In a 2014 interview, legendary classical singer Kishori Amonkar had stated that she regarded the current film music as ‘rhythmic noise’. Amonkar, a renowned vocalist may have enthralled everyone with her command over classical music, the singer consciously stayed away from films most part of her career.
Born to legendary vocalist Mogubai Kurdikar, Amonkar was tutored in music at home mostly. As a young girl, Amonkar travelled with her mother to performances, accompanying her on the tanpura while Kurdikar sang.
Films and film music was not regarded as good music by Kurdikar. Which is why when Amonkar was approached to sing in films, Kurdikar had opposed it vehemently. Amonkar did render her voice to a film song though. Despite Kurdikar strongl opposition Amonkar sang the title song for V Shantaram’s Geet Gaya Patharon Ne in 1964.
Kurdikar warned Amonkar never to touch her tanpuras again if she opted for playback singing.
Amonkar’s rendition of the song became popular almost instantly, yet obeying her mother’s wish, Amonkar decided to cut ties with the film world after singing Geet Gaya Patharon Ne. She did return to playback though, after 26 years. For Govind Nihalani’s Drishti (1990). Her only condition was that she would compose her own songs. "Drishti happened because the subject convinced me,"she had said in the interview.
The film featured Shekhar Kapur and Dimple Kapadia as a married couple. One of the songs Jhar Jhar Barsa Re featured a prolonged love making scene, and that reportedly irked Amonkar and she decided to completely cut ties with the film world.
Among the present set of songs, Amonkar found AR Rehman’s composition Khwaja Mere Khwaja from Jodha Akbar soul-stirring.
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