Lata Mangeshkar Who Sang Ramlaxman’s Biggest Hits Speaks To Subhash K Jha About Her Productive Association With Him

“I just heard  Vijay is no more,” Lataji sighs. “The world knew  him as Raamlaxman. But that  was not his real  name. His actual name was neither Ram nor Laxman,  but Vijay, Vijay Patil. He  was  very  close to us Mangeshkars, since  we were  Maharashtrians  just like him. Jab ek bhasha, ek khana,  ek rehen-sehan hota hai toh woh apnapan ho hi jaata hai(when the language, food  lifestyle are identical that feeling of  closeness is  bound to happen). I remember  Vijay for  our  gupshup as much as  our recordings. He  was bitingly satirical  about the people he didn’t get along with. I looked forward  to our conversations after  the recordings . Our gossip sessions lasted  for hours. He would tell me his jokes, Iwould tell  him mine. It  was fun,” recalls 

Lataji,who sang Raamlaxman, alias Vijay Patil’s biggest chartbusters  Dil deewana bin sajna ke(Main Pyar Kiya), Didi  tere devar deeana(Hum…Aapke Hain Koun)  , to name  just  two.

Speaking of  her professional association with  Raamlaxman, Lataji says,  “Unke gaane pyare  hote tthe(his compositions were  sweet). My songs for him in Sooraj Barjatya’s  Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum…Aapke Hain Koun were blockbusters.  In fact  Dil deewana in Maine Pyar Kiya came  to me  at a time when I was thinking  of retirement. I didn’t  like the  songs that came to me in the  1980s. Vijay’s Dil deewana was a game changer.”

However Lataji’s favourite Raamlaxman number is   neither Dil deewana  nor  Didi tera devar.  “Among the songs  that  I sang for him my favourite was Sun beliya   for  a  film called 100 Days where I  again sang for Madhuri Dixit after Hum..Aapne Hain Koun. It  was  a duet with S P Balasubramaniam and one of my favourite songs  of  the  1990s.I sang a   lots of songs  for him  in the  1990s. My  sister Usha has also sung hit numbers  for Vijay including  Sultana sultana mera  naam  hai sultana(Tarana).”

Lataji is saddened by  Raamlaxman’s  painful  exeunt from the world.  “I hear he was  very ill and was suffering. It is sad to hear of a man so full of  life and  humour going this way. My  heart reaches out to his  family. I know  Vijay’s son Amar  well. I wish him all  success in life.”