Lata’s fav’s
Prithwish Ganguly
Monday, November 17, 2008 23:59 IST
Amol Kamble / DNA
Lata Mangeshkar has compiled a five-CD-set of her favourite tunes
Lata Mangeshkar—the nightingale of India—is arguably one of the most loved and acclaimed singer. People might adore her songs but do they know who her favourite singers are? Lata has now handpicked some of her favourite tracks sung by some legendary crooners of the industry which are being compiled in a record titled Pasand Meri, Geet Sathiyon Ke.
Confirming the news Lata Mangeshkar says, “I have always liked to hear some of my colleagues like Manna Dey, Mohammed Rafi and also, amongst the new generation singers, I like to listen to Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and Kavita Krishnamurthy.”
The album which is being released by Saregama is a collection of five CD’s. The collection will also have her father Master Dinanath Mangeshkar’s Nain So Nain Milaye. Lata has also chosen some other stalwarts like K.L. Saigal, Noor Jehan, Ghulam Ali, Mukesh, S.D. Burman, Jagjit Singh, Mohammed Rafi, Geeta Dutt, Kishore Kumar, Hemant Kumar and Talat Mahmood.
Lata has also picked singers like Manna Dey, her sisters Asha Bhosle and Usha Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sonu Niigaam and Shankar Mahadevan as her favourites.
Full Version: Evergreen Lata Mangeshkar
All’s well
Lata Mangeshkar is back on her feet after a knee replacement surgery
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Monday, March 02, 2009 at 02:23:05 AM
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar was admitted to Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar hospital Pune for a knee replacement surgery on January 18. She returned to Mumbai on Saturday, February 28. Hundreds of admirers gathered outside her apartment when they heard that she was back. Lata spoke to us from her Peddar Road home, surrounded by close family members. “I wouldn’t say I’m completely fit. But I’m on the way to full recovery.”
Quelling rumours of a serious illness, Lata said, “Chronic arthritis had done my knees in. I was in constant pain and was unable to walk. I had to get the operation done as soon as possible. Doctors told me that my kneecaps had to be replaced. But there were chances of me not recovering fully.” Lata’s kneecap surgery was performed by Dr Hemant Wakankar.
So is she completely mobile now? “I can’t run right now,” she chuckled. “But I can walk and climb stairs, indulge in everyday routine activities that were getting impossibly difficult for me. I preferred to stay on in my hospital in Pune because of the number of people who kept inquiring at my residence in Mumbai and Pune. I want to assure them that I’m well and on the way to recovery. The pain is completely gone. I need physiotherapy for another six months. I haven’t felt so good in a long time.”
With her knee-trouble gone, Lata is gearing to get back to singing. She said, “That I’m still being asked to sing is a miracle. All the good wishes of all my fans, friends, and specially my parents, have kept me going so far. I’m really blessed.”
Lata Mangeshkar is back on her feet after a knee replacement surgery
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Monday, March 02, 2009 at 02:23:05 AM
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar was admitted to Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar hospital Pune for a knee replacement surgery on January 18. She returned to Mumbai on Saturday, February 28. Hundreds of admirers gathered outside her apartment when they heard that she was back. Lata spoke to us from her Peddar Road home, surrounded by close family members. “I wouldn’t say I’m completely fit. But I’m on the way to full recovery.”
Quelling rumours of a serious illness, Lata said, “Chronic arthritis had done my knees in. I was in constant pain and was unable to walk. I had to get the operation done as soon as possible. Doctors told me that my kneecaps had to be replaced. But there were chances of me not recovering fully.” Lata’s kneecap surgery was performed by Dr Hemant Wakankar.
So is she completely mobile now? “I can’t run right now,” she chuckled. “But I can walk and climb stairs, indulge in everyday routine activities that were getting impossibly difficult for me. I preferred to stay on in my hospital in Pune because of the number of people who kept inquiring at my residence in Mumbai and Pune. I want to assure them that I’m well and on the way to recovery. The pain is completely gone. I need physiotherapy for another six months. I haven’t felt so good in a long time.”
With her knee-trouble gone, Lata is gearing to get back to singing. She said, “That I’m still being asked to sing is a miracle. All the good wishes of all my fans, friends, and specially my parents, have kept me going so far. I’m really blessed.”
