If sexy had a human form, it would be Runa Laila. It is a voice which is sensual and maddeningly perfect at the same time. Runa is the girl who will tell you secrets and keep them within her like an ocean. Though she lives in Bangladesh, her voice cuts across continents. My first brush with her was in the black and white era of DD with songs like the iconic Dama Dam Mast Qalandar and O Mera Babu Chail Chabila. It was a voice not heard to miss, along with the sexiness.
The pathos she brought to a ghazal was incredible but I love her version of Ranjish Hi Sahi and Ke Ghungroo Toot Gaye. As kids growing up, I remember the Super Runa album that came out, with Bappi Lahiri. The collection of astounding songs. I first heard De De Pyar De Pyar De then and went back to Dada Burman’s version. Her ek se badhkar ek numbers for Kalyanji Anandji are tops, though my favourites are her Gharonda numbers with Jaidev. Music studios were abuzz that Jaidev was obsessed with this voice which was amply evident in Do Deewane Sheher Mein and Tumhen Ho Na Ho. Certain topnotch singers began to be worried.
Rumour has it that a topnotch legendary singer in Pakistan made sure she was edged out and did it very shabbily including snatching her songs and shunting her out of the recording studios.
But Runa was all this and more. She cocked a snook at Destiny and sung with aplomb. It’s another voice like Usha Uthup’s which just doesn’t age. She’s heady like cognac and feminine like perfume.
Her full splendour can be seen in Mera Babu Chail Chabila and of course, Dama Dam Mast Qalandar. She has won several awards in Bangladesh and turned composer too. More recently, she composed for chanteuse Asha Bhosle a single. One of Asha ji’s last songs. Alas! There is no video to that song. I often think what if Asha ji and Runa had collaborated on one song together. Like, I always maintain Usha Uthup and Runa Laila together in an album would be divine and needless to add, heady.
Runa is super. She’s heady, she’s a cocktail. She’s also the girl next door with her brand of sexiness. And when she sings Ranjish Hi Sahi or Do Deewane Sheher Mein, time stops for a bout of gooseflesh. Like, so many before her and after her – we can only hope history will be kinder to her than Bollywood has.
Also Read: Runa Laila Reminisces About Asha Bhosle
