RMIM Archive Article "268".
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
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# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Talat Mahmood -Velvet Voice
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# Source: Indiaxs (http://www.indiaxs.com)
# Author: Lata Khubchandani
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Talat Mahmood
Velvet Voice
by Lata Khubchandani
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Like many others before him, Talat Mahmood had come to the film
industry to act. And has acted in as many as 13 films. But for-
tunately for thousands of music lovers, his aspirations met with
a moderate success. Had it not been so the music world would've
been the poorer.
To speak about an artiste who has always chosen to remain low
profile is as delicate as it is difficult. Yet one cannot deny
that it a labour of love. One hopes to do justice to this man who
has lived in the midst of the ludest arena - the film industry -
with the unassumingness of the innately cultured, almost never
talking about himself. That he was received less than his due
from the film industry, can be chalked up as one black mark for
the industry to which he brought a rare grace that no one has
equalled. For his is a voice that comes once in a lifetime.
Talat Mahmood: soft spoken, mellow-voiced... walked into the
hearts of music lovers in the early '40s and remained to stay.
The intensity of expression he could infuse into his voice made
him the king of ghazal singers. He sang at a time when lyrics
were unsurpassed in their beauty written by poets like Ghalib,
and and newer aspirants like Shakeel Badayuni, Majrooh Sultanpuri
and Sahir Ludhianvi. This, combined with a voice so distinctly
different, made a combination almost magical.
Though a ghazal singer par excellence he could sing a wide
variety of songs with ease as is evident from the melodies he ahs
rendered for the silver screen.
The film Footpath has gone down in the history of Indian cienema
for the song Sham-e-gham ki kasam, aaj gamgin hai hum. It esta-
blished the Talat-Dilip Kumar combine. Talat Mahmood's quiet
voice suited Dilip Kumar's penchant for subtlety and the two gave
some unforgettable numbers to the world of film music. Yeh hawa
yeh raat yeh chandni from Sangdil, Ek main hoon ek meri bekasi ki
shaam hai from Taraana, Aye mere dil kahin aur chal from Daag,
Aye dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal from Arzoo and the lighthearted
Husnwalon ko na dil do yeh mitaa dete hain from Babul.
As if this isn't enough, we saw this debonair-yet-gracious man as
an actor too, when he sang for himself. The most popular amoung
these is the duet he sang with Asha Bhosle Pyar par bas to nahin
hai from Sone ki Chidiya. Raj Kapoor's Boot Polish with its
variety of singers in a singer of moods had Talat with Asha again
in the romantic duet Chali kaunse desh with Lata Mangeshkar he
gave us Aha, rimjhim ke yeh pyare pyare geet liye from Usne Kaha
Tha and Itna na mujhse tu pyar badha from Chhaya. Mahmood sang
for Sunil Dutt in a number of films but the highlight of this
alliance will remain the utterly soul searing Jalte hain jiske
liye from Sujata. Unfortunately, the available recordings of this
fabulous number has some of the most beautiful lines cut off Dard
banke jo mere dil mein raha dhal na sakaa jadoo banke teri aan-
khon mein rukaa chhal na sakaa.
He remains only singer who, despite his popular standing in
films, has a large collection of non-film ghazals and geets which
are equally, if not more, popular than the numbers he sang for
films.
Talat Mahmood had trained in the famous Morris college of Music
in Lucknow. He started broadcasting from All India Radio in 1939
and made his first record in 1941 for HMV in Calcutta - where he
also sang and did cameos in films. In 1949 he shifted to Mumbai
and remained here.
There was something about him that carried sad numbers more hap-
pily. Some of these are Ai andalib-e-zaar jaane ko hai bahar,
Mera pyar mujhe lauta do, Koi din gar zindagani aur hai, Bekaif
dil hai aur jiye ja raha hoon main and the memorable Tasveer teri
dil mera behla na sakegi. These are some of his private record-
ings and are so popular that even the generation which did not
hear him in his heyday is familiar with these numbers.
His film ghazals include Wahshat hi sahi and Phir mujhe deeda-e-
tar yaad aaya from Mirza Ghalib. And melodious complaint from
Parchhain Mohabbat hi na jo samjhe woh zaalim pyar kya jaane.
Every song he rendered for films rises above the trite with the
polish of his voice: Humse aaya na gayaa from Dekh Kabira Roya,
Main pagal mera manva pagal and Mera karar leja from Aashiana and
the number from Devdas that has the power to evoke utter grief
Mitva laagi yeh kaisi unbujh pyaas. Only Mahmood could portray
Devdas's pain he so completely.
As one listens to his voice singing Dekhli teri khudayi bas mera
dil bhar gaya , one wonders at the ways of this world that gives
adulation to the deceased, when living legends such as Talat Mah-
mood are not acknowledged, in spite of the fact that he belongs
to the era of the unforgettables - both as an actor and a singer.
Lata Khubchandani
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From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian