27-05-2025
This Lata Mangeshkar song was rejected by director, actor; later, director picked up his shoe to hit… today, it is one of Bollywood's most iconic songs; It is…
Lata Mangeshkar, the nightingale of India's songs, remain timeless. Her melodious voice has spanned generations, transcending language barriers. Her influence on the industry is unparalleled. She has sung over 30,000 songs in over 36 languages. There is one song released in 1964 that has a history. The iconic song was rejected by the director and the lead actor of the movie, and later became a cult classic. We are talking about the song 'Lag Ja Gale' from the movie 'Woh Kaun Thi'.
Director Raj Khosla initially didn't like 'Lag Ja Gale' and it took composer Madan Mohan to first convince the film's star Manoj Kumar who then convinced Khosla. Manoj Kumar has been quoted in Raj Khosla: The Authorised Biography , saying, 'One day I got a call from Madan Mohan. He said, 'Raj Khosla has lost his mind. He's rejecting a beautiful song. Please come and handle it.'
At that point, Manoj Kumar hadn't even heard the track and was initially hesitant to intervene. But after listening to it, he decided to step in. He spoke to producer NN sippy, who agreed with Mohan and they decided to talk to Khosla.
On Manoj Kumar's repeated requests, Raj Khosla agreed to listen to it again, but in the end, he called the song bad. However, after listening to it on repeat, the filmmaker was 'surprised'. His opinion changed and admitted that it was one of the best tunes he had ever heard. He picked up his shoe in frustration to beat himself. He also called himself a fool.
Lag Ja Gale became one of Lata Mangeshkar's all-time favourite tracks. With over 315 million views on YouTube, its popularity has continued to grow over time.
