However, Rafi continued to sing for HMV, much to Lata’s disappointment. “Rafi sahab was instigated into opposing my campaign,” Lata claimed in a 2009 interview with Mumbai Mirror. She recalled how during a meeting at the Musicians’ Association, Rafi sarcastically referred to Lata as a “maharani.” “Of course I am a ‘maharani’. But why are you calling me that?,” she shot back.

But the argument escalated to a point where Rafi vowed to never sing with Lata again. “I retorted, ‘Rafi sahab, you won’t sing with me? I won’t sing with you. I stormed out and called all my composers there and then and informed them to rope in another singer if it was a duet with Rafi sahab,” she recalled in a 2012 interview with Subhash K Jha.

While their cold war took years to get resolved, producers couldn’t afford to lose out on the magical combination that was Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi. So, for his duets, they roped in another lesser known singer, with a similar voice to that of Lata — Suman Kalyanpur. She went on to sing memorable duets like “Aajkal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche” and “Tumne Pukara Aur Hum Chale Aaye” among several others with Rafi.

Suman Kalyanpur, Madan Mohan and Mohammed Rafi at a song recording. (Express Archive Photo)

Rise of Suman Kalyanpur

Suman Kalyanpur got her big break with SD Burman’s “Na Tum Hamen Jano” (1962), singing the duet with Hemant Kumar, as Lata Mangeshkar wasn’t on talking terms with the music composer following an argument over a re-recording in 1958. While many till today assume it was Lata’s vocals, filmed on Waheeda Rehman in Baat Ek Raat Ki, it was actually Suman.

Given the striking similarity in their thin voices, it was no surprise that this wasn’t an isolated incident. Years later, popular Doordarshan music show Chhaya Geet credited Lata as the voice for “Na Na Karte Pyar.” Suman’s daughter Charu Hemmady had to call up the Prasar Bharti office and ask them to rectify the error.

Also Read: Suman Kalyanpur, the gentle voice of Hindi cinema, passes away

Although many compared her voice to that of Lata Mangeshkar, Suman Kalyanpur always dismissed the comparison. In a 2022 interview with PTI, she referred to Lata as a close friend. “Everyone loved her songs, and she will be immortal. We recorded a duet together for the film Chaand. Every time I met her, it felt like I met a close friend. I believe she felt the same,” she said. Suman and Lata sang the duet “Kabhi Aaj Kabhi Kal” from Meena Kumari and Balraj Sahni-starrer 1959 Chand.