Lata Mangeshkar's first superhit song was composed in crowded station

Entertainment: Vocal empress Lata Mangeshkar's songs are usually recorded in the grandest recording studios with twenty musicians, but do you know that her first superhit song was composed while sitting on the bench of the platform at a crowded railway station...

Film writer Vinod Kumar tells how Swar Kokila Lata Mangeshkar's first song was made:

Lata Mangeshkar's Journey: From Railway Platform to Superhit Song

Vocal empress Lata Mangeshkar's songs are usually recorded in the grandest recording studios with twenty musicians, but do you know that her first superhit song was composed while sitting on the bench of the platform at a crowded railway station? Lata Mangeshkar had rehearsed that song sitting on the same bench. The same song became the first superhit song of her life. When she sang that song, cigarette packets were patted to give her the beat. Lata Mangeshkar, who was bestowed with the highest honors and epithets like Swara Samragini, bulbul-e-hind, and Swara Kokila, touched the pinnacle of success.

Many singers have come in the last 70 years, but far from reaching the pinnacle of Lata Mangeshkar, most of the singers have moved ahead and do not even know where they got lost. I remember the words of lyricist Javed Akhtar that there is one sun, and one moon, and Lata Mangeshkar is also one.

However, not many people have any idea of the difficult difficulties that Lata Mangeshkar had to face to reach this pinnacle.

When the Quit India Movement was at its peak, in 1942, her father passed away leaving only 13-year-old Lata behind. The responsibility of managing the expenses of the entire family fell on her shoulders. Lata, who took music lessons from Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Amanat Khan, had to start a struggle to earn her living. She started her career by singing in the Marathi film 'Kiti Hasil' in 1942, but later this song was removed from the film. Many times it happened that she would go to meet the musician hungry and thirsty and then return disappointed. This was the era when Hindi film music was ruled by heavy-voiced singers like Shamshad Begum, Noorjahan, and Zohrabai Ambalewali. However, Lata Mangeshkar had to struggle a lot in her initial years to get work.

Many film producers and music directors refused to give her a chance to sing, saying that her voice was too thin. During those days of struggle, she got the support of the top musicians of that time. The name of that musician is Ghulam Haider.

It was Ghulam Haider who took Lata Mangeshkar to Filmistan owner S. Mukherjee to give her a chance. Lata Mangeshkar herself had told in an interview – "This is about those days when preparations for the film 'Shaheed' were going on in Mumbai. Master Ghulam Haider was its music director. This film was being made under the banner of Filmistan, a well-known film company of that time. Its owner was Shashidhar Mukherjee, who rejected my voice saying that the voice was very subtle and piercing, which the audience would not like.

Lata Mangeshkar said that she was 18 years old at that time and along with singing in the chorus, she was also doing small roles in Marathi films for four to five years. She said - "Sometimes I would have got the role of the hero's younger sister and sometimes the heroine's friend, but I did not like acting. I wanted to sing, but no one was giving me the chance. In those days, it happened that a good man named Pathan, who used to supply junior artists in the studio, took me to Master Ghulam Haider Saheb. He auditioned me and passed me.

Lata Mangeshkar had told in an interview, "Master Saheb was very happy with my audition. He told me that I will promote you. Then Master Sahib tried hard to convince S. Mukherjee Sahib and also said that I had a guarantee but he refused.

Lata Mangeshkar further said, "When Master Saheb heard Shashidhar Mukherjee's decision, he could not control himself. He said that Mukherjee Saheb, although you have every right to form your opinion but write my words, this voice will not only run but will run and run in such a way that one day you and other producers will run behind it. A day will come when you and the producers will stand in line at Lata's door.

According to Lata Mangeshkar ji, saying, Master Ghulam Haider submitted his resignation to Shashidhar in the Filmistan office and at the same time he left with me for Bombay Talkies Studio.

This faith of a great musician like Ghulam Haider was a great support for the struggling Lata. Returning disappointed from Filmistan, she came to Goregaon station to catch a train to go to Bombay Studios in Malad with Lata Mangeshkar. While waiting for the train at the same station, Ghulam Haider composed the tune of the song 'Dil Mera Toda' for the film 'Majboor'. Sitting on the bench of this station, Lata Mangeshkar rehearsed that song and Ghulam Haider pats on a packet of 555 cigarettes to give Lata the beat for the song. This is how the famous song of the film 'Majboor', released in the year 1948, was created. The lyrics of this song are 'Dil Mera Toda Hai Mujhe Kahin Ka Na Chhoda Tere Pyaar Ne.'

This song became a superhit and brought Lata Mangeshkar into the category of hit singers.

That corner of the platform at Goregaon station will probably still be there and that bench will also be there, but how many people in the crowd of common people going to the church gate at Goregaon station from morning till night would know that where they stand every day, their idol and revered The first milestone in Lata Mangeshkar's career was created.

After the recording of this song, Ghulam Haider said that just as he had got the credit for bringing Noor Jahan in front of the world, in the same way, he is presenting another great singer through this song and the world will always be thankful to him for this.

Vinod Kumar is a famous film writer and journalist who has written many books on many personalities in the cinema world. These books include 'Meri Awaaz Suno', '150 Stars of Cinema', and 'Rafi Ki Duniya', apart from biographies of Devanand, Dilip Kumar, and Raj Kapoor, etc.

 

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