The song Mere Angein Mein Tumhara Kya Kaam Hai from Lawaaris (1981) was not only my first hit song; it holds a speacial place in my career. For starters, Amitabh Bachchan Saab sang the male version for composers Kalyanji-Anandji. I was their pupil at the time and spent several hours hanging around in their studio. During Amit-ji's rehearsals, I was sitting in a corner of the recording room, listening to him practise the number.
The folk tune was so catchy, I soon found myself humming it. The very next day, I visited HMV's studio in Colaba (which no longer exists) to watch Amit-ji record the song.
After he finished recording, Kalyanji- Anandji told me it was my turn to take the mike and sing. The two of them had great sense of humour and used to joke constantly. So at first, Ithought this was another one of their jokes. However, I knew the song by heart as I had watched Amit-ji sing it. I went ahead and sang. Mind you, I was in my teens then and my voice was very girlish, ver kachcha.
Kalyanji-Anandji heard me out and asked me to modulate my voice to make it sound mature. They told me the song was to be filmed on a senior actress. I tried my best. Finally, they approved my take and revealed, "You will see Raakhee-ji sing your song on the screen."
I didn't react. I thought they were joking again so I simply returned home and forgot all about it. When the film released, I actually saw Raakhee-ji singing and dancing to what I had sung. I was overjoyed. Suddenly, the importance of that number sunk in. Here was a song whose male version had been sung by the biggest star of the country while I had sung for one of the top leading ladies. It hit me hard. Soon, I was flooded with offers to sing feisty folk songs about husbands and wives. While I did accept some of the offers, I couldn't fully avail of the oppurnities that came my way because at the time, I was based in Kolkata and busy completing my education.
All said, Mere Angnein Mein made a strong impact on my career. Kalyanji-Anandjibhai even started calling me 'Angana Yagnik'. I would accompany Amit-ji and them to concerts across the globe. Everywhere, Amit-ji and I had to sing the number. When Amit-ji came to the lines 'Jisski biwi choti', he would invariably bring Jaya-ji on the stage. The song brought the house down. To this day, it haunts me. At live shows, I sing all my soft melodious numbers. Finally though, I give in to the audience' demand for Mere Angnein Mein.
After he finished recording, Kalyanji- Anandji told me it was my turn to take the mike and sing. The two of them had great sense of humour and used to joke constantly. So at first, Ithought this was another one of their jokes. However, I knew the song by heart as I had watched Amit-ji sing it. I went ahead and sang. Mind you, I was in my teens then and my voice was very girlish, ver kachcha.
Kalyanji-Anandji heard me out and asked me to modulate my voice to make it sound mature. They told me the song was to be filmed on a senior actress. I tried my best. Finally, they approved my take and revealed, "You will see Raakhee-ji sing your song on the screen."
All said, Mere Angnein Mein made a strong impact on my career. Kalyanji-Anandjibhai even started calling me 'Angana Yagnik'. I would accompany Amit-ji and them to concerts across the globe. Everywhere, Amit-ji and I had to sing the number. When Amit-ji came to the lines 'Jisski biwi choti', he would invariably bring Jaya-ji on the stage. The song brought the house down. To this day, it haunts me. At live shows, I sing all my soft melodious numbers. Finally though, I give in to the audience' demand for Mere Angnein Mein.
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