Suman Kalyanpur's voice was very similar to the great singer Lata Mangeshkar. Many of her songs are indistinguishable from Lata's style, because she sung with a quality comparable to Lata. Kalyanpur was very uncomfortable regarding the similarity between her voice and Lata's. She had once answered "I was quite influenced by her. In my college days, I used to sing her songs. Meri aawaaz nazuk aur patli thi (My voice was fragile and thin). What could I do? Also when Radio Ceylon relayed the songs, the names were never announced. Even the records sometimes gave the wrong name. Maybe that caused more confusion." In the era of 1950s and 1960s, the period was referred as the golden era of Hindi film music where the time when female playback singing was dominated by the Mangeshkar sisters Lata and Asha Bhosale. When Lata was not available for recording, or if the producers could not afford her rate of Rs 100 per song, the song used to be sung by Kalyanpur. During the similar period, Lata had refused to sing with Rafi over royalty issues and those songs were recorded by Kalyanpur with Rafi. She sang over 140 duets with Rafi in this period. Aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke charche (Bramhachari, 1969), one of Kalyanpur's well-known duets with Rafi, met the same fate. "Even many Lata acolytes couldn't make out the difference," says senior music critic Raju Bharatan. The reticent singer made an appearance after more than two decades and hummed the same song at a recent function at Delhi's Kamani auditorium that was organised by the Maharashtra government in her honour.
Kalyanpur looks uncomfortable when asked about the similarity between her voice and Lata's, but she answers carefully. "I was quite influenced by her. In my college days, I used to sing her songs. Meri aawaaz nazuk aur patli thi (My voice was fragile and thin). What could I do? Also when Radio Ceylon relayed the songs, the names were never announced. Even the records sometimes gave the wrong name. Maybe that caused more confusion. Shreya Ghoshal's voice is also thin, but can people go wrong now? We were living in different times then," says the soft-spoken Kalyanpur, 78, who rarely agrees to giving interviews. Veteran radio artiste Ameen Sayani had to chase her for close to 45 years before he could record a one-hour show with her in 2005. "She spoke so little. As much as I would try, she answered a lot of questions in monosyllables," says Sayani. After repeated requests, she agrees to meet us, but with certain conditions. "No photoshoot. Uncomfortable questions may not be answered." We agree.
According to Suman, "Everybody at home had an inclination towards arts and music but public performances were strictly prohibited. Still, I could not say 'no' to an offer to sing for the All India Radio in 1952. This was my first public performance after which I got a chance to sing for the Marathi film 'Shukrachi Chandni' released in the year 1953. At that time, Sheikh Mukhtar was making the film 'Mangu' whose composer was 'Mohammed Shafi'. Sheikh Mukhtar was so impressed with my 'Shukrachi Chandni' songs, that he got me to sing 3 songs for the film 'Mangu'. However, due to some unknown reasons, later 'O.P, Nayyar' replaced 'Mohammed Shafi' and only one of my 3 songs, a lullaby "Koi Pukaare Dheere Se Tujhe" was retained in the film. Thus, I entered Hindi cinema with the 1954 release " Mangu "
Suman's first song in Marathi was the super-hit "Bhaatuklichaa khel maandila" for Vasant Prabhu, for the film Pasant Aahe Mulgi. After that she never looked back for over 20 years. Putra Vhawa Aisaa, Ekti, Manini and Annapoorna were but a few of her memorable films. But even outside films, her hits are legion and include over 50 timeless gems of Marathi films, bhavgeet and bhaktigeet.
Kalyanpur sang with Lata Mangeshkar the duet "Kabhi Aaj, Kabhi Kal, Kabhi Parson" under the direction of composer Hemant Kumar . Some of her memorable duets with Rafi are "Aajkal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche", "Na Na Karte Pyaar", "Tumse O Hasina", "Rahen Na Rahen Hum", "Parbaton Ke Pedon Par Shaam Ka Basera He", "Yeh Parbaton Ke Daayare", "Ajahuna Aye Balama", "Tumane Pukara Aur Hum Chale Aye", "Bad Muddat Ke Yeh Ghadi Ayee", "Mujhhe Yeh Bhool Na", "Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya", "Tujhko Dilbari Ki Kasam" and "Chand Takata Hai Idhar". With Manna Dey, she sang the popular duet "Na Jane Kahan Ham The" under the music direction of Dattaram. With Mukesh she has sung many popular duets like `Yeh Kisne geet chheda', "Akhiyon ka noor hai tu", "Mera Pyar bhi tu hai", "Dil ne phir yaad Kiya", "Shama se koi Kehde" etc. Kalyanpur also recorded some memorable songs with a classical base, including "Manamohan Man Mein Ho Tumhi", "Mere Sang Gā Gunguna" and "Gir Gayi Re More Mathe Ki Bindiya".
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