Miracle worker
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 02:11:24 AM
Lata Mangeshkar
Veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar is back on her feet, and how! The melody queen, who underwent a major knee surgery two months ago returned to her profession with recording the Hanuman Chalisa in a matter of a mere four hours. Recording the same takes today’s younger singers several days to complete.
On Tuesday, Lata walked into the studio for a rehearsal of the Chalisa, but ended up finishing the final recording. Laughing off the compliments, Lata says, “Hanuman Chalisa has been done so many times now… I enjoy devotional singing more than any other form.”
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 02:11:24 AM
Lata Mangeshkar
Veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar is back on her feet, and how! The melody queen, who underwent a major knee surgery two months ago returned to her profession with recording the Hanuman Chalisa in a matter of a mere four hours. Recording the same takes today’s younger singers several days to complete.
On Tuesday, Lata walked into the studio for a rehearsal of the Chalisa, but ended up finishing the final recording. Laughing off the compliments, Lata says, “Hanuman Chalisa has been done so many times now… I enjoy devotional singing more than any other form.”
Lata to do an 'Ae Maalik'... for old time’s sake
4 May 2009, 0000 hrs IST, SUBHASH K JHA
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Lata Mangeshkar has renewed ties with the family of her ‘Mukesh bhaiya’ by agreeing to sing an anthem for the late singer’s grandson, Neil Nitin, Neil Nitin Mukesh More Pics
in Madhur Bhandarkar’s film Jail.
The Nightingale, you remember, 52 years ago sang Ae Malik Tere Bande Hum in V Shantaram’s Do Aankhen Barah Haath — a song that inspired prisoners in the film and which continues to move Indians even today. Her song for Jail, Daata Sun Maula Sun — written by first-time lyricist Ajay Garg, is on the same lines, said Madhur.
But what has tickled Lata more than this anthem or the fact that she returns to playback singing for Bollywood with it, is that Mukesh’s grandson features in the film. According to the young actor, it was “Lataji who named me Neil”. She was with Mukesh doing a concert in the US when he passed away. As for the anthem, Madhur is hoping Daata Sun... becomes the new-age Ae Maalik... “It has the potential to be hummed and sung in schools and colleges for all times to come,” said the filmmaker.
Strangely, in the last decade Lata has sang just two bhajans that are becoming immortal — O Paalan Haare and Ek Tu Hi Bharosa, both for AR Rahman.
She remains in good form even at 80, otherwise. Just the other day the legendary songstress recorded the entire Hanuman Chalisa in four hours flat, a feat that has taken younger singers days if not weeks to complete. Apparently, she went to rehearse and not record the Hanuman Chalisa... but ended up doing the spiritual number in record time. “I don’t know how it happened,” Lata told BT. “I enjoy devotional singing more than any other form of singing.”
4 May 2009, 0000 hrs IST, SUBHASH K JHA
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
Lata Mangeshkar has renewed ties with the family of her ‘Mukesh bhaiya’ by agreeing to sing an anthem for the late singer’s grandson, Neil Nitin, Neil Nitin Mukesh More Pics
in Madhur Bhandarkar’s film Jail.
The Nightingale, you remember, 52 years ago sang Ae Malik Tere Bande Hum in V Shantaram’s Do Aankhen Barah Haath — a song that inspired prisoners in the film and which continues to move Indians even today. Her song for Jail, Daata Sun Maula Sun — written by first-time lyricist Ajay Garg, is on the same lines, said Madhur.
But what has tickled Lata more than this anthem or the fact that she returns to playback singing for Bollywood with it, is that Mukesh’s grandson features in the film. According to the young actor, it was “Lataji who named me Neil”. She was with Mukesh doing a concert in the US when he passed away. As for the anthem, Madhur is hoping Daata Sun... becomes the new-age Ae Maalik... “It has the potential to be hummed and sung in schools and colleges for all times to come,” said the filmmaker.
Strangely, in the last decade Lata has sang just two bhajans that are becoming immortal — O Paalan Haare and Ek Tu Hi Bharosa, both for AR Rahman.
She remains in good form even at 80, otherwise. Just the other day the legendary songstress recorded the entire Hanuman Chalisa in four hours flat, a feat that has taken younger singers days if not weeks to complete. Apparently, she went to rehearse and not record the Hanuman Chalisa... but ended up doing the spiritual number in record time. “I don’t know how it happened,” Lata told BT. “I enjoy devotional singing more than any other form of singing.”
