Cineplot Music

Shamshad Begum – Madan Mohan Collaboration

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Back to Legends – Shamshad Begum
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Shamshad Begum & Madan Mohan

Madan Mohan was one of those music composers who used Shamshad as a stepping stone before moving on either to Lata Mangeshkar or Asha Bhosle. Lata was supposed to sing for his debut film Aankhen (1950), but according to Lata,

” In the meantime someone came and told me Madan Bhaiya had spoken against me. I don’t know what came over me, but I refused to sing for him. I never went to the recording. He was hurt and a few days later he came over to see me and said: ‘Why did you do this to me?’ So I asked him why he had spoken ill of me and he assured me he hadn’t. ‘Are you crazy? We sang a duet as brother and sister, so I am like a brother to you. On rakhi you will have to come and see me.’ And so Madan Bhaiya became my rakhi brother.”

According to Shamshad Begum, after Lata refused to sing for him in Aankhen (1950), Madan Mohan beseeched her to sing for Aankhen. Aankhen was a hit, and established Madan Mohan as a music director but he never repeated Shamshad Begum again as a primary singer for his films with the exception of Shabistan (1951).

Shamshad sang 23 songs for Madan Mohan. Most of them were fun frolic songs. Three duets sung by Kishore and Shamshad – Jo Tum Karo Main Kar Saktaa Hoon Badhke (Ada, 1951), O Madam (Aashiana, 1952) and Kunwaroun ka bhi duniya mein (Mastana, 1954) remain popular even today. Jo tum karo mein kar saktaa hoon badhke from Ada was based on an English song – Anything you can do, I can do better.

Trivia

It was Shamshad Begum and not Lata or Asha who sang two duets with Madan Mohan – Humse dil ko lagana (Aankhen, 1950) and Chinchpokalee, Chinchpokalee Too Chhokaraa (Shabistan, 1951).

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