Those exclusive singers

Heard Lalit Sen’s latest ‘item’ number Paagal from Arjun Pandit. Lalit, who is a composer in his own right, and arranges music for several music directors, sings only for Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen, with the exception of himself. He seems to be the latest in a fair line of singers who sings exclusively, or almost exclusively for just one composer.

Lalit Sen came in to dub the number Kammo for his uncle-brother duo in Ziddi. The song, as has happened often in film music history, was retained in his voice when the producer as well as the hero Sunny Deol loved the novelty of his vocals. It also caught on like wild fire and DS-SS cashed in on Lalit’s unusual voice for more item songs like Yeh khabar chhapwa do (Aflatoon) and Punjabi kudi maare jhatke (Salaakhen). The present number is however, unlikely to catch audience fancy in the presence of the ace O Priya and the Daler Mehndi-Alka Yagnik duet, but it is a catchy number all the same.

Everyone who knows Shanker-Jaikishan’s music, knows Sharada. The lady who has been often accused of splitting the S-J duo, and even creating a rift between Lata, came into the SJ recording rooms with Titli udi in the 1966 release Suraj. Followed hits like Chale jaana (Around The World), Le ja le ja (An Evening In Paris), Woh pari kahan se laoon (Pehchan), Jab bhi yeh dil udaas hota hai (Kal Aaj Aur Kal), Tumko sanam pukar ke and Taaron se pyaare (Diwana) and other less and undistinguished numbers. Sharada like Lalit, turned composer but unsuccessfully, and sang an occasional ditty for small composers, but it was S-J (or Shanker to be more precise) who accounted for 90 per cent of her work.

Kanchan, similarly, was a Kalyanji-Anandji exclusive, except for a handful of Babla numbers, and an album with him a couple of years ago. The brothers introduced her in the hit duet Zamana chahe jo kahe woh kahe (Paap Aur Punya, 1974). Since then she must have sung not less than 25 songs for the duo, including hits like Kya khoob lagti ho and Tumne kabhi kisise pyar kiya hai (Dharmatma), Tumko mere dil ne and Ae zamane tu karle sitam pe sitam (Rafoo Chakkar), Ek batta do (Kalicharan), Laila O Laila (Qurbani) and Saat saheliyan (Vidhaata). A fact to be noted here is that K-A rarely entrusted solos on her.

And Narendra Chanchal may have sung for Kalyanji-Anandji (the brilliant Meri zindagi tumhare pyar pe qurban ho in Jeevan Sangram), RD Burman, (Main benaam ho gaya from Benaam) Bappi Lahiri and Sonik-Omi, but he sang as many songs as all these put together only for Laxmikant-Pyarelal. And these included hits like Beshak mandir masjid todo (Bobby), Mehangai maar gayi (Roti Kapada Aur Makaan), Toone mujhe bulaya Sheranwaliye (Aasha) and Chalo bulawa aaya hai (Avtaar). Besides Maiyya beta tujhko pukaren bholi maa (The Cheat), Chanchal’s current USP - Sherawali bhajans - had their roots in these last three L-P numbers between 1974 and 1983.

Sapan Chakravorty was RD Burman’s assistant. He later composed music for films - including BR Chopra’s Zameer - but sang only under RD’s baton, beginning with the 1978 Kitaab and going on to films like Gol Maal (the title song), Ratnadeep, Khubsoorat, Naram Garam, Angoor, Satte Pe Satta and others. None of the songs however, were musically noteworthy.

Ghazal singer Talat Aziz had a very limited affair with films. And except for Laxmikant-Pyarelal (Gumrah, Aurat Aurat Aurat - his first recorded song Chhota sa ghar banaye - and his home production Dhun), Khayyam (Umrao Jaan, Bazaar, Lorie) and Rajesh Roshan (Bahaar Aane Tak, Daddy) he never sang for any other composer.

AR Rehman has used several South Indian singers in Hindi films, and most of them (Noel James, Swarnalatha, Sujatha, Minmini) have either never sung in other Hindi films, or done only the rare song, though Anuradha Sriram, another Rehman favourite, also sings occasionally for Anu Malik (Virasat, Gharwali Baharwali, Biwi No.1).

In a different sense, music directors who double as singers are also ‘exclusive’ singers, as they rarely sing outside their own baton - Usha Khanna, Bappi Lahiri, C Ramachandra, SD Burman, RD Burman, Anu Malik and even Laxmikant mostly sang under their own batons.

Rema Lahiri and Rajeshwari Laxmikant have mostly sung under their father’s batons, and most of Jagjit Kaur’s songs have been for husband Khayyam. The same is true for Sabita and Antara Choudhury under Salil Choudhury.

The reasons for this exclusivity usually are the proximity of personal or family relationships. Some of these singers (Chanchal, Talat) are brilliant, but need specialised compositions, and most music directors did not choose to make the extra effort needed to exploit their special features. Sapan Chakravorty and Noel James were assistants to the music directors they sang for, and Lalit Sen arranges music for his uncle Dilip and brother Sameer. Sharada of course was said to be Shanker’s object d’amour as well as Achilles Heel. In the case of Rema and Rajeshwari of course, political considerations would come in, however talented they may prove to be. Ultimately a rival’s family member is not really to be encouraged, right?

In another different sense, Pamela Chopra has been exclusive too. She sings only for her husband Yash Chopra’s films (the affair began with Doosra Aadmi 22 years ago), and she has even managed hits in Chandni, Aaina and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. But her rather pronounced shortcomings as a singer prevent the various top composers who had to record with her, to indulge the lady outisde Yash Raj Films.

Rajiv Vijayakar