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Gulzar shared how Lata Mangeshkar felt uneasy without visual contact during her first recording with AR Rahman in 1998. He reassured her by sitting where she could see him.
Gulzar Recalls Lata Mangeshkar Felt ‘Isolated’ At AR Rahman’s Studio While Recording Jiya Jale
You know those moments when you’re in a new place, everything’s unfamiliar, and you suddenly miss the old way of doing things? Turns out, even legends feel that way sometimes. Gulzar recently shared a touching little story that takes us back to 1998, when Dil Se was being made and Jiya Jale was coming to life. Late legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar was working with AR Rahman for the very first time. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
“It was her first time working with Rahman. [In his studio,] the singer won’t be visible from where he is recording. Usually, we stand right in front of the singer (in another room adjacent to the recording booth), giving instructions through gestures. Back then, unlike now, Rahman did not understand Hindi that well either,” Gulzar explained.
So imagine this: Lata ji was inside the recording booth, ready to deliver another masterpiece, but there was no one in sight. No familiar faces, no silent nods or reassuring smiles from behind the glass. Just machines and silence. After a while, she asked, a little unsettled, “I can’t see anyone in front of me; who am I singing for? I feel very awkward because there’s absolutely no contact (with anyone). You cannot sing or even recite a poem alone,” revealed Gulzar in an interview with O2india.
“I explained this to Rahman and told him that I will sit on a stool in front of the door, which is visible to both of them. Thus, she managed to get some sight of me, and that’s how she completed recording the song,” he added.
Of course, Jiya Jale turned out to be magical with Lata ji’s voice, Rahman’s music and Gulzar’s words. But now when you listen to it, you might hear that little moment of human longing tucked between the lines.
