This year multi-starrer Sholay celebrates 50 years of its blockbuster success. Jai Santoshi Maa (JSM), minus the bluster and pomp of a glamorous tinsel town titilator, also celebrates 50 years of its commercial triumph at the box office.
And what a triumph it was!
The music of Jai Santoshi Maa alone sold the highest number of gramophone records, at the time, for erstwhile music label HMV. No other film’s music before Jai Santoshi Maa had the cash registers ringing for the monopolistic music company the way the song ‘Main toh aarti utaron re’ had the nation’s women dancing to its garba beats.
Ahead Usha Mangeshkar’s 89th birthday (December 15), The Free Press Journal spoke to her — the film’s lead singer and the film’s only prominent surviving member — to peek into the past and relive the glory of a film, and more.
Excerpts from the interview:
‘I was paid Rs 1200 to sing’
The film’s music director C Arjun ji approached me to sing a song in the film. A good music director, he had done a lot of work but was not very well-known then. The film’s lyricist Kavi Pradeepji, who regarded me as his daughter, told C Arjun ji, ‘Call my artist.’ I thought it would be a bhajan. The first song I recorded was ‘Aarti’. Pradeepji insisted the song be sung his way only. He even said, “The amazing thing about my lyrics is they are to be sung exactly the way I’ve envisioned it.” I said, “Panditji, it’s your song, I will sing it your way.”
The film’s producer Satram Rohra was C Arjunji’s friend. Satramji used savings and some borrowings to start the film. I did not know much about Santoshi Maa but Satram ji was a devout follower of the deity. Many days passed. There was no contact with anyone from the film. It’s a small budget film, I thought, it might be shelved. The film, if I recall correctly, was made on a shoe-string budget of not more than 2-3 lakh rupees. I was paid Rs 1200 for three songs.
‘I almost walked away’
We were recording the third song, Madat karo Santoshi Maata. On the recording day, some unknown people entered the recording studio, which was not permitted in those days. There was a lady accompanying them. I told C Arjun ji, ‘This song sounds very high pitched to me.’ He said, ‘No, you try.’ I said, ‘I am but it is still high.’ He said, ‘Okay, we will record at this pitch only. We won’t go higher than this.’
Yet, it was C Arjunji who repeatedly told me, ‘Take it higher.” I couldn’t do it. This happened more than a couple of times. For close to an hour things had come to a standstill. I wasn’t sure what to do.
Then, one of the visitors suggested that the lady accompanying him should try. “She will do a better job.” Finally, I genuinely said, “Why don’t you get someone else to sing it? Perhaps the song will turn out to your liking.”
Then, Pradeepji, my godfather, entered. He was a big name in the industry. I had been listening to his songs since Kismet (1943). He roared, “Who is saying another artist will sing? This is the right pitch. Tell the person who suggested the change that this is the way it will be sung and by my artist only.”
‘I did not feel ‘Aarti’ would work…’
No one expected the film to perform so spectacularly! The audience took off their chappals before entering the theatre, ‘Madat karo Santoshi Mata’ was the first song to become popular. Gradually, ‘Aarti’ picked up and became very popular. In the initial weeks, the film did a business of one-and-a-half crore. I don’t know how many crores the film earned after that.
Women patronised the film
I went to see the film to understand the response first hand. It was amazing! There were Parsi, Christian, Muslim and Hindu women. After all, this was a movie about a woman. I had heard that women used to go home and worship Santoshi Maa. They used to do the solah shukravaar (fasting observed for 16 Fridays). This was unbelievable! Pradeepji told me, ‘Usha, do you know C Arjun’s songs are chartbusters and the film is performing phenomenally. Women carried a pooja thali to the cinema hall. When the aarti song would play, people would shower coins on the screen and women would do garba. Someone kept a collection box near a tree, affixed a photo of Santoshi Maa on it, and placed gur-chana at the spot. Passersby generously dropped offerings into the box. The film and the songs created a frenzy in Gujarat and everywhere. In those days, they would collect about two lakh rupees in each box.
Producer’s luck ran out
After the film’s extraordinary success, Santoshi Maa got elevated in the wide array of the Hindu pantheon. I told Satramji, ‘You’ve been blessed. You should make Durga Maa now.’ He made a film called Nawab Sahib (1978) and a couple of others after that that went unnoticed. He was a good man.
‘Everyone connected with JSM is gone…’
Kavi Pradeep and C Arjunji are no more. About a year ago, Satramji also passed away. Now it’s just me. Till today women dance to ‘Main toh aarti utaron’. When I had recorded it, I felt it would not work. I performed at a function in Kalyan last week. It is still very popular.
‘How I sang JSM in a Jain temple’
I was invited to perform at the inauguration of a Jain temple in Jaipur. An announcement was made that the famous voice of the songs from JSM was going to perform. I was on stage, about to start, when a note was handed to me. ‘Please refrain from naming deities of any religion.’
