RMIM Archive Article "377".

From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian

#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Salil interview - part 2 
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# Posted by: Chandrashekhar (shekhar@emirates.net.ae)
# Source: Khaleej Times
# Author: Chandrashekhar (shekhar@emirates.net.ae)
#



(Continuing the three-parter on maestro Salil Choudhury)

On Lata  Mangeshkar: She is   the true phenomenon.  Perhaps it  may be
several hundred  centuries before we come  across such a talent again!
If I  knew that Lata was  sceduled to sing my  composition, I would go
all out to make it as complex as possible. It was like a challenge, at
the same time like a game between us - but she never failed to rise to
the  occasion, and  she would even   suggest complex variations of her
own. 

Mukesh: Mukesh was my favourite singer. His octave range was limited -
I tried not to give him  any note above the second  D after middle C -
and his ability to  sing lines with  'murkis' restricted. But he could
sing with a mood and pathos that was unique. 

Manna Dey:  I have used Manna in  my compositions right from "Do Bigha
Zameen". While  his ability    to sing  romantic melodies   is  rather
limited, he was brilliant in singing classical songs, especially those
with a touch of  comedy. One of my favourites  is his rendition of "Ek
samay par do barsaaten" from "Jhoola". 

Mohammed  Rafi:  Another versatile   singer,  skilled  in  the art  of
infusing happiness, pathos   or comedy into a  song  as  the situation
demanded. His ability to sing songs based  on rapidly changing Western
scales was limited, though. 

Talat  Mehmood: An excellent ghazal singer,  but they don't make those
kind of movies anymore. 

Kishore  Kumar: my   first film with  him was   "Naukri". He  was  the
industry's all-rounder, and a clown  even in the recording room. Once,
while I explained a song to him, Kishore, who had been standing, first
leaned against the wall, then sat  on a chair,  and finally slumped on
to the floor as the intricacy of the melody  sank in! The next morning
he said he had a  dream in which he fled,  screaming, "I can't do  it!
It's too  difficult!" While I   supposedly chased  him with  a  stick,
saying, "Oh  yes you will!" And  so he did.  That song was "Guzar jaye
din din" from "Annadata". 

On Raj Kapoor: Raj was a very dear friend of mine. I  came to know him
well when we met in Moscow  for a film festival.  He then signed me up
for "Jaagte Raho", and the music was well received.  We had decided to
do another film  together, but  ultimately he had   to bow  to  strong
protests from the pro-Shankar-Jaikishan lobby. 

Dilip Kumar: Dilip's only song for a Hindi film was my composition. It
was a    thumri, "Lagi  nahin   choote", to    be  recorded with  Lata
Mangeshkar.  He   was in  such dread  of  recording  a  duet  with the
formidable   Lata, that he   wanted   to  back  out. Lata's   repeated
assurances  that  he   was  singing well   did  nothing  to  boost his
confidence. The  final take came about only  after he had downed three
brandies in quick succession. Actually I think he has a pleasant light
voice well suited  for a thumri. But  Dilip swore never  to repeat the
experience. 

(Tomorrow: Salil picks  his  ten best, the  Salil filmography  of  his
Hindi films, and assorted Salil-ana) 



From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian