‘Nightingale of India’ aka Legendary singer Lata Mangshekar has shed everyone’s hearts when she left the world on 6 February. She made her place in not only the hearts of old and adults but left a mark on the youth as well. The late singer has sung thousands of songs and her melificious songs have touched our heartstrings
Among those thousands, she has sung a very popular song ‘Lara Lappa Lara Lappa Laayi Rakhda’ from the film ‘Ek Thi Ladki’ (1949). The song may have done wonders to the then little-known actor Meena Shorey but many fans called it a “frivolous” song, just not up to standards of Lata Mangeshkar.
It is said that the singer, in the book ‘Lata Mangeshkar in Her Own Voice”, recalled the anger that followed the release of the song.
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It reads, “The hook line of the song ‘Lara lappa lara lappa laii rakhda’ is, in fact, Punjabi. The filmic situation was explained to me in great detail: this will happen and that will happen. I recorded the song and went home. Some people heard it and were angry and upset with me. ‘Why did you sing this frivolous song? You shouldn’t sing a song like that.”
Though the song stucked in the mind of the people not only then but today also. However, the anger against Mangeshkar for singing the song, as per her free-wheeling conversation with the London-based author Nasreen Munni Kabir, continued even after the film ‘Ek Thi Ladki’ was released.
Further, not only this song but a few of her songs also faced criticism. One among those are ‘Gore gore, o baanke chhore’- another of the late singer’s massive hits from “Samadhi” (1950).
In her book, she said, “You will be amazed to hear when I sang it at a function, many music directors came up to me and said: ‘What has happened to the standard of your songs? You’re singing ‘Gore gore o baanke chhore’ on stage?’ Those songs had the reputation of being ‘bad’ songs. Now they are far worse.”
Meanwhile, more than negative, her songs have won the hearts of everyone, everywhere. Her contribution to the field of music is immeasurable. And the ‘Queen of Melody’ will always be remembered!
