Among the prominent music composers of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, Bappi Lahiri was the fondest of the “outsider” Pankaj Udhas’ dulcet voice. In an unpublished interview, Bappi once said to this writer, “Pankaj has the quality of a minstrel singer. He is known for his popular Ghazals. But he can sing any kind of song. And I’ve used his range and versatility to the utmost. He has sung my long and melodious love song Mahiya teri kasam in Raj Santoshi’s Ghayal with Mata Saraswati Lataji herself. I don’t think any other male singer could match Lataji’s soulfulness in Mahiya teri kasam and then again in Aur bhalaa kya mangu main rab se in Thanedaar. That movie is remembered for Tamma tamma, but my favourite is Aur bhala kya mangun main rab se.”
Bappi utilized Pankaj Udhas’s voice for every genre of film music. “I made him sing a fun song like Mummy kehti I love you, Daddy kehte I love in the film Pyar Ka Rog and there was a very emotional duet with Mohammed Aziz in the film Gola Barood…Yaad ayee bhooli woh kahani… I don’t know if you’ve heard the song Hai husn kissi mein kahan aisa tera sara badan hai chehra jaisa in the film Mahakali. It proved Pankaj was capable of a lot more than just Ghazals.”
Bappi also made Pankaj sing in Bengali. “That’s right!” Bappi brightened up. “It was a song called Tomra Amay Dao Na Bole from a Bengali Mangal Deep. He sang it so well; his Bangla diction was perfect. No one could complain it was sung by a non-Bengali.”
Bappi’s all-time favourite Pankaj Udhas song: Insaanon ko neelaam kare insaan kaisi duniya hai in Jagmohan Mundhra’s Kamla. “Every time I hear this song; I get very emotional. No one except Pankaj Udhas could have sung it,” Bappi said with indisputable feeling.
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