Digital Desk: When Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti was released 16 years ago, the film's music by AR Rahman was all the rage, with songs like "Masti Ki Paathshaala" and "Khalbali." 'Luka Chuppi' has had a particular place in the hearts of the audience in the years since. The song plays in the film when Madhavan's Ajay dies and his family and friends are dealing with their loss.
The song, which was brilliantly sung by Lata Mangeshkar and AR Rahman, is an immediate tearjerker. While one may expect a vocalist of Lata Mangeshkar's calibre to perform an emotional song on a regular basis, the fact that she practised the song for four days was astonishing.
Mehra disclosed the circumstances behind the song's creation at a press conference commemorating the tenth anniversary of the film Rang de Basanti. He said that they had spoken to Lata Didi several times about the song, but that things had not fallen into place until he phoned her again months later, and she immediately accepted.
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She said 'Haan beta. Kaisa hai gaana? Bhijwa toh do mujhe' (Sure son. How is the song? Send it to me). I said you know Rahman sir. Bante bante banega aur Prasoon likhte likhte likhenge (He is still making it, and Prasoon is still writing it) but I have shot it already. She said, ‘Aisa bhi hota hai aajkal?’ (Is that how it happens these days?). I said, 'Haan. Aisa hota hai' (Yes, it happens)."
Mehra began to recount the storey, recalling that they were scheduled to record the song on November 15 when Lata Mangeshkar informed them that she would be in Chennai on November 9-10 to visit Rahman's studio. The director believed she was there for something different, but she was actually there to rehearse the song.
He said, "Every day she would come to the studio and start rehearsing the song. I would like this to sink in that Lata Mangeshkar would come to the studio every day and rehearse the song. For 4 days she rehearsed." Mehra added that most singers these days come and even before he knows it, they have recorded the song, so he was not used to working with a singer who placed such high importance on rehearsals.
He went on to say that Lata Mangeshkar stood at the microphone for eight hours on the day of the recording and sang for the entire time. "She had a conversation with Rahman saab." We were in the room when she stood at the microphone. Her plait was touching the floor as she stood there. We kept some flowers for her, as well as a bottle of water and a chair. "She sung the song for 8 hours and stood there for 8 hours," he recounted.
