Lata Mangeshkar with Lesser Known Male Playback Singers

I can’t believe It’s been a year! It was a Sunday last year when the sad news of the demise of Lata Mangeshkar hit me. Though she was already hospitalized for a period, it was still a great shock. Of course she’s alive in our minds with her immortal songs. I was planning yearly review of Lata Mangeshkar’s Hindi film songs for a long time and I started it with a heavy heart on 6th February last year. So far I’ve covered the year 1956 and am going to continue till 1975. But for today I’m not going to continue the review series. But I’m opening yet another series on Lata Mangeshkar’s songs. I hope the series would interest the readers.

When I was researching for the series on Lata’s association with lesser known composers, I came across a few unknown or lesser known names of the male and female playback singers, who couldn’t make it big in Hindi cinema. Lata Mangeshkar sang songs with them, but the songs are few and far between, say a couple of songs or so. With time, we have forgotten the names of those singers and also the songs. In addition she also sang with a few composers as well. Of course, C Ramchandra and Hemant Kumar were popular singers and composers of Hindi cinema, but she also sang a handful of songs with a few other composers. And a few actors also tried singing in Hindi films and some of them sang with Lata Mangeshkar.

For today’s list however, I am restricting myself to her songs with lesser known or forgotten male playback singers. I haven’t included her songs with any of the composers (so you won’t find S D Batish and Kamal Dasgupta on today’s list) or with female playback singers. I’ll dedicate a separate post to each of them.

I’ve arranged the songs in chronological order. Here we go… … …

1. Aankh Meri Lad Gayi Re – Chunaria (1948) with Indra (Inder) Goel / Hansraj Behl – Mulkraj Bhakri
Chunaria was a musically successful film that boosted the career of Hansraj Behl. Though it’s technically a duet, the male singer gets to sing just a single line on two occasions in the song. It’s an energetic song with a touch of Punjabi folk style. The song depicts the lady’s perhaps first encounter with her beloved when she happened to visit the bazaar. Very catchy and peppy number with good orchestration.
I guess the part of the male singer was so small that Behl didn’t offer it to any established singer, but to his nephew, Indra Goel, who used to assist him. He was Behl’s assistant for 10 films. I got the information on Atul’s blog, where Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh commented and provided the info.

2. Jhoolo Jhoolo Pyar Hindole – Hamari Kahani (194? / Unreleased) with Balakram / Hemant Kedar – Banwasi
We all remember the singer, Balakram for the enchanting sargam, he sang for the song, Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhare, which was mainly sung by G M Durrani. It was for the film Nai Kahani (1943). He sang a couple of duets with Lata Mangeshkar for a film, Hamari Kahani under the baton of composer, Hemant Kedar (Ramkrishna Shinde). I could find just one duet on the internet. It’s an experience to listen to the singers, both in their late teens. I think we may call it a semi classical song, rendered well by both. Lata’s tender voice sounds a bit different.
Balakram was a popular name in Marathi films. He acted and also sang for a number of movies. His Marathi songs from the 60s are still popular. Born on 24th February 1931 in Nagpur, he was the youngest among four siblings. He started his career as a child artist in 1941 with the bilingual film, Mera Ladka (माझा मुलगा in Marathi). Then there were the films, Aadmi (1941), Padosi (1941) and Chand (1944) in addition to the song from Nai Kahani. He was trained in Indian classical music. He went on to act and sing in Marathi and Hindi films. But his Hindi films in adulthood were mostly restricted to the mythological genre. His Marathi songs were very popular.

3. Hum Chale Door – Ek Thi Ladki (1949) with Rafi and Satish Batra / Vinod – Aziz Kashmiri
A good boat song picturised (at least the outdoor shoot) most likely on Dal Lake. The song has a boat rhythm with the help of sounds of rowing. The song has multiple voices, though popularly taken as a trio. Perhaps the singers from the chorus sang a few independent lines.
Satish Batra is a comparatively familiar name or so I think. But I couldn’t get much of his personal details. He has around 20 songs to his credit. Strangely enough, I could find only a couple of his solos, all the rest were duets with a few trios. Except Dholak, the other songs were perhaps not very popular. He has sung for Vinod in Dholak, Ek Thi Ladki and Mukhda.

