“My most memorable song with Khayyam Saab was Phir chidi raat baat phoolon ki in Bazaar in 1982. I was young and was going to sing with Lata Mangeshkar for the first time. The recording engineer was Sharmaji, an imposing and senior person with a stern look, who reputedly was so senior that he could even ask Lataji for a retake. We were going to record live, with the full 60-piece orchestra. I was nervous. If I made a mistake, everyone would have to do a re-take. Khayyam Saab made me rehearse for almost two weeks at his residence. On the day of the recording, Lataji and I stood in the singers’ booth, ready for the take. I blurted out, “I am very nervous. Lataji told me very sweetly, “Why? You are such a good singer.”
Without realising what I was saying next, I asked her, “How do you know that? You haven’t heard me sing.”
She smiled sweetly and said, “I heard you on the TV show Aarohi, and you sing nicely. “She was being supportive to a newcomer, and that was her greatness. She cautioned me that Khayyam Saab was a perfectionist and famous for his ‘one more safety take’, so I better be prepared for it. The recording started, and after a number of takes, Khayyam Saab’s voice came over the headphone, “Wah! Lataji kya mast hai! Wah! Lataji smiled and said, under her breath, “Now he will come and ask for a safety take. And right on cue, Khayyam Sahab entered the singers’ booth and asked for the safety take. The ghazal has become so iconic that even singers like Mehdi Hasansaab, my guru, said I had sung well. It was the combined genius of Khayyam and Lataji which helped me.”
