The legendary pairing of Naushad and Lata Mangeshkar, which gave Indian cinema classics like *Mughal-e-Azam* and *Mother India*, concluded with the film *Guddu* in 1995. Although the film is generally considered a weaker effort in Shah Rukh Khan’s career, it did offer one significant musical highlight.
This was the Bhajan *Mere toh Radhe Shyam re*, sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
Shah Rukh Khan recognized the film’s shortcomings but highlighted the devotional song. The song’s importance was shown as it played in a scene with Deepti Naval, his screen mother, as his character faces a near-death experience, eventually being saved by the power of the Bhajan.
Notably, *Mere toh Radhe Shyam re* was the last song that Lata Mangeshkar sang for the great Naushad.
Lata Mangeshkar remembered the recording session as a demanding time. Naushad wanted to achieve a specific divine aura within the song, which took time to perfect.
Lataji remarked on Naushad’s focus on perfection, and how his recordings often took longer. Lataji, at 66, poured her talent into this devotional song, a conversation with the divine. The Bhajan, composed by Naushad and penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri, beautifully illustrates the collaboration between Muslim artists in devotional music.
Prior to *Guddu*, the movie *Baiju Bawra* featured Naushad, Shakeel Badayuni, and Mohammad Rafi, all Muslims, who came together to compose the famous Bhajan *Mann tarpat hari darshan ko aaj*.