While he achieved untold fame in Hindi, his first love was Marathi. History has recorded that Vasant Desai had the honour of singing in the first Marathi film, Ayodhecha Raja (1932). Although he composed for a few Marathi films in the thirties, he never got any credit for the work. His first Marathi film was Lok Shahir Ram Joshi (1947). This film was a courageous departure from the average run of films, because it was based solely on lavani and other forms of folk music. But his greatest achievement was AMAR BHOOPALI (1951), which is to this day, unsurpassed as a musical film. The highlight of Amar Bhoopali was the the authentic quality of its music, based on painstaking research. The music of Vasant Desai, rendered brilliantly by Lata Mangeshkar and Pandtirao Nagarkar made this film immortal. Although he was busy with Hindi films, he always looked forward to working for Marathi films. In 1954 he composed for Kanchangaa, a production of Lata Mangashkar in which she herself sang. In Yere Mazya Maglya (1955) he utilized the versatility of Lata’s voice. In all, despite his busy schedule, he wrote music for 20 Marathi films.
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