Kishoreda, please let me sing: Lata
3 May 2009, 1605 hrs IST
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“When we were recording together, we did nothing but laugh.” Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar
NMK: And Kishore Kumar? Was he an extraordinary personality as widely believed?
LM: Where do I start? When we were recording together, we did nothing but laugh. He never stopped. He sometimes even danced at the recording session. One day he told me a story: Dadamoni [Ashok Kumar] and his family lived in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. In those days, marriages were arranged, and their mother was going to see a girl for Dadamoni. Kishoreda told his mother he wanted to go with her to see his future sister-in-law. His mother was reluctant but he insisted.
He poured so much oil in his hair that it was dripping down his face. [laughs]. Off he went with his mother to the girl’s place, looking hideous.
Kishoreda then told me what happened next: ‘My parents were talking in the drawing room and I decided to go inside to see the girl because I thought I might be offered rasgullas. When I went inside, the bride-to-be asked about me and was told — I am the boy’s brother. She looked at me and shrieked: ‘O Ma, he’s so dark-skinned and ghastly. If this is how he is, what must his brother look like?’
He told us that they brought the girl out and Kishoreda’s mother asked if she could sing. The girl’s father said yes and then a harmonium was produced. And the girl began to sing. Kishoreda paused, turned to me and said: ‘Lata! Do you know what she sang?’ He then proceeded to imitate the poor girl and sang Vande Mataram completely out of tune. [Both laugh]
NMK: Did he make you laugh when you were actually recording?
LM: Oh yes! Sometimes I arrived late for a recording and he would be sitting there quietly. He would look at me and say: ‘Lata, you’re here! Come, sit down.’ As soon as the music director started to rehearse the song, Kishoreda would look at me, raise his eyebrows and say under his breath: ‘What do you think?’ Meaning the song was no good. He just looked at me and I would burst out laughing. The music director never understood why I was laughing. Kishoreda did all sorts of things. Many times I had to stop him and say: ‘Kishoreda, please let me sing. Otherwise my voice will go from laughing.’
NMK: And Mukeshji. What did you like about his voice?
LM: The reason I liked his singing was because he liked K.L. Saigal. Mukesh Bhaiya had even met him and the first song he sang Dil jalta hai to jalne de, composed by Anilda from Paheli Nazar was a carbon copy of K.L. Saigal’s singing style. [Smiles] Whenever Mukesh Bhaiya and I met, we would talk endlessly about Saigal Sahib — in fact, he was the proud owner of Saigal Sahib’s harmonium which he looked after carefully.
We initially shared an admiration for this great singer but as time passed, I got to know Mukeshji better. He was a very good man. He was very fond of me and I considered him like a brother. In 1951, when he produced Malhar, I sang all the songs. But he lost a lot of money in the film. He later composed the music for Anuraag, and asked me to sing the songs, including a Kabir doha which was used in the title credits.
Jako rakhe saayian maar sake na koi. Baal na baanka kar sake jo jag bairi hoi (No one can ever slay a man under God’s protection. Nor a hair on his head be touched even if the world opposes him).
I still remember singing the doha and suddenly his eyes filled with tears. asked: ‘Mukesh Bhaiya, what is worrying you?’ He said: ‘Didi, when people are faced with problems, only true friends go out of their way to help. Seeing you here today makes me realise just how close you are to me.’
He accompanied me when I went on tour to America. He stood by me in every way. We were like family. In fact, I have been close to very few people in the film industry and Mukeshji was one of them.
3 May 2009, 1605 hrs IST
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
“When we were recording together, we did nothing but laugh.” Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar
NMK: And Kishore Kumar? Was he an extraordinary personality as widely believed?
LM: Where do I start? When we were recording together, we did nothing but laugh. He never stopped. He sometimes even danced at the recording session. One day he told me a story: Dadamoni [Ashok Kumar] and his family lived in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. In those days, marriages were arranged, and their mother was going to see a girl for Dadamoni. Kishoreda told his mother he wanted to go with her to see his future sister-in-law. His mother was reluctant but he insisted.
He poured so much oil in his hair that it was dripping down his face. [laughs]. Off he went with his mother to the girl’s place, looking hideous.
