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Author : Subhash K. Jha
There is a halo of youthfulness around her. In her body language. Her sense
of
humour. The timbre of impishness in her voice, which lends itself so naturally
to
a Tabu (Hu Tu Tu) or a Manisha Koirala (Kachche Dhaage) even today.
At 69, Lata Mangeshkar continues to exude the magic that has made her a legend.
The telephone rings persistently? people are calling to congratulate her
on her
latest achievement. The Padma Vibhushan. She laughs off the suggestion
that she
should have actually got a Bharat Ratna, the rare ratna that she is. "How
does it
matter?" she asks. "I am happy with what I?ve got."
We remind her that her golden silence has fomented so many myths about
her.
"Yes, but whenever I?ve opened my mouth, it has led to a huge uproar, hasn?t
it?"
she laughs, as she accepts yet another congratulatory call.
As she speaks in Marathi to an admirer, we think of the number of awards
and
rewards she has won over the years. And her decision not to accept any
more
awards. "No, I haven?t said no to any of the newer awards," she clarifies.
"Last year I
won the Zee Cine Award for a song in Dil To Pagal Hai." But what she relishes
best,
she adds, is the doctorates she keeps getting, like the one from New York
University.
On the professional front, Lata has gradually eased herself out of the
rat-race of
playback singing, though she does sing an occasional number when a friend
or an
old associate like Yash Chopra requests her to.
Of late, she has been travelling a lot, spending much time out of Mumbai.
First on a
highly successful concert tour of the US and Canada last October, then
long visits to
Pune, Kolhapur and Nasik. In Nasik she was honoured at a huge public
commemoration.
In this interview to Premiere, Lata Mangeshkar talks about awards, today?s
music
scene, and recalls some cherished moments in her career.
Don?t you think you deserved the Bharat Ratna?
(Laughs) I am happy with what I have got. I?m proud to be an Indian and
whatever
award the government confers on me is an honour. It needn?t be the Bharat
Ratna.
They must have thought seriously before deciding on how to honour me. Besides,
the Bharat Ratna won?t make me a ratna (laughs). First, the Padma Bhushan
and
now the Padma Vibhushan. I feel honoured. It?s the government?s way of
acknowledging my devotion to music over the years. I firmly believe that
one only
gets what one deserves.
You know, my father was a very good astrologer. Whatever he predicted would
come
true. Just before his death he went to our ancestral village in Goa and
told everyone
there that he had only a short time left in this world and that his daughter,
meaning
me, would become very famous. Apparently, he also said that no one in the
family
could foresee the kind of fame I would attain. I was told about this only
recently. So,
you see, everything was destined.
What do awards mean to you?
They?re tangible evidence of my contribution to
music. I am thankful to
all those who
are responsible for whatever I am today.
You had stopped accepting popular awards since the mid-Sixties, hadn?t
you?
Yes, but I haven?t said no to the awards instituted recently. Last year
I won the Zee
Award for my song Arrey re arrey (Dil To Pagal Hai). It was a nice song.
The problem
is, I have won too many awards, so many that there?s no room for them in
my house.
You know how small my house is. I?ve stored all the trophies at my studio
in
Kolhapur. There are about 250 trophies and 150 gold discs. My sister Usha
says
she?s tired of counting them (laughs). But do you know what I consider
a real
honour? The doctorates that the universities confer on me, like the ones
I received
from New York University and Pune University. I got one from Kolhapur University
too.
Do you feel more people are now appreciating songs with a classical base?
My classical renditions with my brother were always received warmly at
concerts,
especially in the concert we had in the US and Canada recently. At Heathrow
Airport
in London I met a couple who had been to my concert in Chicago. They said
the
classical renditions were the highlight of the show. My brother and I devoted
at least
fifteen minutes at every concert to classical singing. For me that was
the high point
of each concert.
What about the golden oldies? Do they still clamour for them at your
concerts?
There was a big demand for the Jiya jale number from Dil Se at all my concerts.
So I
made it the penultimate item at every concert, just before my usual farewell
number,
Ai mere watan ke logon. This time I tried to avoid the overfamiliar evergreen
numbers
like Inhi logon ne and Aayega aanewala. I tried to sing numbers which I
hadn?t sung
before, like Uthaye ja unke sitam. I narrated an anecdote about each song
before
singing it.
The general impression is that your 1998 concerts were the best ever.
I won?t say that they were my best. The one at the Royal Albert Hall, London,
in
1974 was equally memorable for me. It was my first concert abroad. I hadn?t
had the
time for it earlier. I used to be too busy with recordings. Besides, to
be honest, I
wasn?t too keen on performing abroad. I had heard that my colleagues from
the film
industry used to sing in cinema halls and other makeshift auditoria abroad.
So when
I was invited to sing abroad for the first time, the only demand I made
was for a
decent venue. And I got the Royal Albert Hall!
How did you feel celebrating your 69th birthday on stage in Chicago on
September 28?
(Laughs shyly) I had been informed beforehand that I?d have to cut a cake
on stage.
But I forgot all about it. Suddenly, when my birthday was announced at
midnight, all
the musicians and members of the audience jointly sang ?Happy Birthday?,
and
people clapped and wished me a long life. I felt terribly self-conscious
and nervous.
