Lata Mangeshkar’s unreleased track unveiled on 92nd birthday

As legendary melody queen Lata Mangeshkar turned 92 today, an unreleased romantic song sung by her more than quarter of a century ago is all set to reach her countless fans for the first time.

The track "Theek Nahi Lagta", which croons about the dynamics of human relationships, was recorded by Bollywood filmmaker and composer Vishal Bhardwaj and veteran lyricist Gulzar for a silver screen project in 1996. But the film eventually got shelved.

The song was released today as a collaborative product between Bhardwaj's label VB Music and short video app platform Moj.

It was in 1996 that Bhardwaj, the director of films like "Maqbool", "Omkara" and "Kaminey", earned his major break as a composer in "Maachis", based on the problem of terrorism in Punjab in the 1980s.

"Maachis" kickstarted Bhardwaj's long association with Gulzar, and the duo worked together for nine films including "7 Khoon Maaf" and "Pataakha".

During a virtual press conference on Monday, Bhardwaj said he recorded the song "Theek Nahi Lagta" with Mangeshkar even before "Maachis," for another movie which never saw the light of the day.

"At the time when I was working for Maachis, we had recorded this song too for another project. But that project got shelved and the song was lost with it. For a long time, we thought the film would be revived but after 10 years, it was clear the film won't be made," Bhardwaj said.

According to the composer, the audio tape on which Lata Mangeshkar's song was recorded got misplaced and the recording studio also shut down.

But around two years ago, Bhardwaj got a call from another recording studio where "somehow this tape landed up" with his name on it.

"When we checked, it had this song. Lataji's voice was on another track. So, we retrieved it and re-orchestrated the song because it was sounding a bit dated...," 56-year-old composer-director said.

In an audio message, Mangeshkar lauded both Gulzar and Bhardwaj for their determination to unearth this song.

"Vishal Bhardwaj was, back then, a new composer. But the songs he made were extraordinary. In 'Maachis', I recorded two songs, 'Ae Hawa' and 'Pani Pani Re'. While the latter stayed, the former didn't make the cut because there was no situation," Lata Mangeshkar said and expressed the hope that listeners would love the number and its lyrics."

Gulzar said the track remains relevant even after such a long time because it talks about the dynamics of human relationship.

"The relationship that the boy and the girl shared in the film was uncommitted. It's often found among today's generation where you're not very certain on how far to go. In that situation, you feel, 'Sab theek toh hai, lekin, kuch theek nahi lagta (All is well but something is not ok)'.

Bhardwaj has also directed the music video of the song which will feature 12 Moj creators Pankaj Joshi, Divya Upadhyay, Apoorva Aroora, Chetan Sharma, Karan Panjwani, Khushi Maheshwari, Manasi Chaurasia, Priyanka Sharma, Rishabh Saini, Ruthvi Deev, Sunny Kalra and Surbhi Sikhr.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Lata Mangeshkar on her birthday.

"Birthday greetings to respected Lata Didi. Her melodious voice reverberates across the world. She is respected for her humility & passion towards Indian culture. Personally, her blessings are a source of great strength. I pray for Lata Didi's long & healthy life," Modi tweeted.