Sujata Trivedi regales with timeless classics

NAGPUR: The best of Bollywood singers came alive on stage at Deshpande Hall on Sunday evening at the musical show ‘Sujata Trivedi Night’ presented by Smita Gandhi’s Music Mantra. Trivedi holds concerts across India and abroad, and has given playback in 30 films like Takshak, Taal and 1947 Earth among others.
Making an entry to the strains of ‘Naam gum jaayega’, Trivedi established her connect with the city when she announced that she hailed from Nagpur.
“I am familiar with the fine music sense of the audience here, and so have picked up some of the best songs by Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt,” she said.
Beginning with the lilting ‘Do lafzon ki hai ye kahani’, Trivedi set the tone of the evening and sang ‘Aaj kal paon zameen par’ the popular number from the film ‘Ghar’ directed by Gulzar. She came into form with the gem from the repertoire of Madanmohan and Lata, ‘Betaab dil ki tamanna yehi hai’, which received well deserved applause from the audience.
After a spell of solos, Trivedi belted out some of the popular Bollywood duets from the golden era with city singer Rajesh Durugkar, including ‘Ye raatein ye mausam’ and ‘Deewana hua badal’. She showed her versatility and scale with ‘Dil huum huum kare’ and Geeta Dutt’s ‘Waqt ne kiya’, but had the crowds with her as she presented a medley towards the end which included hits like ‘Aaj kal tere mere’, ‘O Hasina zulfon wali’ and ‘Aaja aaja main hoon pyar tera’.
Equally versatile was Durugkar, who warmed up the stage for Trivedi as the curtains opened to three presentations by him. The singer, who presents songs of Mukesh, was equally comfortable with those of Kishore Kumar, Mohd Rafi and Yesudas, as he sang ‘Gori tera gaon bada payara’, ‘Zuba pe dard bhari dastan’ and ‘Phir wohi raat hai’.