4. Now about a mysterious singer, called Raja Gul. I couldn’t get any information about him, except that he sang about 30 songs in 20 Hindi films, and has sung duets with Rafi, Shamshad Begum, Sitara Kanpur and of course Lata Mangeshkar.
He has a couple of duets with Lata Mangeshkar. Let’s listen to both the songs,

Mithai Le Lo Babu – Raj Mukut (1950) with Raja Gul / Pandit Gobindram – Bharat Vyas
What an interesting song! Very enjoyable and certainly different from the cliches. Raja Gul has a good voice and his expressions are perfect! The song portrays a sweetmeat seller from Delhi, advertising himself. He talks about Laddus, Pedhas, along with Balushahi, Jalebi and Ras Malai. All mouth watering delicacies. But a lady or could be a small girl, given that the film featured Baby Tabassum, challenges all his claims of sincerity and ends up eating his sweets for free and then endorses his products. Sounds like pure blackmail! But interesting to listen to. Must listen, but couldn’t find a full version with good audio quality.

Mil Lo Raja Sadkiya Pe – Bikhre Moti (1951) with Raja Gul / Ghulam Mohammad – Akhtar ul Iman
Raja Gul sounds good in this song as well. His voice is full of expressions. One can’t guess the reasons for his disappearance thereafter. Another good song which is certainly melodious. The interludes are so catchy and sound like Naushad’s song. The explanation is obvious, Ghulam Mohammad was his assistant and arranger during the period. The song is full of ghungroo.

5. Perhaps the singers Raja Gul and Gulraja were actually the different names of the same person. As I said already nothing much is available about him on the internet.

Naina Kar Ke Char – Shagan (1951) with Gulraja / Husnalal Bhagatram – Mulkraj Bhakri
Even after repeatedly listening to the song, I was unable to draw a conclusion if he’s the same singer who has sung the songs #4. The part by male singer is small, just a few lines in the second verse! The song has typical Husnalal Bhagatram interludes, with quite a predictable tune.

6. There was a popular actor Trilok Kapoor, who was Prithviraj Kapoor’s brother. He was popular for his portrayal of Lord Shiva, and he was always paired with Nirupa Roy as Parvati. He sang just for a couple of films, Aaj Ki Duniya and Raja Rani.
The singer Trilok Kapoor was a different person, who sang in Birhan (1948), Bhai Behen (1950), Raag Rang (1952), Ladla (1954) etc to sing his last song for the film, Trolley driver (1958).
Nothing is known about his personal details. He sang a couple of duets with Lata Mangeshkar for the film Raag Rang which found a place on today’s list. Let’s listen to the songs,

O Maniyapur Ke Chhaila – Raag Rang (1952) with Trilok Kapoor & Chorus / Roshan – Prakash Bakshi
What a beautiful song! I’m really surprised with these hidden gems! It’s a wonderful melody with enchanting musical arrangement. It’s not a typical Roshan song, but still has his touch. The part by male singer is short, but it’s good.

Karte Hain Ishare – Raag Rang (1952) with Trilok Kapoor / Roshan – Kaif Irfani
What can I say about this gem? Absolutely delightful romantic song! I’ve no idea if it was picturised on the main lead pair, Ashok Kumar and Geeta Bali. Trilok Kapoor’s voice sounds somewhat like a mix of Hemant Kumar and Talat Mahmood, inclining more to the former. And I liked his voice. What’s your opinion about his voice?

