Chhaayaageet #160 - "If you don't sing it, this song won't be in the film."

This pesky cold that refuses to go away. It has quickly escalated into some serious sinus trouble and asthma. Two times she has gone to the studio to record this song, and both times she had to return without singing even a word. She cannot feel her voice. She has had bouts of cold before, but this seems something weirdly different.

Notwithstanding the situation, she soldiers on and keeps her appointment at the studio. Perhaps, third time's the charm to record this song. She goes in front of the microphone. She has not done any rehearsals. Perhaps they can spend a good amount of time just rehearsing so she can get her voice back. She walks up to the mic in the recording booth. The music composer and the musicians outside. The song has minimal orchestration. So it is really her vocals that are lending all their weight to the song.

The piano starts. She has to join in with the alaap. But she doesn't. She just can't. She is struggling with the high notes. Her voice is cracking. She signals to the composer and comes out of the booth.

"Sorry Dada. I am not able to do this. I cannot sing", she is dejected, apologetic.

"Don't worry", the composer assures her. "This song is yours! I will wait till you are alright," the composer assures her.

She is not sure why this is happening. She mentions this to the famous maestro Ustad Amir Khan. He suggests her voice needs rest. Take a break from singing, he advises. Keep maun vrat, silence, for some time.

It has been over a month now. People close to her are starting to worry about her health. She is worried whether she will find her voice again. She has never gone this long without singing anything. The daily riyaaz is out of question. All kinds of treatment are being administered, allopathy, homeopathy, you name it.

Then one day she wakes up with a terrible pain in her stomach. And then she just starts throwing up. She cannot keep anything down. The doctor is summoned. He checks her. He decides an x-ray is needed. She is too weak to be taken anywhere, not just that, she cannot even move. So he asks for an x-ray machine to be brought to her home.

The doctor x-rays her stomach. And to everyone's astonishment he declares, leaving everyone aghast, "You are being slowly poisoned."

Her younger sister goes straight to the kitchen and orders the staff and help out of there. She declares to everyone, "From this moment on, I will be the only one to cook Didi's food."

One of the servants inconspicuously sneaks out of the apartment without telling anyone. He never returns, not even to collect his wages. Was he poisoning her food? Did someone plant him there? Who? How would they know? Should they file a police complaint? She decides against it.

She is bedridden for three months. The composer visits her one day. She is extremely apologetic for keeping the song on hold.

"I don't know if I can sing again. I feel too weak. The doctors are also worried", she expresses her deepest fears to the veteran composer.

"Lata, if you don't sing this song, it will not be in the film", he tells her, adding that he has composed this song only with her in mind. If she can't, no one else will.

A couple of months later, she finds her voice again. She decides to get back to the recording studio in front of the mic. The composer assures her she will do just fine. They will do a few rehearsals and then record the final take. She is grateful for their patience and understanding.

The composer, without letting her know, has pressed the record button. She nails it in the first take.

Lata Mangeshkar sang the haunting song Kahin deep jale kahin dil for Bees Saal Baad (1962), produced by veteran composer and singer, Hemant Kumar, lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni. Hemant Kumar composed this tune in 5 minutes while walking around the house. The song is filmed on Biswajeet and Waheeda Rehman. There is a short version of the song sung by Hemant Kumar towards the ending of the film which you can see below. The film is a psychological thriller, said to be loosely based on The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

After the success of Nagin (1954) for which Hemant Kumar received many accolades for his music, the music of subsequent films did not do well. So Hemant Kumar started to think about returning back to Calcutta. But he did not want to go without a fight. So he mortgaged his assets and decided to produce Bees Saal Baad, with his son-in-law, Biswajeet, in the lead role.

Bees Saal Baad was the last black and white film to be the highest grossing film of the year. The film, its music and all the songs became a big hit and thankfully Hemant da did not return back to Calcutta.

Shakeel Badayuni won the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for this song. Lata Mangeshkar won the Filmfare for Best Female Playback Singer also for this song. It also won Filmfares for Best Editing (Keshav Nanda), and Best Sound Design (SY Pathak). The film also got nominations for Best Film, Best Director (Biren Nag), Best Music Director (Hemant Kumar).

Lata ji faced a horrendous episode that threatened not just her singing career, but also her life. Fortunately she recovered from it, and what better song than this to announce her return, much to the dismay of her detractors. The veteran lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri would visit Lata ji at her home every day, reciting poetries, reading her stories, and keeping her talking, laughing and in good spirits during the time she was bedridden.

Watch Hemant da's version of the song below:

Lata ji singing this song in a live performance:

Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
Music: Hemant Kumar
*ing: Biswajeet, Waheeda Rehman
Producer: Hemant Kumar
Film: Bees Saal Baad (1962)