Was Called From School to Help Lata Mangeshkar Sing, Says Padmini Kolhapure

The song ‘Yashomati maiya se’ was picturised on Padmini for Kapoor’s 1978 release, ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’, starring Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman.

“I remember I was in school when I got a message from the Eros office that my father was there and I had to rush over immediately. Upon my arrival, I saw Lata ji and she made me sit close to her. She then asked me to sing a few lines of the song to her,” recalled Padmini.

“I was shocked that I was called from school to sing the song and, as perplexing as it sounded, I sang a few lines and the result after that was unbelievable. The way Lata ji sang the song, till today people think that I sang it, since many of them know how I sing. She sang it with such conviction and observed me so well to capture my image in the song that I was flabbergasted. This idea of Lata ji imitating me while I sing was the brainchild of Raj Kapoor,” Padmini shared the anecdote, while shooting for an episode of “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs”.