7. Krishna Goel is a comparatively familiar name in Hindi films. He was from Jammu and Kashmir and debuted in 1947 with the film Krishna Sudama. His most popular solos were from Dahej (1950). He also has good songs in Dhuaan (1953) and Mallika (1956). He however couldn’t create his own place in Hindi films as a playback singer.
He has just one duet with Lata Mangeshkar and I’m highlighting it,

Kabhi Yeh To Mujhse Puchho – Dhuaan (1953) with Krishna Goel / Dhaniram – Rajendra Krishan
It’s technically a duet, but Krishna Goel merely opens the songs with aalap and his part is over in the initial 20 seconds or so. Lata Mangeshkar sings the rest of the song. It’s a nice melody, but I feel sorry for Goel. He got to sing with her, but just one song and that too….(a deep sigh)

8. Dhananjay Bhattacharya was a popular singer and composer in Bangla. He was most popular for Shyama Sangeet, which is a genre of devotional Bangla songs dedicated to goddess Kali or Shyama. He also sang for a few Hindi films, Jhooti Kasme (1948), Yatrik (1952), Anmol Sahara (1952), Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1953), Kasturi (1954), etc. with around 10+ songs.
As he has not composed for Hindi films or at least I’m not aware of it, I’m including him on today’s list.

Woh Gokul Ka Gwala Tha – Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1953) with Dhananjay Bhattacharya / R C Boral – Bharat Vyas
A beautiful bhajan in the praise of Lord Krishna. He also had other solos to his credit for the movie.

9. Shaminder was a Punjabi who always wanted to sing for films. He was a huge fan of Rafi and Talat Mahmood and had dreamt of singing a duet with Lata Mangeshkar. In 1953 he came to Mumbai and met Sardul Kwatra. The latter was impressed with him and thought of offering him a song. Finally Shaminder sang for Kwatra for a Punjabi film, Vanjara (1954) which was a duet with Lata Mangeshkar. Once again he got an opportunity to sing with her for Pilpili Sahab (1954). He mainly sang for Sardul Kwatra in Hindi films, though he also sang for Roshan, Hansraj Behl, Vinod. His prominent films include Pensioner (1954), Son Of Alibaba (1955), Ghar Ghar Mein Diwali (1955), Tees Maar Khan (1955), Kala Chashma (1962) and Mera Desh Mera Dharam (1973) etc. He also acted in Hindi and Punjabi films, the prominent ones being Aas Ka Panchhi (1961) and Anpadh (1962).
Let’s listen a couple of his duets with Lata Mangeshkar,

Chand Sitaron Mein Kaun – Pilpili Sahab (1954) with Shaminder / Sardul Kwatra – Shailendra
A beautiful romantic song! Sardul Kwatra, though not counted among the first rung composers of Hindi films, had melodious songs to his credit. This one’s a beautiful melody. The film is said to have Lata Mangeshkar’s three duets with Shaminder, but I could locate only one. The other two duets, Chandni Raat Hai & Dil Na Dukhana are not available at present.

Deep Jale Ghar Ghar Mein – Ghar Ghar Mein Diwali (1955) with Shaminder & Chorus / Roshan – Prem Dhawan
An energetic song for Diwali celebrations. Would be a delightful experience to listen to it on a real Diwali day.

10. Rajni Hai Taaron Bhari – Manohar (1954) with T A Mothi / S V Ramanathan & T R Ramanathan – Vishwamitra Adil
A good romantic song. The couple dreams of their happy and colourful life. A few details of T A Mothi. He was from Madras. He learnt Indian Classical music under experts. He flourished in the later part of the 40s. In almost all dubbed and remade films in Hindi, during the 40s to 60s he sang songs in such films. He was also a very popular singer in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages. He sang for the Tamil and TeluguIu versions of films like Barsat, Aan, Udan Khatola etc. He was prominently noticed in Hindi films with Chandralekha (1948). We can appreciate his clear pronunciation and diction of Hindi words.

