The Swar-Saamraagyi and the the Sangeet-Maartand: Best of Lata Mangeshkar by Anil Biswas
Continuing Anil Biswas Centenary series, his best songs for Lata Mangeshkar as birthday greetings to her
Anil Biswas occupies an important place among the music directors who played a major role in grooming and developing Lata Mangehskar. She was an artiste par excellence, but Anil Biswas taught her the craft of playback singing: the importance of words, as she came from a tradition which emphasizedtaans; breath control before mike to take breath without anyone noticing it, and maintaining the vocal quality at any pitch. Anil Biswas was to Lata Mangeshkar what GH Hardy was to Srinivas Ramanujam.
Anil Biswas, on his part, regarded Lata Mangehskar as one who had opened the door to limitless possibilities for music directors. Here was a singer with thorough training in classical music, and gifted with a divine voice, without any obvious angularities. If she had Noorjehan-effect in the beginning, it just needed to be ironed out. Once she came into her own, there was no looking back. Now there was no constraint in what music directors could create; she could reproduce it perfectly as they had imagined, or even better, in a voice unparalleled in the history of film music. She soon became synonymous with Female Playback Singing, and Anil Biswas had a big role in creating the legend.
Anil Biswas was the earliest composers to take Lata Mangehskar into his fold, once this ‘discovery’ by Ghulam Haider became the talk of the town. Now, the story must have been repeated a million times how Ghulam Haider took her to S Mukherjee of Filmistan Studios for Shaheed, who rejected her, as he found her voice too thin, upon which the former told him a day would come when producers would be lining up before her begging her to sing for their films. Ghulam Haider used her in Majboor (1948). Anil Biswas himself used her voice in Anokha Pyar and Gajre in 1948. Her earliest songs for the Bhishma Pitamah are among her all-time greats. Their association continued till the very last film of his career, Chhoti Chhoti Baatein (1965). Lata Mangehskar, with her over 120 songs in 30 films for the maestro, became his most favourite singer, outnumbering all others by a big margin.
Here some clarifications are in order. Ghulam Haider’s famed ‘discovery’ of Lata Mangeshkar has to be seen in the perspective that she started her ‘playback’ career a year earlier with Aap Ki Sewa Mein (1947), composed by Datta Davjekar. Her ‘singing’ career (singing for herself, as a bit actor in Marathi and, later, Hindi films) started even earlier in 1942. As for Lata’s debut with Anil Biswas, she mentioned in her interview with the Marathi newspaper, Lokmat(Hindi translation available on http://www.anilbiswas.com/), that he gave her a break in Girls School (1949). With direct evidence of her songs in 1948 with him, I am taking that either she got the dates mixed up, or the song might have been recorded first, but the release of the movie got delayed.
To be sure, there are at least ten composers, who have given more songs than Anil Biswas for Lata Mangeshkar, with Laxmikant Pyarelal and Shankar Jaikishan giving four or five times more. But the quality of the Maestro’s music for the Melody Queen is at a different pedestal. Their songs, while being supremely sweet, are soothing and transport you to a tranquil joy. Continuing Anil Biswas Centenary Year Celebration, I present his best songs for Lata Mangeshkar as birthday greetings on her 85th birth anniversary (b. 28 September 1929).
1. Yaad rakhna chaand taaro is suhaani raat ko from Anokha Pyar (1948), lyrics Zia Sarahadi
It would not be a great deal of exaggeration to call it the Mother of all romantic songs. Do dilon mein chupke chupke jo hui us baat ko – Zia wrote some superb lines. Another version of the song was in Meena Kapoor’s voice, who was the lead singer in the film. However, her songs were released on records in Lata’s voice – due to her illness, as per HFGK. (In a Lata-Meena Kapoor duet, the latter’s voice was replaced by Ira Nagarth). I always associated this song with Lata Mangeshkar, and remains my top favourite of the combo. Just to add, the film had some more Lata gems, like Mere liye wo gham-e-intezaar chhod gayeand Ek dil ka lagana baaki tha.
2. Baras baras badli bhi bikhar gayi from Gajre (1948), lyrics Gopal Singh ‘Nepali’
Anil Biswas-Lata Mangeshkar magic continues in the very first year of their association with this supremely melodious song from Gajre, which also had Suraiya’s iconic song Door papiha bola raat aadhi rah gayi.
