It is well-known fact that Rafi and Lata stopped singing together for three or four years. The reason for their tiff was for charging the royalty fee by the singers. Lata wanted Rafi to back her in demanding a half-share from the five percent song royalty that the film’s producer conceded to select composers. Rafi was not in favor of that.Lata stopped talking to Rafi and stopped singing duets with Rafi.
The actual seeds of differences between them started while recording this romantic song from Maya(1961). The song was a hit and still a favorite of many. Lata rejected the original start of the song, She wanted to start with 5th scale while Rafi was not in agreement but Lata insisted, the composer Salil Chowdhary agreed. When the recording started Rafi made the last improvisation to his lines. Lata noticed it and got upset. While rendering her lines Lata’s voice tended to sound shrill especially while rendering “…NAINON KA KAJRA…,” while Rafi Sahaab’s rendition of the ‘Antara’ was controlled.
To make the matter worse, the music director, Salil Chowdhry sided with Lata. Rafi Sahab who had been gaining greater ascendency in the early Sixties felt aggrieved. What happened thereafter is the differences went down to the bottom of the hearts of the two great singers.After this recording they sang duets together in many films but tried to avoid singing together.
Salida had already made the tune in Bengali, even got it recorded prior to this Hindi version as a solo song in the voice of Lata It was released in 1960.Mukhada of the Benali song is ‘ Ogo aar kichhu to naai ‘ This Bengali song was written by Salil Da and composed by him.The Hindi version was written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. If you listen both the songs simultaniously you will see the difference Mohmmad Rafi's voice made this song to a different level. The song was picturized on the King of Romance Dev Anand and the elegant looking Mala Sinha. made this as one of the immortal romantic duets of Hindi films.
Lata Mangeshkar had a tiff with S D Burman also both stopped working together (1957-62), she had a tiff with Shankar (of Shankar-Jaikishen duo),and Raj Kapoor too (for whom she did not sing for his Mera Naam Joker.
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