11. Dwijen Mukherjee was a popular and successful Singer, composer in Bangla. Nearly half of his recorded songs belong to Rabindra Sangeet. His Hindi film songs are relatively few, and he sang mainly for Salil Chowdhury. I found his film called 25th July (1951), where he sang for the composer, Nachiket Ghosh. He didn’t compose for Hindi films. So even though he is not a lesser known singer, he’s not well known as well. His films include Jawahar (1960), Honeymoon (1960), Maaya (1961), Sapan Suhane (1961), etc. He also recorded a solo for Madhumati, which however wasn’t included in the film. His voice very closely resembles that of Hemant Kumar’s. Subir Sen, Dwijen Mukherjee and Hemant Kumar were called Trimurti. All of them have nearly the same voice.
I’ve selected a couple of duets for today’s post,

Yeh Pyar Ka Zamana – Jawahar (1960) with Dwijen Mukherjee / Salil Chowdhury – Prem Dhawan
A good romantic song with the typical sweetness of Salil da’s composition. And Dwijen Mukherjee sounds exactly like Hemant Kumar, so much so that even on LM world, it’s mentioned as the Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar duet.

Duniya Na Dekhen – Honeymoon (1960) with Dwijen Mukherjee / Salil Chowdhury – Shailendra
A song with a tonga rhythm. Very melodious and sweet composition. His voice is really difficult to differentiate from Hemant Kumar’s.

12. P B Srinivas was a popular playback singer in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu movies. He has just a handful of Hindi film songs to his credit, I must confess I could find only a couple of his Hindi films . The films were Mr Sampat and Main Bhi Ladki Hoon. In addition to this, he also penned a Hindi song, which was composed and sung by S Janaki.
For today’s post, I’ve only one song to present,

Chanda Se Hoga Woh Pyara – Main Bhi Ladki Hoon (1964) with P B Srinivas / Chitragupt – Rajendra Krishan
The couple is expecting a baby and they sing merrily about the baby. Very cute lyrics woven in a simple yet sweet typically Chitragupt melody. It was the period when Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar were not recording duets together and perhaps that was the reason why the song was offered to Srinivas. Rafi sang for the other hero in the film.

13. Main Hoon Sher – Gopichand Jasoos (1981) with Kamlesh Awasthi / Usha Khanna – Munsif
Dr Kamlesh Awasthi is a trained singer and has done M.Sc in Chemistry and also a PhD holder. He took formal music training as well. I could find only a few songs sung by him. In Gopichand Jasoos, he sang for Raj Kapoor. I won’t call the song my favourite, but that could be because I haven’t heard it often. Kamlesh Awasthi sounds exactly like Mukesh. One would imagine Mukesh if he / she listens to the song.

14. Vishal Goswami is the son of veteran actor Manoj Kumar. He sang in a few Hindi films. I couldn’t get much information about him. He has also sung for his brother, Kunal Goswami. According to IMDb, there were plans to launch him as an actor, by Manoj Kumar himself or by others. But every time the projects were shelved. It is also mentioned that Vishal never wanted to be an actor.
I’m adding,

Aao Na Kuchh Baat Kare – Ricky (1985) with Vishal Goswami / Uttam Singh & Jagdish Khanna – Manoj Kumar

15. Tere Mere Hothon pe – Chandni (1989) with Babla Mehta / Shiv Hari – Anand Bakshi
This was Babla Mehta’s first Hindi film song, which was very popular. He sang in the early years of the 90s and his songs from Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (DHKMN) and Sadak were also appreciated. After 1995, he started singing bhajans and was not heard in Hindi films. He also composed a few of the poems by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. As I am interested in the music of the 90s, I still remember his songs. Also the cassette of DHKMN that I had, contained songs sung by Babla Mehta, whereas Kumar Sanu’s songs on the film tracks. Listen to the beautiful melody.

I also want to mention an unreleased Raag Malika from a film called, Amar Samdhi. The song was recorded in the 50s but the film was shelved. It was Lata Mangeshkar’s duet with Ustad Salaamat Ali Khan under the baton of Vasant Desai. As the song doesn’t actually fit the theme, I didn’t include it on the list.

The post is based on Mr Vishwas Nerurkar’s book on Lata Mangeshkar named, ‘Gandhar – Swar Yatra’. I’m also thankful to Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh for providing details of a few of the singers. As such very little was known to me about their personal details.

Disclaimer –
Mehfil Mein Meri, claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. Images on this blog are posted to make the text interesting. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from YouTube and Dailymotion, only for the listening convenience of music lovers. The copyright of these songs rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.