TIWN
New Delhi, Sep 28 : Entering the sparkling galaxy of Hindi film music with the haunting "Aayega Aanewala" ("Mahal", 1949) for ethereal Madhubala, Lata Mangeshkar became the definitive voice of several generations of legendary Indian film heroines, from Meena Kumari to Madhuri Dixit, Nargis to Neetu Singh, Padmini to Parveen Babi, and Sharmila Tagore to Sridevi.
As the voices of singing superstars such as Noor Jahan and Suraiyya were stilled due to emigration or premature retirement and changing tastes made the likes of Shamshad Begum obsolete, Lata Mangeshkar, who was born on this day (September 28) in what was then the princely state of Indore in 1929 in a family that made its mark in music, ably filled the gap with other superlative talent.
To this end, she gamely surmounted what Dilip Kumar once gently mocked as the "dal-chawal" flavour of her Urdu, to achieve perfect diction in that expressive language to fashion magic in thousands of songs she rendered for a gamut of talented music composers and lyricists.
Let us revisit this superlative voice of Lata Mangeshkar through the immortal songs that she sang for divas of the silver screen down the ages, though this effort can be highly subjective.
Do we choose the pensive "Zindagi Bhar Nahi Bhoolegi Woh Barsaat ki Raat" or the daring "Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya" for Madhubala, the soothing "Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi", or the carefree "Panchi Banu Mast Phiru Mast Gagan Mein" for Nargis, the effervescent "Mere Naseeb Mein Tu Hai Ki Nahi" or "Ae Dil-e-Nadaan' for Hema Malini?
Let's try for a dozen other sparkling stars.
Meena Kumari: From "Mohe Bhool Gaye Sawariya" to "Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh", the combination of Meena Kumari and Lata has given several unforgettable melodies and "Pakeezah" their defining contribution. While "Inhi Logon Ne" to "Chalte Chalte" can be contenders, it is the challenging "Thare Rahiyo" that showcases both at their best.
Vyjanthimala: The success of Bimal Roy's supernatural "Madhumati" owes a lot to its music - be it the duet "Dil Tadap Tadap Ke" or the folkloric "Chad Gaya Paapi Bichua", but it is the soothing yet haunting "Aaja Re Pardesi" that stands out for this dazzling danseuse.
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