Bappi was constantly regretful about his silken ballads with Lataji being obfuscated by what he called his international side .
The later singer often spoke about his indelible bond with his Lataji, who he respectfully referred to as Mata Saraswati, “You like my softer songs. I am proud of the serious ballads I did with Mata Saraswati like ‘Sooni sooni raahein’ (Phir Janam Lenge Hum) and ‘Tu kahan aa gayi zindagi’ (Bhavna).”
For the latter, Bappida got to tune the timeless poetry of Kaifi Azmi. “I think my ‘Tu kahan aa gayee zindagi’ was the last lyrics of Kaifi Saab that Mata Saraswati sang. But the film (Bhavna) did not run. My labour of love for Mata Saraswati was forgotten. There was another classical song I did with Mata Saraswati in a film called ‘Pyaas’. The song was ‘Dard ki ragini muskurake chhed de’. I am very proud of that composition. Mata Saraswati rated it among her all-time favourites.”
Not that Bappida’s gentler songs didn’t have a market. “What about Kishore Mama (that’s how he addressed Kishore Kumar)’s ‘Pyar manga hai tumhi se’ (College Girl) and ‘Manzilein apni jegah’ (Sharaabi) and Mata Saraswati’s ‘Gori hai kalaiyan’ (Aaj Ka Arjun) and ‘Zid na karo’ (Lahu Ke Do Rang). So it’s not as if my soft melodious numbers went unnoticed,” protested Bapida.
He also reiterated his pride in his disco numbers, “My fast-paced club songs and disco numbers brought the nation to its feet. They are peppy songs, happy songs.They came at a time when the world needed a reason to dance. I gave them that reason.”