If I can’t sing JSM songs, how am I to start? I was in a fix. I took hold of a paper and wrote on it ‘Main toh aarti utaron re Padmavati mata ki’. I sang the modified version to much applause. A tall, senior, Marathi-speaking sadhu sitting on the side caught my gaze when he raised his hand with a pointed finger. Once more! Some girls started dancing. I sang that song five times that day!
Usha Mangeshkar on AI
No one can recreate what Didi (Lata Mangeshkar) has sung. The people
who clone voices have stayed away from Didi’s voice. If it happens, we are watching! We will definitely try to stop it!
I heard a cloned voice of Kishore Kumar. It felt as if Kishore Kumar was singing. There is no difference. After a minute, I could tell it was not Kishore Kumar. We can recognize the voice, but those who have not heard him frequently or do not listen to the AI voice attentively, will be unable to identify the difference. I know these things are happening today but this should not be done without permission. Ashatai’s (Asha Bhosle) recent court victory, restraining the AI platform from using her voice is a victory for all singers. What they did was completely wrong!
Usha Mangeshkar’s few other popular Hindi songs
Aplam chaplam – Azaad (1955)
Tumko piya dil diya – Shikari (1963)
Jane kyun log mohabbat – Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1971)
Mungda – Inkaar (1977)
Sultana – Taraana (1979)
Yaadon Ki Baraat
Usha Mangeshkar recalls the memories associated with five of her popular Hindi numbers
Aplam chaplam – Azaad (1955)
I remember standing side-by-side with Didi to record this song in Famous Studio. A producer by the name of Naidu from Madras had reached out to music director C Ramchandraji, whom we used to call Anna. Naiduji had told Anna that he intended to have a song in his film where two real life sisters, Sayee–Subbulakshmi, would perform identical dance steps and he was looking for real life singing sisters to sing the song. Anna told him that Lataji and Usha should sing this song. Naiduji visited our home and told us about the cast of the film and the situation of the song. We were on.
This was my second song, the first one being ‘Bhabhi aayi’ (Subah K Tara, 1954). All the musicians had gathered. I was fearless. I never feel scared. The rehearsals started and I used to get stuck at one place — after ‘daga dene wala dekho kaise daga’. I discussed this with Didi. ‘Why have they taken this so high? I will not be able to sing so high’. Didi said, “Don’t worry. I will sing it.’ I was confident that whatever the circumstances, Didi will take care of it. We resolved this as if the two of us were having a casual conversation at home. Even Anna did not come to know that Didi had sung my line. Did you know that none of the musicians felt this song was going to work? This song became a hit and after that Didi and I sang many duets.
Tumko piya dil diya – Shikari (1963)
I recorded this duet with Didi after ‘Aplam chaplam’. The music director of this film was G.S. Kohli. He earlier assisted music director OP Nayyar. That’s why you will notice in the middle of the song the taal (rhythm) that he has given is typical OP Nayyar. The song is very good. I did a version of this in Marathi also. After this, I did not hear much about G.S. Kohli. I am not aware if he did more films. I am very fond of this song.
Jane kyun log mohabbat – Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1971)
I really like this song and people have also appreciated it. I would sing this song in most of my stage shows. I have performed this song in at least 25-30 programmes.
Mungda – Inkaar (1977)
I was present with Didi in 100 music shows abroad and I performed in 99 of them. I remember Didi telling me, ‘Don’t sing Mungda! I don’t like that song. I don’t understand the lyrics of the song.’ But when it was the last show in America, I pleaded, ‘Didi, allow me to sing Mungda today!’ I performed that song to four “once more” demands. Someone had recorded a video of that performance and sent it to India. So whenever I performed that song in India, I had to perform it four times. I recently performed in Kalyan. I was tired and the public was shouting, ‘Once more’. After the song’s success, I received a call from Helenji on my landline. She said, ‘Whenever you perform this song on stage, please let me know. I would like to come and dance to it while you sing.’ I don’t think Helenji has said that to anyone. It has nothing to do with me. The credit for it goes to the song’s rhythm. Someone asked me, ‘Why are people so crazy about this song?’ I said this song was born with a very strong kundali (horoscope).’
Sultana – Taraana (1979)
Much popular during live performances, I recorded this song without rehearsals. I was abroad when I received a phone call from music director Raam-Laxman. He said your song has been tracked and you have to sing it now. I asked his assistant, ‘Uttam (Singh) bhaiyya (brother), at what pitch do you want me to sing this? Sultana Sultana is too high! My voice doesn’t sound good when I sing so high! He said, ‘Sister, now just sing. I can’t lower the track. It is recorded. Only the voice is left. And they are shooting this song next.’ I said, ‘You guys are so close to us, like a family. I can’t say no.’ I had sung the first song for Raam-Laxman for his Marathi film. I remember going straight from the airport to the studio to record it.