Know The Background Story Behind ‘Servant Song’ of Amadabata

Bhubaneswar: Every film song has a story behind it, but remains untold for listeners and movie goers. Sometimes, these untold stories are more entertaining than the songs.

The song ‘A Ta Kalikala Riti’ from the of 1964 movie ‘Amadabata’ was very popular at that time and gained recognition as the ‘Servant Song’.

Interestingly, the three words of the song’s antara, ‘Birabara Thenga Dhara’, became more popular than the mukhda of the song.

Even singer Akhaya Mohanty who lent his voice to the song repeatedly referred to ‘A Ta Kalikala Riti’ as a servant song. He had said this in many interviews to magazines and the radio. He has also mentioned this in his autobiography.

Song: A Ta Kalikala Riti

Cinema: Amadabata (1964)

Producer: Chhayavani Pratishthana

Singer: Akhaya Mohanty

Lyrisist: Narayana Prasad Singh

Composer: Balakrushna Das

What Akhaya Mohanty Had Said:

Once Gopal Chhotray had met me at the Radio Station and said, “Akhaya, ‘Amadabata’ movie has one ‘Servant Song’. No body is willing to sing that song. Will You sing?”

I said, “A song is a song. I do not have any problem to sing any song.”

I went to Balakrushna Das’s home that very evening and he taught me the music of the song.

Next day I went to Baripada with Sikandar Alam to attend a programme. After the programme, I went to Calcutta. Unfortunately, I had forgotten the song on the way to Calcutta.

I was also suffering from fever then. When I went to the studio for recording the song, I had 104 degree Fahrenheit fever. I was very weak.

However, I sang the song in one take within 30 minutes, otherwise the producer had to pay for overtime.

Fortunately, that ‘servant song’ of the movie Amadabata was super-hit. I also became popular for that song.

(With inputs from film historian Surya Deo)