Kishoreda then told me what happened next: ‘My parents were talking in the drawing room and I decided to go inside to see the girl because I thought I might be offered rasgullas. When I went inside, the bride-to-be asked about me and was told — I am the boy’s brother. She looked at me and shrieked: ‘O Ma, he’s so dark-skinned and ghastly. If this is how he is, what must his brother look like?’
He told us that they brought the girl out and Kishoreda’s mother asked if she could sing. The girl’s father said yes and then a harmonium was produced. And the girl began to sing. Kishoreda paused, turned to me and said: ‘Lata! Do you know what she sang?’ He then proceeded to imitate the poor girl and sang Vande Mataram completely out of tune. [Both laugh]
NMK: Did he make you laugh when you were actually recording?
LM: Oh yes! Sometimes I arrived late for a recording and he would be sitting there quietly. He would look at me and say: ‘Lata, you’re here! Come, sit down.’ As soon as the music director started to rehearse the song, Kishoreda would look at me, raise his eyebrows and say under his breath: ‘What do you think?’ Meaning the song was no good. He just looked at me and I would burst out laughing. The music director never understood why I was laughing. Kishoreda did all sorts of things. Many times I had to stop him and say: ‘Kishoreda, please let me sing. Otherwise my voice will go from laughing.’
NMK: And Mukeshji. What did you like about his voice?
LM: The reason I liked his singing was because he liked K.L. Saigal. Mukesh Bhaiya had even met him and the first song he sang Dil jalta hai to jalne de, composed by Anilda from Paheli Nazar was a carbon copy of K.L. Saigal’s singing style. [Smiles] Whenever Mukesh Bhaiya and I met, we would talk endlessly about Saigal Sahib — in fact, he was the proud owner of Saigal Sahib’s harmonium which he looked after carefully.
We initially shared an admiration for this great singer but as time passed, I got to know Mukeshji better. He was a very good man. He was very fond of me and I considered him like a brother. In 1951, when he produced Malhar, I sang all the songs. But he lost a lot of money in the film. He later composed the music for Anuraag, and asked me to sing the songs, including a Kabir doha which was used in the title credits.
Jako rakhe saayian maar sake na koi. Baal na baanka kar sake jo jag bairi hoi (No one can ever slay a man under God’s protection. Nor a hair on his head be touched even if the world opposes him).
I still remember singing the doha and suddenly his eyes filled with tears. asked: ‘Mukesh Bhaiya, what is worrying you?’ He said: ‘Didi, when people are faced with problems, only true friends go out of their way to help. Seeing you here today makes me realise just how close you are to me.’
He accompanied me when I went on tour to America. He stood by me in every way. We were like family. In fact, I have been close to very few people in the film industry and Mukeshji was one of them.
I was asked to compose “Anand” Music: Lata Mangeshkar
India’s nightingale Lata Mangeshkar may have ended up as one part of a composer duo - a bit like Shankar-Jaikishan - rather than the singer of 27,000 songs had her brother not dissuaded her.
Unknown to the rest of India, Lata - the country’s greatest female non-classical singer - was quietly composing music for films in her native Marathi language and nearly ended up scoring for Hindi films, according to a new book on her.
Lata says she wanted to keep her identity as a composer a secret but was outed at an awards ceremony when one of the four Marathi films for which wrote the music ended up a multi-award winner.
She even gave herself a male pseudonym, Anandghan.
“No one knew I was composing film music, but then Sadhi Manas went on to win eight Maharashtra state awards, including best director, best singer, best story and best music,” she says in the book, “Lata Mangeshkar, In Her Own Voice”, written by London-based documentary filmmaker and author Nasreen Munni Kabeer.
On the awards night in 1966, Lata said she accepted the best singer award, “and then the best music award was announced.
“I stayed firmly in my seat. The master of ceremonies explained the music composer Anandghan was none other than Lata Mangeshkar. So I was forced to publicly accept the award.”
“At one point I thought Hridayanath and I could become a composing duo like Shankar-Jaikishan, but my brother was not very keen. So, we dropped the idea.
“Some years later, Hrishikesh Mukherjee asked me to compose music for his (1971) film ‘Anand’ but I politely refused. I was not keen on composing any more. I did not really have the time and was so busy recording.
