The collaboration that produced some of Indian cinema’s most beloved musical pieces, including the soundtracks of *Mughal-e-Azam* and *Mother India*, saw its final chapter with the film *Guddu* in 1995. Although the film is often considered a low point in Shah Rukh Khan’s filmography, it presented one exceptional element: a devotional song.
This song, *Mere toh Radhe Shyam re*, sung by Lata Mangeshkar, stood out.
Shah Rukh Khan acknowledged the film’s weaknesses while highlighting the quality of Lataji’s devotional track. The song was crucial in a scene where his character, depicted on screen alongside his screen mother Deepti Naval, faces death but finds salvation through the Bhajan.
Interestingly, *Mere toh Radhe Shyam re* represented the last time Lata Mangeshkar lent her voice to a composition by Naushad.
Lata Mangeshkar remembered the recording as a challenging experience. Naushad’s pursuit of a specific divine essence in the song demanded considerable time and effort.
Lataji remarked on Naushad’s pursuit of perfection, and how his recordings often took longer than those of other composers. Lataji, at 66, poured her talent into the song, creating a heartfelt conversation with the divine. The Bhajan, which was composed by Naushad and written by Majrooh Sultanpuri, is a testament to the harmonious collaboration between Muslim artists in the creation of devotional music.
Decades earlier, the film *Baiju Bawra* offered another example of this: Naushad composed, Shakeel Badayuni wrote, and Mohammad Rafi sang the timeless Bhajan *Mann tarpat hari darshan ko aaj*. These three artists also came from a Muslim background.