India, March 20 (Online):Alka Yagnik had an incredibly successful stint as a playback singer churning out hit after hit from 1980 to 2010 with her populist vocal image of a hit machine.
A self-declared Lata bhakt, Alka confesses to copying the legend in vocal styling and even clothes and mannerisms early in her career. Alka broke out into her own when Kalyanji-Anandji offered her Mere Angne Mein in Laawaris. The chartbuster turned her into an instant singing star and there was no looking back.
While Alka’s singing conveys a uniformly even pitch, she rose above herself and went beyond her limitations in some songs like MM Keeravani’s Gali Mein Aaj Chand Nikla in Zakhm. Keeravani says the song was designed for Lataji’s vocal style. He confessed, “Alka Yagnik came closest to coveying that vocal pitch.”
For the title song in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Karan Johar says it had to be Alka only. “We needed a chulbuli, youthful voice quality. Alka fitted the bill.”
Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted composers Jatin-Lalit to get Lataji to sing the velvety Bahon Ke Darmiyaan in Khamoshi: The Musical. Neither Bhansali nor his music composers had access to Lataji. That is how Alka Yagnik came into the scene.
Laxmikant-Pyarelal wanted only Alka to do Tu Na Ja Mere Badshah in Khuda Gawah with Mohammed Aziz. The song catches her range and pitch better than most of what she has sung, as does the Viju Shah composed Tip Tip Barsa Paani in Mohra.
But Alka’s most accomplished vocal achievement is Suno Jane Wale Laut Ke Aana in JP Dutta’s LOC Kargil where Alka voices the soldier’s beloved’s lament as she waits for him to come home from war.
JP Dutta once said, “There are two songs from my films that never fail to bring tears to my eyes: Lataji’s Mere Pi Ko Pawan in Ghulami and Alka’s Suno Jane Wale in LOC Kargil.”
High praise, indeed. We wish Alka Yagnik many more milestones on her birthday.
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