Albela Re..

Each art has certain personalities who end up defining the art itself. The Hindi movies music lovers - specially those of 60s to 80s, were luckier as there have been a plethora of such towering personalities. Those who not only kept extending the parameters of their own performances, and went beyond it, but also created a Gold standard for those who were to follow them in the later years. Of all these great personas, Lata Mangeshkar, who has turned 85 today, remains the first among equals. To put things in proper perspective, in a country with 67 years of post independence history, her's has been one of the omnipresent voices.

Pancham idolised her, and hence chose to make his own debut with her singing Ghar Aaja Ghir Aaye - a classical number matching Lata perfectly. And why not? For is not Lata's singing essentially about a sound that purists & the classical music lovers would love? Over the years, there were many more such classical or sugar syrupy compositions which Pancham created keeping only Lata in mind, and most of them went on to become all time hits.

However, it would have been a very un-Pancham like to not give her the compositions where she had to get out of her own boundaries. Yes, he did manage to give her a number of such compositions - like the raunchy - "Bangle ke Peeche" from Samadhi or Anamika's seductive "Baahon men Chale Aa". Another such number was from Rampur ka Lakshman, picturised on Rekha - in her those days when she was yet to become the proverbial beautiful elegant swan.

This composition is zany and has very interesting interludes, specially the way Bongo beats have been used through out, intermingling with Guitar notes. Add to that the peppiness with which Lata has sung it, giving emphasis on some of the words, making them sound so fizzy, as Rekha tries to stop the running-away Randhir Kapoor, singing Albela Re..