The history of female playback singing in Bollywood can be roughly divided into three major eras:
a) the Pre-1950s: Playback singing was not very well developed and therefore, only singers who looked good and could act were preferred. This led to music directors having to compromise heavily on their tunes since most singers had a very limited range. The singing style was mainly of a low-pitch tenor without very complicated notes to scale. Some of the leading lights of this era were Noorjehan, Suraiya, Rajkumari, Kanan devi, Uma Devi(Tun tun), Amirbai Karnataki, etc.
b) the early 1950s till the early 1990s: This was when the Mangeshkar sisters, Lata and Asha ruled the roost. This was also a magic period when Hindi film music saw the most creativity and variety. Countless paeans have been sung in honour of Latabai whose voice captured the imagination of many generations. Till date, she has the power to captivate her fans. Along with the two sisters, other notable singers of this era were Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum, Suman Kalyanpur, etc.
c) The post 1990 era: Towards the beginning of the 80s, a new generation of singers like Anuradha Paudwal, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamoorthy etc started doing the rounds. However, with the Lata-Asha combo still going strong, these new singers were not able to make much headway in their careers. Come the 90s, and the Mangeshkar sisters decided to go slow and take a well-deserved rest. It was then that the race for the crown started hotting up.
Among all the singers that Bollywood playback singeing arena has seen over the years, the supremacy of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsale cannot be disputed. Hence to even figure them as contenders in a top 5 list would be demeaning to their stature.
Essentially, therefore, the list below tries to look at the qualities of the other singers and select the 5 best of the rest:
1) ALKA YAGNIK:
When she started her career, Alka had a dull nasal voice. I hated her in Mere Angane Mein or some of her other early songs. It was only from QSQT that she blossomed into the diva that she is today. Although she sounds quite silly doing tapori type numbers, she excels in the romantic duets which are her forte. Some lovely numbers:
*Baazigar(title song),
Hey Ram Ram(Daman)
Tujhe pyar karte karte(naajaayaz) *
2) KAVITA KRISHNAMOORTHY:
Her voice requires getting used to. It is quite different from the normal accepted pitch, but once you have got it, its quite appealing with a unique freshness. She has a strong classical base and can carry some heavy songs with ease. Some of her beauties are:
*Nimbooda(HDDCS)
Aaj Main Oopar and Yeh Dil(Khamoshi)
Dola Re & Maar Dala(Devdas)
Bandhan khula, panchi uda(Yugpurush)
Pyar hua, chupke se(1942 a Love Story) *
3) SUNIDHI CHAUHAN:
There are hardly any singers who can sing such a wide range of numbers. Sunidhi has sung soulful tunes as well as raunchy ones. A winner in a TV singing competition as a small girl, she started her career as a teenager. She quickly went to becoming one of the most sought-after singers of today. Notable songs:
*Mast(Title song)
Dil ding dong ding(Kuchh to hai) *
4) GEETA DUTT
Among the old generation singers, she is the only one who could carve out a niche for herself even when Lata was at her peak. With a distinctive voice, she had many hits to her credit. Some of her memorable masterpieces:
*Babuji dheere chalna(Aar Paar)
Thandi Hawa Kaali Ghata(Mr and Mrs. 55)
Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam(Kaagaz ke phool) *
5) RUNA LAILA
Although this Bangladeshi singer was not able to make much headway in the Bollywood playback scene, she had a lovely voice and could sing dancing tunes with her special touch. At the same time, some of her sad numbers in films proved her versatility. My favorites:
*Mera babu chail chabila(private)
Do deewane shaher mein(gharonda)
Tumhe ho na ho, mujhko to itna yakeen hai(Gharonda) *
I trust the above list would have revived memories of some beautiful voices of past and present. I would love to have your comments on the choices.