Lataji and Majrooh Saab shared a very close friendship in real life, so much so that he wrote an entire poem on what his poetry meant when she gave voice it. It is nigh-impossible to ferret out the best of Majrooh saab with Lataji. Once, Majrooh Saab said, “Bibi ke saath—that’s what he called Lataji—mere gaane sab khaas hain kyunki woh unhe khaas bana deti hain. Halanki mere gaane aur bhi singers he saath khaas hain, lekin Bibi ke kuch zyada khaas hain. (With my wife—that’s what he calls Lataji—all my songs are special because she makes them special. Although my songs are special with other singers, some with my wife are even more.”
Subhash K Jha lists some of the best of Majrooh Sultanpuri and Lata Mangeshkar‘s memorable songs in a special feature.
1. ‘Tere mere milan ki yeh raina’ (Abhimaan):
This achingly beautiful ballad about a couple dreaming of their first child was extra-khaas: “Nanha sa gul khilega angna, sunee baiyaan sajegi sajna,jaise khele chanda baadal mein, khelega woh tere aanchal mein….” While recording this great composition by Sachin Dev Burman, Lataji had commented, “Itne sundar shabd, wah!” Abhimaan featured other classic songs like ‘Meet na mila re man ka ‘ and ‘Piya bina basiya baaje na’. But ‘Tere milan ki yeh raina’ is rare, as it addresses a physical union with poetry that far transcended the body.
2. ‘Kitne akeli kitne tanha si lagi unse milke main aaj’(Talash):
When Sachin Dev Burman joined Lataji and Majrooh, the magic got more magical. In Talash, in this solo ballad about the loneliness of a woman yearning in unrequited love, Majrooh wrote: “Kaash woh mere banke, paas yun kabhi aate, khulte dwaar baaho ke, tan diye se jal jaate, pyaar ke bina hain yeh mann mera jaise sunee haveli…”. No better expression of a woman in love has been heard.
3. ‘Kya janoon sajan hoti hai kya gham ki sham’ (Baharon Ke Sapne):
This stunning R D Burman soundtrack includes several poetically peaked numbers written by Majrooh Saab and sung by Lataji. This one creates an aura of absolute enthralment. Asha Parekh, who enacted the song, says, “Latabai and Majrooh Saab’s equation was on another level. This was a dream sequence, and the words, the singing, and the composition are dreamy.”
4. ‘Rahen na rahen hum’ (Mamta):
This felt like the song that would play in a loop when Lataji was no more with us. And it did. Majrooh Saab wrote it as a tribute to Lataji’s immortality. Composer Lalit Pandit says he would cry the minute this song played. “It felt like an epitaph written for Lataji long before she actually left us.”
5. ‘Roz sham aati tthi’ (Imtihaan):
“Yeh aaj meri Zindagi mein kaun aa gaya”…. Every time Lataji’s voice embraces Majrooh Saab’s voice, it feels like the first time. Laxmikant-Pyarelal, who composed this memorabilia, confesses that the simplicity of the poetry took them aback: so much said without hiding behind metaphors.
6. ‘Aapse miliya pyar ttha inko’ (Pyar Ka Mausam):
Not all the monumental songs of Majrooh Sultanpuri and Lata Mangeshkar were sombre, reflective, and romantic. Try this comic number where Lataji lends a coltish charm to lyrics about unsuitable suitors.
7. ‘Hum hain mataye kucha-o-bazaar ki terah’ (Dastak):
This film had Lataji, Majrooh Saab and Madan Mohan excelling in one song after another. This one stood out as Majrooh Saab mentioned himself in it: “Majrooh likh rahen hain woh ehde Wafaa ka naam.” Irshaad.