Public adulation always unnerves me. A Sardar in the audience shouted,
?Tussi kudi
Punjab di ho!? I said I?m from Punjab, Gujarat and the whole of India and
Pakistan.
Looking back, what pleases you more: adulation or a manifestation of your
phenomenal success?
Let me tell you what pleases me the most. My sister Asha?s success. I am
happy to
see her so successful, after so many years of singing. I started working
in my early
teens. She too began singing at a very early age. She has had to undergo
tremendous hardship. Of course, our whole family has faced hard times,
but Asha
suffered more. She got married very early and had a rough time. It is remarkable
the
way she has revived and rediscovered herself. It is no small achievement.
It makes
me very happy.
Any regrets?
None at all. These days I am only troubled by my health. In the last ten
years it has
deteriorated. I wish my health hadn?t let me down. My spirit is young,
and I could
have done a lot more good work. Who knows, I might have composed music
for films.
But now I don?t even want to think about such things. I only want peace
of mind.
I believe whatever happens, happens for the best. I?ve got more than my
share of
happiness. No human being gets everything in life. At a certain stage in
life, I
might have regretted what I didn?t get, but today, I?m beyond all that.
I have no
regrets whatsoever. I never had any complaints against God. Now I don?t
have
any against human beings.
What do you feel is the future of film music?
The kind of songs one hears these days isn?t very encouraging. But then,
change is
inevitable. Look around us. The environment, food habits, lifestyle, everything
has
changed. And it?s inevitable that music should also change. So many great
composers have come and gone. The stalwarts who are still around have no
place in
today?s scheme of things. What goes up must come down. It is the law of
nature.
Who among the present lot of composers do you think is capable of carrying
film music forward?
That?s a tough question. Considering the kind of films that are being made
these
days, there?s too much pressure on the composers to deliver. It?s not that
producers
didn?t dictate terms to composers earlier. They did, but they had great
faith in their
music directors. There would be discussions to enhance creativity. Some
of the
composers of today are good too. But today they are subservient to the
needs of the
situation. To song picturisation. Sometimes bad songs become hits because
of good
picturisation. It is no longer possible to evaluate the merits of an individual
song.
Trends change overnight too. The youth of today prefer westernised music.
And the
composers are influenced by this reality.
Do you miss working with composers who were creatively in tune with you,
like Madan Mohan, Sachin Dev Burman and Roshan?
Of course I do. But such tuning isn?t possible in today?s situation, and
with today?s
composers. I?m so much older and more experienced than all of them. However,
I
must admit that even today there are music directors who think, and who
are
creative, though very few. I have stopped worrying about what happens to
the songs I
sing. I just sing and get away, don?t follow their fate like I used to
do earlier.
Whenever a well-composed, well-rendered song failed, I would get very upset.
But
now I have become more professional (laughs). I used to be so involved
with my
songs that at times the challenge posed by an individual song could make
me tense.
Some composers would be very demanding.
Like...?
(Promptly) Sajjad Husain. Sajjad Saab?s songs would often make me very
apprehensive. I?d wonder if I?d be able to sing them the way he wanted
me to. There
were other composers whose compositions I didn?t fear singing at all because
of my
rapport with them. Like Madan (Mohan) Bhaiyya. Not that Sajjad Saab took
me to
task, but he would compose such complex numbers and would be so particular
about the way they were rendered, that I would become very conscious. His
knowledge of classical music was awesome. I remember, once he told a singer
to
lower the gandhar. Perplexed, the singer wanted to know what gandhar was.
Sajjad
Saab was livid. He was a very good human being, but would brook no imperfection.
Who were the other composers who challenged your talent?
Salil Chaudhary. I shared a great rapport with him. He knew which of his
creations
suited me. I was never scared of singing his tunes. Instead, I would be
very keen to
sing his songs. I love his music. I haven?t met a composer quite like him.
Look at the
tunes he thought up! And the sources of his composition! He used to write
fluently in
Bengali. His poems in Bengali were superb. You know, he used to write his
own
lyrics for some of the Bengali songs he composed for me. His grasp of the
North-Eastern folk music was tremendous. Being a Communist he was an agnostic.
So we never agreed on his views on God. Lekin woh kamaal ke music director
the.
Which other composer would you place in this kamaal ki category?
(Promptly) Madan Mohan, of course. He had a unique style. And Shankar-Jaikishan.
Jaikishan was very talented. Very creative. Even Shankarji?s songs were
a treat.
They did borrow from the West whenever they felt like it. But it was Salilda
who was
deeply influenced by Western music. He used to listen to Western symphonies
and
incorporate them in his compositions. And he could tell which symphony
had been
incorporated into which song.
What about R.D. Burman?
RD was very talented too. Like his father, he had his own style.
O.P. Nayyar once said that RD gave his best songs to you and the rest to
Asha Bhosle. Do you agree with that?
(Laughs loudly) I wouldn?t know about that. He must have had his reasons.
RD used
to interact a lot with me. He used to call me Didi, and loved me like a
sister. He
used to pour his heart out to me. He did compose in a special style for
me. He knew
instinctively which song suited Asha and which suited me. Come to think
of it, all the
composers must have known which song suited which singer. I loved the songs
Laxmikant-Pyarelal composed for me too. They were also special. For about
10-12
years they composed some really great numbers.
Lata
Mangeshkar : A living legend...
