Second Lata of Bollywood: Toumar suffered the sting of comparison, even today it is difficult to recognize the voice in these 10 songs, 140 evergreen songs were sung with Rafi

Lata Mangeshkar is a name in the Indian music world whose voice will be remembered for centuries. But in the golden era of Bollywood, there was a singer whose voice had the same sweetness, poise and spirituality as Lata ji. We are talking about veteran playback singer Suman Kalyanpur. Suman Kalyanpur was called the ‘second creeper of Bollywood’ ever since she entered the film industry. Although this comparison was a praise for his ability, it also became a big blow to his career. Throughout her life Suman Kalyanpur had to face comparisons with Lata Mangeshkar, due to which she did not get the recognition and credit she deserved.

Lata Mangeshkar’s lookalike voice and that big illusion of 10 songs

Suman Kalyanpur’s voice was so similar to Lata ji that in the era of radio, not only the common listeners, even the big music connoisseurs were deceived. There are at least 10 such famous songs in the film industry which even today people consider to be sung by Lata Mangeshkar, whereas in reality they were composed by Suman Kalyanpur with her melodious voice. The magic of Suman Kalyanpur’s voice is spread in evergreen songs like ‘Aajkal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche…’, ‘Na Na Karte Pyaar Tumhi Se Kar Baithe…’, ‘Bahna Ne Bhai Ki Kalai Se…’, ‘Tumhi Ho Mata Pita Tumhi Ho…’ and ‘Dil Ek Mandir Hai…’. Even today, while listening to these songs, it seems almost impossible to differentiate between the two singers.

140 songs sung with Mohammad Rafi and those famous controversies

When there was a long dispute going on in the music world between Lata Mangeshkar and great singer Mohammad Rafi regarding the royalty of songs, Suman Kalyanpur became the biggest support for the film makers. In that period, every musician used to go to Suman Kalyanpur to pair with Mohammed Rafi. Suman Kalyanpur recorded around 140 duets with Mohammed Rafi in his career. The jugalbandi of Rafi Saheb and Suman Kalyanpur gave the industry many blockbuster and romantic songs like ‘Thare Hue Paani Mein Kankad Na Maar…’, ‘Tujhe Dekha Tujhe Chaha Tujhe Pooja…’, and ‘Itni Haseen Itni Jawan Raat…’ which are hummed even today.

The sting of comparison created many big difficulties in career.

The disadvantage of having a similar voice was that Suman Kalyanpur often called him as a replacement when Lata Mangeshkar was not available. When Lata ji would come back, many songs would be out of Suman ji’s hands. This replacement tag and constant comparisons limited his career considerably. Talking about the bitter truth of the film industry, many music critics believe that Suman Kalyanpur should have been seen as a great singer independently and not as someone’s shadow. He sang songs of every genre with utmost sincerity.

Even today, the music of this legendary singer is immortal in the hearts of fans.

Despite all the restrictions and comparative controversies, Suman Kalyanpur has created a very special and respected place in the hearts of music lovers. He has also been honored with the prestigious ‘Padma Bhushan’ award by the Government of India. Today, even though she is living her life away from the limelight, the bhajans, ghazals and film tunes sung by her still feel as fresh. The world of music will always remember Suman Kalyanpur as the artist who mesmerized everyone with her melodious art even amidst the mega-empire of Lata Mangeshkar.