Laila O Laila
Tina Baruah
Mumbai: She was the first one to bring disco into our homes, but almost three decades later Bangladeshi singer Runa Laila seems to have vanished. By her choice, it seems.
When we called the singer in Bangladesh, she did sound excited, but it was because her daughter Tani is expecting in December. “If all goes well, I will become a nani soon,’’ says the voice of Mera babu chhail chhabila.
Laila first came to India from Dhaka in 1974 on an invitation from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and went on to do shows in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. She recalls fondly how she was ‘‘received warmly in India’’ and how she became a regular fixture at the capital’s Doordarshan studio. In 1976, music director Bappi Lahiri heard her singing in Tabassum’s TV show Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan, leading to Superuna, her solo album with the music director.
It sold a lakh copies on its first day! And long before India had seen MTV, videos were made for this album.
Later, Laila worked with the likes of Kalyanji-Anandji, Jaidev and Lakshmikant-Pyarelal. Her famous assignments were films like Ek Sey Badhkar Ek (Dama dum mast qalander), Gharonda, Sapnon Ka Mandir and the Bachchan-starrer Agneepath. She recorded an album Loves of Runa Laila with O P Nayyar.
Still, she didn’t come close to the near monopoly of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle in Bollywood. ‘‘I never ruled Bollywood at any point because I was based in Bangladesh.’’
Laila, now married to Bangladeshi actor Alamgir, says she now busies herself with shows abroad. “I’ve performed at the Albert Hall, Wembley Centre, Madison Square Gardens and Lincoln Centre in the US. I’ve kept myself busy.’’