3. Tumhare bulane ko jee chaahta hai from Laadli (1949), lyrics Behzad Lakhanavi
In 1949, Anil Biswas gave music for two more movies, Girls School and Jeet, and in all the three Lata Mangeshkar had songs. Thus, he was clearly shifting to her as his main singer. Incidentally, in Girls School, C Ramchandra too partnered him, but all the Lata Mangeshkar songs were composed by Anil Biswas. My proposition is that CR’s (musical) fascination for Lata was inspired by Anil Biswas. Ek dil ka lagana baaki tha seems to be the inspiration for the later ‘CR-Lata style’ of melody (I should add, CR had used her voice earlier in a chorus inShehnai). Tumhare bulane ko is a towering song from 1949 – the year Lata Mangeshkar hit the music scene as a tsunami wave – and one of her all-time greats.
4. Kahan tak hum uthayein gham from Arzoo (1950), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri
This was the film which had Talat Mahmood’s path-breaking song, Ae dil mujhe aesi jagah le chal, which propelled him as one of the topmost playback singers of the era. And you have this characteristic Anil Biswas-Lata melancholic melody. Anil Biswas, who was a master of folk, also composed a fast and chirpy,Mera naram karejawa dol gaya, in her voice in the film.
5. Baalamawa naadan from Aaram (1951), lyrics Prem Dhavan
This was the film which had Muksh’s iconic Ae jaan-e-jigar dil mein samaane aa ja, and five solos by Lata Mangeshkar. While discussing the best songs of 1951, some readers made a special mention of Man mein kisi ki preet basa le. But I am presenting Baalamawa naadan as it has a terrific dance.
6. Badli teri nazar to nazaare badal gaye from Badi Bahu (1951), lyrics Prem Dhavan
This film had one of the greatest Mukesh-Lata Mangeshkar duets, Kaahe naino mein kajra bharo, and one of the best Rajkumari songs, Ramaiya bin neend na aawe. But Anil Biswas is now firmly with Lata Mangeshkar. Badli teri nazar has his typical melancholic sweetness.
The year had Anil Biswas’s landmark score in Tarana, which had some stunning songs by Talat Mahmood and Lata Mangeshkar. But, since we are discussing that year’s songs in detail separately, let me move further.
7. Ek pal ruk jana jaanewale raahi from Raahi (1953), lyrics Prem Dhavan
This is the kind of song which makes Anil Biswas special. This haunting song in two parts – happy and sad – forces you to halt in your tracks, and soon there is nothing between you and the song.
8. Allah bhi hai mallah bhi hai kashti hai ki doobi jati hai fromMaan (1954), lyrics Kaif Bhopali
Shikha Biswas Vohra ended her Inaugural post on the Anil Biswas Centenary Celebration with the first two lines of this song. The wonderful poetry – God is there, and the boatman too, but the boat is still sinking – required a Master like Anil Biswas to compose. Lata Mnangeshkar is obviously matchless.
9. Rooth ke tum jo chal diye from Jalti Nishani (1957), lyrics Qamar Jalalabadi
You can now recognize Anil Biswas’s signature style from miles. Supreme melody.
10. Na dir dim tana dere na, Na ja na ja balam, balam more nafrom Pardesi (1957), lyrics Prem Dhavan and Sardar Jaafari
In this joint Indo-Soviet production, you have an absolutely delightful classical dance by Padmini, and beautiful music by the Maestro, who had great command over classical music.
11. Ja re ja baalma, ja main tose naahi bolun from Sautela Bhai(1962), lyrics Shailendra
The Maestro continues his display of mastery over classical.
12. Mori baali re umariya ab kaise beete Ram from Chhoti Chhoti Baatein (1965), lyrics Shailendra
This last film of Anil Biswas is known for many iconic songs – Meena Kapoor’sKuchh aur zamana kahta hai and Mukesh-Lata duet, Zindai ka ajab fasana hai.Mori baali re umariya gives a very different flavour of Anil Biswas-Lata Mangeshkar combo than I have presented so far. Folk has been one of his major strengths, and this folk-based song also has his touch of great melody.