30 years of Khal Nayak: Aruna Irani was told, ‘aap woh wala gaana nahi ga sakte’
For Ila Arun, Choli Ke Peeche is one of those songs that gave her an identity as a singer in the film industry. The 69-year-old recalls how the song’s composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal and lyricist Anand Bakshi were not sure if she would agree to sing it.
“They thought I’d reject it because of the nature of the lyrics,” says Ila, adding, “But I had been a theatre person and was exposed to folk music. This, too, was one that had both innocence and naughtiness.”
Just like Yagnik, Ila also feels that the only reason why the song is still etched in people’s memories is because it was composed tastefully. “Its orchestration, lyrics and picturisation was so beautiful that it became timeless,” she adds.
However, despite its legacy, the song received a lot of flak. “Whenever I was called for a show, people used to say, ‘Aap woh wala gaana nahin ga sakte’, and I would jokingly ask what song they meant while being completely aware that it was Choli Ke Peeche,” she quips.
Her mother too, didnt approve of the song initially. “She told me, ‘Yeh Kya gaana gaya hai, apna star itna mat girao ki kuch bhi gana ga do ?’ (What have you sung? Don’t fall down so much that you have sing anything). Later, she realised that it was a good song and praised me, but initially she didn’t like me singing the song,” says Ila Arun.
