When Hemant Kumar Introduced Lata Mangeshkar To Bhupen Hazarika, Her Song Drew Distributors

Hemant Kumar Mukherjee was the most underrated music composer of Hindi cinema. For some inexplicable reason he was compared to Sachin Dev Burman, no doubt a great composer. But with due respect, Kumar was far more versatile and prolific: from the dizzying dance number Mann dole mera tann dole to the heartbreaking love lament Zindagi kitni khubsoorat hai to the haunting evocation of lost love Tum pukar lo to the dishy dance beats of Mann mora naache to the wistful longings of Na yeh chand hoga…. the range is staggering and unparalleled. Besides being an exceptional artiste Kumar was also a very kind generous and a hospitable human being. Lata Mangeshkar once said that whenever she visited Kolkata she stayed with Kumar and his family.ALSO READ: Hemant Kumar’s Historic Fallout With Salil Choudhary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRyqUGR5_jU

The late and great composer Bhupen Hazarika shared that it was Kumar who introduced Hazarika to Mangeshkar. “When I arrived in Mumbai I once again met Hemant Kumar whom I had met earlier. He took me around to meet all the big music directors and singers in Mumbai. Hemant da took me to meet her she was playing with her brood of puppies. She was sitting on the floor in her home in Walkeshwar. From her window I could see the sea. She was a petite girl. And she spoke to me and Hemant da in fluent Bengali. She immediately agreed to sing for me. The minute she sang for my film my distributors clamoured to buy my film. I didn’t have much money back then. I shall never forget Hemant da’s generosity. He used to take me to his house and give me his son and daughter’s room. Hemant da, Lataji and I became friends. We would visit places like Pune together. Hemant da’s wife Bela ji was also very nice. Whenever I came to Mumbai and needed a recording studio Hemant da would cancel his own recording to accommodate mine. Lata ji would also go out of her way to help me.” ALSO READ: DYK Lata Mangeshkar Fainted While Singing One Of Salil Chowdhury's SongsHazarika missed that sort of camaraderie. “That sort of affection is very rare nowadays. In fact it’s gone. I remember Hemant da took me to sing for a song in the Uttam Kumar starrer Jeebon Trishna although he was Uttam Kumar’s constant ghost voice. I became very famous singing for the Bengali superstar. Uttam Kumar insisted that I sing that particular song in his film. I tried to wriggle out, pleading I’d be assaulted if anyone but Hemant da sang for Uttam Kumar. But Hemant da insisted. Fortunately the song Sagor sangame became very famous.”