based on. If any of you know it, do let me know in the comments. I think there is more than one raag involved in this song.) A singer has to be strong in the following qualities to sing this song: a good grip on the laya, a good grip on singing raag-based tunes, and voice modulation. Lata not only had these three in abundance but also had honey in her voice. Such slow melodies make a lot more demand of the singer's laya sense than fast-paced songs. This is the perfect song for low-volume late-night listening. 

'baharen phir bhi aayenge' from 'Baaghi' (1953)

Another stunner of a song. Once again, the beat is kept steady, but the voice is made to modulate throughout the song. And once again, the need for the singer to have a great grip on laya. Listen to how the tune and Lata's voice move at, 'kisi andaz se joomegi mausam gayegi duniya'. Observe how the voice and tune are modulated within the space of a single line. Maybe it is the ease that she felt in Madanmohan's presence; I sense Lata's voice being more confident and she being at ease delivering some tricky tunes for him. Songs like these show why Lata was regarded highly by all music directors. It was not just about the inherent melody and her ability to hit the high notes. It was also about her ability to have full control over rhythm and her uncanny brilliance in modulating the voice.

'chand madham hai' from 'Railway Platform' (1954)

One of the genres of songs that are truly owned by the Lata - Madanmohan combination is the songs with a haunting effect. This song almost feels like a precursor to later-day haunting songs like 'woh bhooli dastan,' 'naina barse' and so on. The song changes in the antara, but the mukhda has that amazing haunting quality. Do I need to say that no one has sung such songs better than Lata? This song changes its path many times, and Lata manoeuvers her voice to the demands of the song. This song sounds so different from the standard Hindi songs of that era. Like S.D.Burman, Madanmohan's songs also have a timeless quality in them. This song also is an example of the originality of Madanmohan.

'kadar jane na' from 'Bhai Bhai' (1956)

If the earlier song showed Madanmohan as a music director who gave some modern and original tunes, in this song, he shows that he can also deliver songs that sounded like other songs of that era. A constant beat with an almost constant tune. The beat is a bit faster than the other songs we saw earlier. The tune flowing fast doesn't allow for too much modulation in the voice, but Lata does her best. The tune is charming and generally included in all Madanmohan's Greatest Hits albums. 

'pyase naion ki pyas' from 'Pocketmaar' (1956)

For a change, let us now look at a happy song. This is a lovely energetic song, though Madanmohan bases it on raag music. (Sounds like Brindavana Saranga to me. I think the equivalent raag in Hindustani music is Madhmad Sarang.) The tune, the rhythm, and the whole orchestration is energetic, and Madanmohan keeps the energy intact throughout the song. So does Lata. The chorus adds both to the energy and the sweetness of the song. While such songs exist in Madamohan's works, his other melodies for Lata overshadowed songs like this.

'meri veena tum bin royi' from 'Dekh Kabira Roye' (1957)

With this song, we are back to the typical Madanmohan. A lovely prelude of Ahir Bhairav (Chakravakam) opens the song, which is filled with melancholy. A textbook case of how to take a raag and use it in film music without destroying the raag and at the same time, using it within the film music idiom. In that way, Madanmohan showed the way of how to compose film songs in an innovative way using raag music. His raag interpretations are so fresh even today. Lata's voice was the perfect vehicle for him to deliver his imagination to discerning listeners. Lata captures the pathos inherent in Ahir Bhairav and the pathos of the words in her own inimitable fashion. Once again, great control over voice and laya. I am she inspired him to create more such melodies, for he was sure she would flawlessly deliver them. 

While Madanmohan could use classical ragas to great effort, he became known as the king of ghazals. He had both the softness of touch and the slow pace that is often associated with ghazals. The words stood out prominently in his tuning, another requirement for ghazals. Ghazals are a poetic form but had come to be associated with musical form. Let us hear a few of his ghazals (and ghazal-like tuning).

First, 'sapne mein sajan se do bathein' from 'Gateway of India' (1957)

The standard Madanmohan orchestration is present. Observe how the tabla plays. The rhythm is not constant. It speeds up when the singer joins the mukhda from the antara, as is often the case in ghazals. Lata keeps the ghazal structure intact and modulates the voice as per the demands of the lyrics and the music director. This is one more gem in their collaboration.

A movie that gave great scope for Madanmohan to display his ghazal tuning skills was 'Adalat.'(1958) This movie had some amazing songs in the ghazal format. First 'unko yeh shikayat hai'

Once again a lovely ghazal that is raag based. Lata's pronunciation is crystal clear, and her clean voice accentuates the words. Both Madanmohan and Lata are well aware of the ghazal form in these songs, and the combination is terrific. 

Here is one more from the same movie, 'hun husratone ke daag' 

The prelude makes you expect a standard Madanmohan song, but then it turns into a lovely ghazal. I don't need to make any further comments. I am sure you will find this song fascinating.

'hum pyar mein jalne walon ko' from 'Jailor' (1958)

To me, this song sounds like a precursor to all those melodies that will appear in the 60s. There is a timeless quality both in tune and in Lata's voice. The way the anatara moves and the way Lata sings is a masterclass of how to tune and how to sing such a tune. Lata's voice is at its melodic best, and the voice modulation is something to die for. 

A slightly different song from the ones we have heard till. 'log kahen mere nain bawre'

A nice melody with a bit of action in it. 

We will get back to standard Madanmohan territory with 'bairon need na aaye' from 'Chacha Zindabad' (1959)

I think the song is based on raag Bhimplasi. A typical Madanmohan melody, using raag music in his own original way. What can one say of  Lata? I have exhausted all adjectives. 

These songs are enough to establish Madanmohan as a great composer and Lata as a great singer, but they went on to create even more stunning melodies in the 1960s. We will look at those melodies in the next part. 

The link to all parts of this series is given here: Series Links