From the millions of songs that Indian cinema has produced, there are a few which are just truly timeless, exceptional and inimitable. And if one were to sift through those few for a phenomenal rare gem, it could arguably be Lag Ja Gale sung by Lata Mangeshkar with music by Madan Mohan and lyrics woven by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, featured in the Manoj Kumar - Sadhna suspense drama Woh Kaun Thi.
The song has not only stood the test of time, but has time and again been used by Bollywood to accentuate an emotional note in several films, even contemporary ones like Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil to the new Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3. Here’s a quick chat with the legendary music composer Madan Mohan’s son Sanjeev Kohli on the iconic Lag Ja Gale, which (believe it or not) was initially rejected by Woh Kaun Thi’s director