Page 44 - Seniorstoday March 2022 Issue
P. 44
well as the music label HMV into a lot of one of the head honchos of the awards event
trouble. The 78 RPM phonograph records called her up. “I told Jain saab that I will
on the film were released with the name sing for them when they gave any singer the
of the singer as Kamini - the name of the award. It need not be me. He argued saying
heroine Madhubala’s character name from that Hollywood films never do. I replied
the film. Everyone called up All India Radio stating that Hollywood never had so many
as well as HMV to find out. So much so that songs and would certainly do when they
the operations officer at All India Radio also honoured singers and even lyricists. The
called up HMV to ask for the name of the next year they gave the awards to me for
real singer and then announced it. Madhumati and Shailendrabhai for Yahudi.
Lata took this as an opportunity and I got a call from a lot of lyricists after that
asked Raj Kapoor if he could add her name thanking me for taking a stand,” said Lata
in the credits of the film Barsaat on the earlier. Earlier, it was for one singer - male
phonograph records and thus managed to or female and later went on to be for both
use her influence. A lot of makers were not categories.
very happy with the idea but had to follow
suit after Raj Kapoor did. Royalty and the Rafi fight
Cash controversy
It was not just about credit but cash as well.
Many composers did not pay the singers
on the day of recording and asked for a few
days’ credit. The payments never came. It
was Lata Mangeshkar who got the singers
together to make sure that the singers were
paid on the day of the recording. After
‘Aayega Aanewala …’ became a roaring
success and Lata became a sensation, no one Lata and Rafi
wanted to take her on. Lata soon realised that the composers were
It barely took a few years for Lata to also only making the money and the singers
establish herself as the topmost singer in the and lyricists did not get anything else later
country who could then demand anything in terms of royalty. “It was like we were
and get away with it. also considered as instruments and the
composers were the creators and we didn’t
Playing it Filmfare and square get royalty. Hence, I took up the issue,” Lata
When music directors Shankar and once told this writer. At a meeting of singers
Jaikishan won the Filmfare Award for Best when Lata suggested that they should also
Music Direction for the 1957 film Chori get royalty, Mohammed Rafi opposed it
Chori, Jaikishan called Lata and asked her saying that he would not sing with her again.
to sing the song ‘Rasik Balma Hai… Dil Kyon Lata promptly shot back not just due to her
Lagaya’ on the Filmfare stage. Lata flatly temper but also because of her conviction
refused stating that since singers were not that she will never sing with him again. Lata
being given awards, she would not. Soon went home, called all the composers and said
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