When Kishore Kumar sang 'Khaike paan Banaras wala' with a paan in his mouth

Mumbai, Oct 28 (IANS) Legendary music composer Anandji Virji Shah, on ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ took a stroll down the memory lane, and reminisced about the time when late evergreen singer Kishore Kumar had recorded the iconic song ‘Khaike paan Banaras wala’, while having a ‘paan’ in his mouth.

The song is from the 1978 action thriller ‘Don’, directed by Chandra Barot. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan in a dual role, alongside Zeenat Aman, Pran, Iftekhar, Om Shivpuri and Satyen Kappu in pivotal roles. 

The music is composed by Kalyanji-Anandji with lyrics by Anjaan and Indeevar.

The upcoming episode will see an entertainment extravaganza as Anandji Shah along with his wife Shanta Ben Shah will be seen gracing the ‘Celebrating- Kalyanji- Anandji’ special episode. 

Amidst impressive performances from all contestants, it was Sneha Bhattacharya's rendition of 'Khaike Paan Banaraswala' and ‘Rafta Rafta’ songs that left everyone spellbound. It is the first time that the viewers will get to hear a female version of ‘Khaike Paan Banaraswala’. 

Right after her performance, Anandji went down memory lane and was reminded of the time when the song was recorded by Kishore Kumar. He shared that to make the lyrics of the song match the sound, Kishore Da actually kept ‘Paan’ in his mouth while singing. 

Talking about the same, Anandji said: “After watching this performance, I remember Kishore Da and the studio where we recorded this song. Kishore Da entered the studio and asked for a ‘Paan’ because the character in the movie is also eating Paan and that’s how he decided to record the song for authenticity.”

“He sang the song so beautifully that it is loved by everyone till date. Today, Sneha, you sang this song very nicely and I just loved your performance,” he added.

Judge Himesh Reshammiya said: “We have never seen such type of performance where we listen ‘Khaike Paan Banaraswala’ in a female voice, you showcased the same energy, attitude, modulation, style and ‘Kishore Da wala Jalwa’ in your performance. In fact, we cannot compare your performance with anyone because there is no reference point for all of us.”

“Sneha, you are a very different and unique singer,” added Himesh.

‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ features Himesh, Neeti Mohan, and Anu Malik as judges, and Aditya Narayan as the host. 

It airs on Zee TV.