When you think film music Lata Mangeshkar is undoubtedly one of the first singers that comes to mind. In Indian cinema THE iconic singer has been the golden voice of many a heroine. She was the voice for the wonderful actress Jaya Prada, and they created iconic tracks and remarkable song and dance sequences on the silver screen from the ’70s to the ’90s. Subhash K Jha shares THE playlist of Jaya Prada-Lata Mangeshkar songs. We also hear about the songs from the actress, so read on!
1. ‘Dafli wali’ (Sargam):
Jaya Prada could never equal her arch-rival Sridevi’s stardom. But we must admit JP (not to be confused with JB) has a superior slew of songs than Sridevi. In her very first Hindi film Sargam JP belted out one chartbuster after another in Lataji’s voice: ‘Koyal boli’, ‘parbat ke uss paar’… But the biggest of them all was ‘Dafli wale’. Said JP, “I was blessed to have such fabulous songs in my first Hindi film. Wherever I go people recognise me as Jaya Prada the ‘dafli-wali’ from Sargam. I’m flattered that they still remember my first Hindi movie and its songs.”
2. ‘Tujh sang preet lagayi sajnak’ (Kaamchor):
Jaya Prada followed up the Sargam debut with lilting hit songs by Rajesh Roshan in Kaamchor: ‘Tujh sang preeti lagayee sajna’, ‘Tum mere swami’ and ‘Tumse badhkar duniya mein’. Rajesh Roshan did the music of all subsequent films produced/directed by his brother Rakesh Roshan, but none like Kaamchor. Rakesh Roshan feels it was JP’s beauty which brought out the best in Rajesh Roshan.
3. ‘Jaaoon tore Charan kamal balihari’ (Sur Sangam):
The epic classical score by Laxmikant-Pyarelal had JP dancing away to glory. This song, where she shows her Bharat Natyam skills, is the actress’ favourite. “K Vishwanath Sir and I shared a very close bonding. The songs in his cinema went a long way in making me feel and look special on screen.”
4. ‘Mere nainon main shyam samaye’ (Bawri):
In the same year as Kaamchor Jaya Prada had excellent songs composed by Khayyam in Baawri: ‘Mera naino mein shyam samaaye’ and ‘Ab charaghon ka koi kaan nahin’ which went unnoticed as the film was a flop. But this Bhajan, sung with lilting gusto by Lataji, deserved a suno for its ceaseless sonority.
5. ‘Chandni raat mein’ (Dil-e-Nadaan):
A Rajesh Khanna-Jaya Prada-Smita Patil starrer that sank without a trace, and that included its music by Khayyam. Except for this duet by Kishore Kumar and Lataji, which ranks very high in JP’s body of work. Naqsh Lyalpuri, who wrote this burnished ballad, once said JP inspired him to get extra poetic.
6. ‘Zu zu zu Yashoda ka nandlala’ (Sanjog):
A masterclass in composition and rendition, this Laxmikant-Pyarelal composition rendered to immortality by Lataji ranks right up there with ‘Chanda hai tu mera suraj hai tu’ as the ultimate ode to maternal love. Rightly, JP was very proud of this song. “I must say I’ve been very lucky with my songs. Lataji sang most of my Hindi songs, and she added so much to my performance.”
7. ‘Gori hai kalaiayan’ (Aaj Ka Arjun):
JP’s last big chartbuster and one of Lataji’s most popular songs in the 1990s. Recalling the ‘Gori hain kalaainyan’ craze, Lataji had said, “It is one of the biggest hits of my career. Bappida was known as a disco song. But his grasp of Hindustani classical and folk music is zabardast. The composition and arrangement of ‘Gori hai kalainaya’ is very earthy. This is a song close to the Hindustani heartbeat. “Yeh gaana har shaadi, har teacher, har khushi ke make pe bajegi.” – Lataji was right. The bangles may be green or saffron, but they continue to adorn every festive occasion in Lataji’s timeless voice.
