The queen of melody, Lata Mangeshkar has ruled the world of music and the hearts of people for more than 7 decades. Being an inevitable part of the Indian music industry, Lata has mesmerized generations with her melodious voice.
The Nightingale of India began singing at the early age of 13 years and almost all top Bollywood actresses have lip-synced to her evergreen tracks. The trance of her voice exceeds the limits of borders and she has made countless admirers in every country on the face of Earth.
With a career spanning over 7 decades, Lata worked with many legendary vocalists including Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor, and Talat Mahmoud but the most iconic duo she made was with one and only Mohammad Rafi.
Lata and Rafi sang more than 400 songs together and every soul with a heart was mesmerized by the charm of their voices. Interestingly what most fans don’t know is that at one point not only Lata and Mohammad Rafi fell out but their resentment was so strong that each of them had vowed to never sing with the other again.
Yes, you read it right. As unlikely as the tiff between king and queen of melody may sound, it is true. While a collaboration between Lata Mangeshkar and M Rafi was a guarantee of a hit during the 1960s, the duo eventually fell apart.
The reason behind these differences was a simple spat over royalty payment on their duets that led to Lata Mangeshkar falling out with Mohammed Rafi and they stopped singing together for nearly four years.
The incident took place on the set of the film “Maya” in 1961 while recording a song. According to their close acquaintances, Lata ji wanted royalties similar to music directors, but Muhammad Rafi disagreed with her view.
Lata wanted to be paid royalty and raised the issue with the producers as she expected M Rafi to support her point of view. But contrary to her expectations, Rafi took a different stand.
“When the producer pays the fee the singer demands for a song, thereafter the singer should not have a share in the royalty,” Rafi opined.
Lata was very upset with Rafi’s stand and vowed to never sing with Rafi Sahab again right in the studio. Their fallout shocked the cinema industry and the composers were forced to choose between the two monumental singers.
Those who chose Rafi Sahab had to replace the female vocals with the Lata sound-a-like Suman Kalyanpur. While those went who with Lata had to make do with the Mahendra Kapoor in the duets.
It took years for both to move on and bury the hatchet. Late music director Jaikishen finally effected the reconciliation between the two and they agreed to sing together again.
It was a moment of pure celebration for the composers as they breathed a sigh of relief. The first duet Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar recorded together after this episode was for the film Palkon Ki Chhaaon Mein.
The undisputed king and queen of music continued to sing together for many years after until the untimely death of Mohammad Rafi. The last song recorded by Rafi was for the film Aas Paas on July 26, 1980, just five days before his death and it too was a duet with Lata Mangeshkar.
Last year on Mohammed Rafi’s death anniversary, Lata remembered him by sharing priceless memories on social media. The 91-year-old singer posted three black and white photographs featuring herself and Mohammed Rafi with a caption:
“Today is the death anniversary of great singer Mohammed Rafi Sahab. I humbly greet his memory.”
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