Lata Mangeshkar shared a special bond with composer Rajesh Roshan | Hindi Movie News – Times of India

Lata Mangeshkar worked with several father-son music composers: SD Burman and then RD Burman, Chitragupta and his sons Anand-Milind, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and his son Rahul. But the one son whom she felt most protective about was Rajesh Roshan (who celebrates his birthday today), son of the great composer Roshan.
“Mujhe Raju (Rajesh Roshan) ke gaane bahut pasand hain. Mere liye woh kuch khaas hi banata hai, uske Pitaji ki terah (I like Rajesh Roshan’s songs a lot. He makes special compositions for me, just like his father),” she once said, further explaining, “His father the great Roshan composed some of most memorable songs in films like Taj Mahal and Chitralekha. When his son Rajesh came to me with the songs of Julie, I was reminded of the time when Pancham (RD Burman) came to me with his first song Ghar Aaja Ghir Aaye Badra from Chote Nawab. I had seen both Pancham and Raju as children in the recording rooms when I sang for their fathers. They both grew up in front of me to become music composers in their own right, very different from their fathers.”
Lataji singled out Rajesh Roshan’s Julie songs, Julie I love You and Yeh Raatein Nayi Purani as her favourites. She also liked her songs for RR in Kunwara Baap, Doosra Aadmi, Kaam Chor and shared an interesting anecdote on recording with Rajesh Roshan. “Once I refused to sing one of his songs as I found the lyrics inappropriate. Raju was adamant. He pointed out that I had sung similar lyrics in a song for his father in the past. I had no choice but to relent. This is the only occasion when I was convinced to sing a song that I said no to in the recording room.”