“I told Hrishi-da some time later I was glad I had refused ‘Anand’ because Salil Chowdhury wrote beautiful music for the film.”
The book, which reproduces a series of conversations between Lata and Kabeer, is to be launched in Mumbai May 15.
India’s nightingale Lata Mangeshkar may have ended up as one part of a composer duo - a bit like Shankar-Jaikishan - rather than the singer of 27,000 songs had her brother not dissuaded her.
Unknown to the rest of India, Lata - the country’s greatest female non-classical singer - was quietly composing music for films in her native Marathi language and nearly ended up scoring for Hindi films, according to a new book on her.
Lata says she wanted to keep her identity as a composer a secret but was outed at an awards ceremony when one of the four Marathi films for which wrote the music ended up a multi-award winner.
She even gave herself a male pseudonym, Anandghan.
“No one knew I was composing film music, but then Sadhi Manas went on to win eight Maharashtra state awards, including best director, best singer, best story and best music,” she says in the book, “Lata Mangeshkar, In Her Own Voice”, written by London-based documentary filmmaker and author Nasreen Munni Kabeer.
On the awards night in 1966, Lata said she accepted the best singer award, “and then the best music award was announced.
“I stayed firmly in my seat. The master of ceremonies explained the music composer Anandghan was none other than Lata Mangeshkar. So I was forced to publicly accept the award.”
“At one point I thought Hridayanath and I could become a composing duo like Shankar-Jaikishan, but my brother was not very keen. So, we dropped the idea.
“Some years later, Hrishikesh Mukherjee asked me to compose music for his (1971) film ‘Anand’ but I politely refused. I was not keen on composing any more. I did not really have the time and was so busy recording.
“I told Hrishi-da some time later I was glad I had refused ‘Anand’ because Salil Chowdhury wrote beautiful music for the film.”
The book, which reproduces a series of conversations between Lata and Kabeer, is to be launched in Mumbai May 15.
Thanks for sharing SS
A divine reunion
Lata Mangeshkar and her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar team up to recreate the magic of Meera Bhajans
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 03:18:57 AM
Lata Mangeshkar and her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar had created history with their devotional album Meera Bhajans in 1968. It was one of the 10 highest selling non-film albums of the country. Four decades after their commendable feat, they are teaming up again to work on an album with the same theme. Incidentally, Lata had refused to sing for Gulzar’s Meera (1979) saying that she has already sung the bhajans for her brother.
Confirming the news, Lata said, “Singing for my brother has always been a big challenge for me. He never lets me off the hook until I get every note right. Every time I sing for him, I break into a sweat because he expects nothing but perfection from himself and me. I feel like I’m going to climb another mountain with my brother. Our Gyaneshwari albums are the most popular Marathi recordings till date. I’ve no idea which Meera bhajan he has chosen this time or what kind of compositions he’s doing. Hridayanath has locked himself away from the world, lost in this new project. I can only wait.”
Hridayanath and Lata Mangeshkar
The wait has just got longer, as the outbreak of swine flu has inadvertently delayed the project. She said, “Hridayanath likes to compose in Pune. He has been in Mumbai because of swine flu. But now he’ll return to Pune.”
Devotional songs have always been a favourite genre with her. “Yes, I’ve done many devotional albums and loved the experience. Mujhe bhajan gaake bahut khushi hoti hai. It’s my favourite genre of singing. No form of singing gives me as much satisfaction as bhajans. I’ve also done a devotional album, Ram Shyam Gun Gaan, with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi,” she said.
Lata Mangeshkar has also sung the Hanuman Chalisa for an album. But she feels that she didn’t give the album her best shot. “I wasn’t singing for a while because of my knee surgery. I even told my composer Mayuresh Pai that I feel I could’ve done better with the Hanuman Chalisa. I think every artiste continues to crave to do better until their death. Once you get smug about your work, you’ve had it,” said Lata.
There was greater pain than the physical one that kept her away from singing for some time. Growing quiet, she finally said, “I don’t like singing today’s film’s songs. Aaj-kal dance ke gaane zyada hote hain. I took up Madhur Bhandakar’s song in Jail because it was special. Otherwise it’s better if I sing less these days. I’ve been singing for so many years. It’s about time I took it easy, don’t you think so? The songs have to be dignified. I can’t be singing item songs. Earlier I wasnt that choosy.”
