This man sang only two songs in his entire career but charged 100 times as much as stars like Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, and Kishore Kumar
Before Lata Mangeshkar had demanded that playback singers be given their due, singers were not always rewarded well for their work in films. Even though songs were a huge part of Indian films since the 30s, by the 60s, even top singers were only making a few hundred rupees per recorded song. But then come one man, who had the stature and audacity to charge 100 times as much as the biggest singers of the day. This is the story of how that came to be
1. The search for Mughal-e-Azam’s Tansen
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In the 1950s, filmmaker K Asif was working on his magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam. Composer Naushad had been tasked to compose 20 songs for the film and included two classical tracks picturised on Tansen, considered the finest vocalist in the history of India. Asif and Naushad knew they needed a singer with a golden voice and strong command on Hindustani classical music to sing them
2. The visit to Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
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Hence, instead of engaging regular playback singers, they approached classical maestro Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The vocalist considered film singing beneath him and he refused
3. When Bade Ghulam Ali Khan demanded astronomical fees
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When the makers persisted, to dissuade them, Ustad Khan quoted a fees of Rs 25,000 per song, or a total of Rs 50,000. Considering that the composer Naushad was charging only Rs 3000 for composing the entire album, this was a huge ask
4. The Ustad asked for 100 times India’s highest paid singers
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This was huge, considering the top Indian film singers at the time – Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, and Kishore Kumar - charged Rs 250-300 per song. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan charged almost 100 times as much, an unthinkable feat
5. How K Asif trumped the Ustad
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The Ustad had thought that the fees would dissuade the filmmaker and they would leave him alone. To his surprise, not only did Asif agree but he paid 50% advance then and there. The singer then had no choice but to say yes. But these were his only two film songs
6. The life and legacy of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
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The Ustad belonged to the Kasur Gharana of Hindustani classical music and came from a family of musicians. A master of raga-based singing, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan is credited with popularising public consumption of Hindustani classical music in India
