When Manoj Kumar stepped in to save 'Lag Ja Gale' from rejection

New Delhi: Lag Ja Gale, that plaintive ode to love sung by Lata Mangeshkar in the 1964 classic "Woh Kaun Thi", almost didn't see the light of day. Quite simply, director Raj Khosla didn't like the track and it took composer Madan Mohan to first convince the film's star Manoj Kumar who then persuaded the filmmaker that the song was finally included.

Once he heard the song again, Khosla picked up his shoe to hit himself, according to "Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography", released on May 20 ahead of the filmmaker's 100th birth anniversary on May 31.

"I got a call from Madan Mohan one day. 'Raj Khosla has lost his mind,' Madan said. 'Ek gaana sunaya. Usko pasand nahi aaya. (I made him hear a song. He didn’t like it.) You come and handle this please," the book quotes Kumar as saying.

However, Kumar, who hadn't heard the song yet, was reluctant to intervene, reasoning that it was ultimately "Khosla's film", and opted to speak with producer N N Sippy about the matter.

"There were only a few days left for the shoot and the song was yet to be finalized. What was to be done? Sippy concurred with the music director. He, too, wanted Manoj Kumar to approach Raj Khosla and sort this out," recounts the book by author Amborish Roychoudhury in association with Khosla's daughters Anita Khosla and Uma Khosla Kapur. Kumar agreed to intervene when the composer played the song for him.

Kumar, on whom the song was eventually picturised alongside actor Sadhana Shivdasani , described the piece of music as a "brilliant composition" and was amazed that Khosla -- who joined the film industry with the dream of becoming a playback singer and someone with keen appreciation of good music -- didn't like the song, the book reads.

Later, after persistent urging from Kumar, Khosla finally agreed -- albeit reluctantly -- to listen to the song, but only after telling him that it is "really bad".

However, upon hearing it again, the late filmmaker was left "astonished" and admitted it was one of the best tunes he had ever come across.

"And this was a song he was about to let go? 'How incredibly stupid of me', Khosla exclaimed. According to Kumar, Raj even picked up his own shoe to hit himself," reads the book.  Mangeshkar had listed "Lag Ja Gale" as one of her six favourites. It has over 277 million views on YouTube.

The soul-stirring melody, as noted in the book and explained by music composer Sanjeev Kohli, Mohan's son, was a particularly challenging piece to execute, even for the legendary Mangeshkar due to the intricate 'murkis' (ornamental flourishes) and nuanced variations incorporated by both Mohan and Lata herself, which demanded exceptional vocal finesse.

When she did it right, even Mohan got emotional and hugged the singer.

"When we recorded the song, everybody was happy with it. Raj Khosla loved it. All of us were satisfied. Once the recording was over, Madan bhaiyya aaye aur mujhe gale laga kar rone lage. (Madan bhaiyya came and hugging me, started crying.) The song... created history," Mangeshkar is quoted as saying in the book.

Six decades after its release, the song has been repurposed by filmmakers variously in their films, including AR Murugadoss in the recently out Salman Khan-Rashmika Mandanna starrer "Sikandar", Karan Johar in "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" (2016) and "Bombay Talkies" (2013), and Tigmanshu Dhulia for the "Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster" franchise.

 In a career spanning three decades and 27 films, Khosla directed several hits, including "CID", "Dostana", "Do Raaste", "Do Badan" and "Mera Saaya".

 The filmmaker, who trained under legendary actor-director Guru Dutt, was also credited for shooting musical sequences with dexterity. These include greats such as "Lag jaa gale", "Mera saaya saath hoga", "Jaane kya baat hai", "Hai apna dil toh awara" and "Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan".

"Raj Khosla: The Authorised Biography", published by Hachette India and priced at Rs 799, is available for purchase across online and offline stores.