Lata set the standards for women singing in Indian films

Sweetness defined the voice of Lata Mangeshkar, and the immense success of her songs in the 1950s and ‘60s set the tone for all women singing in Indian films in later years.

Lata sang two songs in Kannada for the 1967 film Sangolli Rayanna. Bellana belagaayitu is clearly inspired by an earlier Lata hit, Jyoti Kalash Chalke from Bhabi ki Chudiyan (1961). The two songs give listeners a glimpse of her classical training, and showcase her flair for ragas such as Bhoop and Shuddh Kalyan. The other song in the film, about a 19th-century military hero after whom the Bengaluru city railway station is named, is Ellaro Irateero.

With music by the Marathi composer Lakshman Berlekar, Sangolli Rayanna featured songs by Lata and her sisters Asha and Usha. The only male singer in the album was Manna Dey, who sang two songs. It is rumoured that Lata sang another Kannada song for a film starring Vyjayantimala. Called Aashe Niraashe, it was never completed. Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle were also featured in the album.

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It would be interesting to trace how Lata’s work profoundly influenced Indian film music. Noor Jehan was reigning when Lata began singing in the ‘40s. Shamshad Begum and Amirbai Karnataki were active, and their styles were radically unlike Lata’s. Shamshad Begum had a nasal twang. Lata initially followed Noor Jehan’s style, and eventually came into her own, developing a style that became wildly popular, and created some of India’s most iconic film songs.

Lata’s style is high on mellifluousness, and its advent pushed other more robust styles to the margins. Usha Uthup and L R Eshwari, with voices that sounded more ‘manly’, sang brasher, more ‘Western’ songs. Lata was always the dainty heroine’s voice, and she could render the most delicate graces.

Jyoti Kalash Chalke, composed by Sudhir Phadke, is a masterly exploration of raga Bhoop. On YouTube, you can catch a recording of the song in the composer’s voice. A comparable Lata song is Rasik Balma from Chori Chori (1964), based on Shuddh Kalyan, a raga from the same family as Bhoop. Its charm has inspired similar compositions in many Indian languages.

In Kannada, S Janaki sang Baanallu Neene/Bhuviyallu Neene in Bayaludaari (1977), again based on Shuddh Kalyan. A devotional song, Pillangoviya Cheluva Krishnana, popularised by Vidyabhushana, is set to a tune that brings to mind the ornamentations of Jyoti Kalash Chalke.

In sugama sangeeta, Mysore Ananthaswamy composed Karunaalu Baa Belake, also in Shuddh Kalyan, and got Ratnamala to sing it.

A host of distinguished singers, across India, have trained themselves in musical conventions evolved by Lata. S Janaki and K S Chitra are just a couple of examples to underline how the Lata style dominates the world of Indian film music.

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