It’s said that Lata Mangeshkar sang the maximum number of duets with Mohammed Rafi. Music aficionados say they have sung more than 400 duets together. That’s a huge number of songs alright. They had tremendous amounts of love and respect towards each other, praising each other’s vocal range in interviews. Though in between they had a tiff over the issue of royalty and reportedly didn’t sing together from 1963-1967. However, their reconciliation made them a formidable force once more. Both singers complimented each other’s voices. And their brilliance shines most in romantic songs. Both had the knack of teasing out the nuances contained in the lyrics. The feelings conveyed in the song flowed so freely that you couldn’t help but fall in love with love. They made playback singing look effortless in their duets. So natural was the transition from one voice to the other that it felt like they were reading each other’s minds. And be it Naushad, SD Burman or Kalyanji-Anandji, they gave their best to all without any bias. It’ll be hard to collate their work together. Here’s presenting a list of some of their best duets down the years, which have stood the test of time.
Do sitaron ka zameen par hai milan
Music: Naushad
Film: Kohinoor (1960)
Dekho rootha na karo
Music: SD Burman
Film: Tere Ghar Ke Saamne (1963)
Woh jab yaad aaye bahut yaad aaye
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Film: Parasmani (1963)
Woh hain zara khafa khafa
Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Film: Shagird (1967)
Jhilmil sitaron ka aangan hoga
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Film: Jeevan Mrityu (1970)
Wada karle saajna
Music: Kalyanji-Anandji
Film: Haath Ki Safai (1974)