Lata Mangeshkar and her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar team up to recreate the magic of Meera Bhajans
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 03:18:57 AM
Lata Mangeshkar and her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar had created history with their devotional album Meera Bhajans in 1968. It was one of the 10 highest selling non-film albums of the country. Four decades after their commendable feat, they are teaming up again to work on an album with the same theme. Incidentally, Lata had refused to sing for Gulzar’s Meera (1979) saying that she has already sung the bhajans for her brother.
Confirming the news, Lata said, “Singing for my brother has always been a big challenge for me. He never lets me off the hook until I get every note right. Every time I sing for him, I break into a sweat because he expects nothing but perfection from himself and me. I feel like I’m going to climb another mountain with my brother. Our Gyaneshwari albums are the most popular Marathi recordings till date. I’ve no idea which Meera bhajan he has chosen this time or what kind of compositions he’s doing. Hridayanath has locked himself away from the world, lost in this new project. I can only wait.”
Hridayanath and Lata Mangeshkar
The wait has just got longer, as the outbreak of swine flu has inadvertently delayed the project. She said, “Hridayanath likes to compose in Pune. He has been in Mumbai because of swine flu. But now he’ll return to Pune.”
Devotional songs have always been a favourite genre with her. “Yes, I’ve done many devotional albums and loved the experience. Mujhe bhajan gaake bahut khushi hoti hai. It’s my favourite genre of singing. No form of singing gives me as much satisfaction as bhajans. I’ve also done a devotional album, Ram Shyam Gun Gaan, with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi,” she said.
Lata Mangeshkar has also sung the Hanuman Chalisa for an album. But she feels that she didn’t give the album her best shot. “I wasn’t singing for a while because of my knee surgery. I even told my composer Mayuresh Pai that I feel I could’ve done better with the Hanuman Chalisa. I think every artiste continues to crave to do better until their death. Once you get smug about your work, you’ve had it,” said Lata.
There was greater pain than the physical one that kept her away from singing for some time. Growing quiet, she finally said, “I don’t like singing today’s film’s songs. Aaj-kal dance ke gaane zyada hote hain. I took up Madhur Bhandakar’s song in Jail because it was special. Otherwise it’s better if I sing less these days. I’ve been singing for so many years. It’s about time I took it easy, don’t you think so? The songs have to be dignified. I can’t be singing item songs. Earlier I wasnt that choosy.”
A divine reunion
Lata Mangeshkar and her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar team up to recreate the magic of Meera Bhajans
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 03:18:57 AM
Lata Mangeshkar and her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar had created history with their devotional album Meera Bhajans in 1968. It was one of the 10 highest selling non-film albums of the country. Four decades after their commendable feat, they are teaming up again to work on an album with the same theme. Incidentally, Lata had refused to sing for Gulzar’s Meera (1979) saying that she has already sung the bhajans for her brother.
Confirming the news, Lata said, “Singing for my brother has always been a big challenge for me. He never lets me off the hook until I get every note right. Every time I sing for him, I break into a sweat because he expects nothing but perfection from himself and me. I feel like I’m going to climb another mountain with my brother. Our Gyaneshwari albums are the most popular Marathi recordings till date. I’ve no idea which Meera bhajan he has chosen this time or what kind of compositions he’s doing. Hridayanath has locked himself away from the world, lost in this new project. I can only wait.”
Hridayanath and Lata Mangeshkar
The wait has just got longer, as the outbreak of swine flu has inadvertently delayed the project. She said, “Hridayanath likes to compose in Pune. He has been in Mumbai because of swine flu. But now he’ll return to Pune.”
Devotional songs have always been a favourite genre with her. “Yes, I’ve done many devotional albums and loved the experience. Mujhe bhajan gaake bahut khushi hoti hai. It’s my favourite genre of singing. No form of singing gives me as much satisfaction as bhajans. I’ve also done a devotional album, Ram Shyam Gun Gaan, with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi,” she said.
Lata Mangeshkar has also sung the Hanuman Chalisa for an album. But she feels that she didn’t give the album her best shot. “I wasn’t singing for a while because of my knee surgery. I even told my composer Mayuresh Pai that I feel I could’ve done better with the Hanuman Chalisa. I think every artiste continues to crave to do better until their death. Once you get smug about your work, you’ve had it,” said Lata.
