This article is a tribute to Jatin-Lalit, two of the most successful Bollywood music directors, who composed some of the best romantic songs in the ‘90s. They have received acclaim for their work in ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ (1992), ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa’ (1994), ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ (1995), ‘Khamoshi’ (1996), ‘Yes Boss’, (1997), ‘Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai’ (1998), ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ (1998), ‘Mohabbatein’ (2000), ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ (2001), ‘Hum Tum’ (2004) and ‘Fanaa’ (2006). The sheer weight of these movies shows that their library of work encompassed the leading stars of the day, the best banners in the industry, and the most sought after directors as well. However, this piece is not about these movies or songs.
This piece will focus on the lesser known/unknown movies, which had some amazing numbers and which went unnoticed because the movie sank without a trace. Without further ado, let’s dive deep into the world of melody, the world of Jatin-Lalit.
The Early Years (1989-1994)
Their music career began with ‘Yaara Dildaara’ (1991) (of “Bin Tere Sanam” fame). While the movie flopped, the music was quite a hit back then. It gave Jatin-Lalit a few good openings, and in no time, they had their names to big banner movies like ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’ (1992), ‘Khiladi’ (1992), ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ (1992) between 1991 to 1992. This followed by a lull period for the next two years, before they delivered successful movies with two Shah Rukh Khan starrers – ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa’ (1994), and what can be termed as their biggest commercial success – ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ (1995).
The albums which went unnoticed during this period are as follows:
Rhythmic Love (1989)
If you are a Jatin-Lalit fan, this trivia you must know. They started their career with a private album ‘Rhythmic Love’. Check out the songs “Dil Kehta Hai” and “Leja Mera Dil”. These were the originals of “Chand Taare” and “Bin Tere Sanam” respectively.
Laqshya (1994)
Not many have heard this movie starring Ronit Roy and Priyanka. The album had 7 songs out of which at least 5 were hit material, had the movie fared decently well. “Tere Bina O Mere Sanam”, “Tum Hum Ko Hum Tum Ko”, “Bekhudi Ke Nashe Main”, “Yeh Dil Sanam Tumhare Liye Hai” are all romantic duets, have the right dose of melody, beautifully orchestrated with violins, piano, guitars – which is typical Jatin-Lalit.
My favorites from this album are “Tere Bina O Mere Sanam” and “Bekhudi Ke Nashe Main”. Especially “Tere Bina O” – which fluctuates from a slow ballad and picks up pace as the ‘antara’ proceeds – similar to “Wada Raha Sanam”. The tunes are simple, yet had a certain class written all over them. While I am picking only two, the entire album is worth listening to.
Vaade Iraade (1994)
Again another anonymous album, with probably the only known face was the actress Mamta Kulkarni. The unique piece of this album is that this album boasts of being the only collaboration between S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (SBP) and Jatin-Lalit. While the rest of the album was ordinary, one song which caught my attention is this SBP solo “Hum Apna Naam Lekar”.
Gangster (1994)
After a successful collaboration with R.D. Burman, Dev Anand teamed up with Jatin-Lalit for his movies like ‘Gangster’ (1994), ‘Return of Jewel Thief’ (1996) and ‘Censor’ (2001). ‘Gangster’ introduced his son Suneil Anand and Mamta Kulkarni. The highlight of the album was Lata Mangeshkar, lending her voice, for two songs, both of which deserved to be noticed back then. “Ek Ladki Mili Achanak” is a nice song, if you can ignore the ‘Tan Tana Tan‘ in the lyrics. The melody is catchy, especially the ‘antara’.
“Maine Pyar Kisi Se Kiya” is another Lataji solo, on a breezy Jatin-Lalit tune. Am I the only one, who finds this tune to have similarities with “Oh Jaana Na Jaana” (‘Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai’)?
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