There was greater pain than the physical one that kept her away from singing for some time. Growing quiet, she finally said, “I don’t like singing today’s film’s songs. Aaj-kal dance ke gaane zyada hote hain. I took up Madhur Bhandakar’s song in Jail because it was special. Otherwise it’s better if I sing less these days. I’ve been singing for so many years. It’s about time I took it easy, don’t you think so? The songs have to be dignified. I can’t be singing item songs. Earlier I wasnt that choosy.”
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/200...ne-reunion.html
Lata Mangeshkar and her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar team up to recreate the magic of Meera Bhajans
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 03:18:57 AM
Lata Mangeshkar and her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar had created history with their devotional album Meera Bhajans in 1968. It was one of the 10 highest selling non-film albums of the country. Four decades after their commendable feat, they are teaming up again to work on an album with the same theme. Incidentally, Lata had refused to sing for Gulzar’s Meera (1979) saying that she has already sung the bhajans for her brother.
Confirming the news, Lata said, “Singing for my brother has always been a big challenge for me. He never lets me off the hook until I get every note right. Every time I sing for him, I break into a sweat because he expects nothing but perfection from himself and me. I feel like I’m going to climb another mountain with my brother. Our Gyaneshwari albums are the most popular Marathi recordings till date. I’ve no idea which Meera bhajan he has chosen this time or what kind of compositions he’s doing. Hridayanath has locked himself away from the world, lost in this new project. I can only wait.”
Hridayanath and Lata Mangeshkar
The wait has just got longer, as the outbreak of swine flu has inadvertently delayed the project. She said, “Hridayanath likes to compose in Pune. He has been in Mumbai because of swine flu. But now he’ll return to Pune.”
Devotional songs have always been a favourite genre with her. “Yes, I’ve done many devotional albums and loved the experience. Mujhe bhajan gaake bahut khushi hoti hai. It’s my favourite genre of singing. No form of singing gives me as much satisfaction as bhajans. I’ve also done a devotional album, Ram Shyam Gun Gaan, with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi,” she said.
Lata Mangeshkar has also sung the Hanuman Chalisa for an album. But she feels that she didn’t give the album her best shot. “I wasn’t singing for a while because of my knee surgery. I even told my composer Mayuresh Pai that I feel I could’ve done better with the Hanuman Chalisa. I think every artiste continues to crave to do better until their death. Once you get smug about your work, you’ve had it,” said Lata.
There was greater pain than the physical one that kept her away from singing for some time. Growing quiet, she finally said, “I don’t like singing today’s film’s songs. Aaj-kal dance ke gaane zyada hote hain. I took up Madhur Bhandakar’s song in Jail because it was special. Otherwise it’s better if I sing less these days. I’ve been singing for so many years. It’s about time I took it easy, don’t you think so? The songs have to be dignified. I can’t be singing item songs. Earlier I wasnt that choosy.”
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/200...ne-reunion.html
Morning raga
Lata Mangeskar’s song in Jail to be played every day during the morning assembly at Tihar jail
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Monday, October 26, 2009 at 02:37:06 AM
Madhur Bhandarkar and Lata Mangeshkar
Fifty two years after Lata Mangeshkar sang Ae malik tere bande hum, which had inspired prisoners in V Shantaram’s film Do Aankhen Barah Haath, the legendary singer is now ready to inspire the Tihar jail inmates. The jail authorities have decided to make Lata’s song Data sun le maula sun le from director Madhur Bhandarkar’s Jail a daily part of the morning assembly.
Surprised by the song’s fate, Lata says, “Look at the journey that the song Data sun le maula sun le has undertaken.” Recalling an instance from the past, Lata adds, “I remember when Jail’s lead actor, Neil Nitin Mukesh was born we were all sitting at Nataraj Hotel. My mother was also there with me. When Neil’s father Nitin Mukesh gave me three options for his newborn’s name, I chose Neil because he had blue eyes. Neil’s father had made me promise him that one day I would sing in a film starring his son. We never knew it would come true.”
“When Madhur and Shamir (Tandon, music director) approached me they said it was a song similar to Ae maalik,” says Lata. She asked Shamir to send the song to her home, “Nowadays, I like to hear what is offered to me before accepting. I immediately fell in love with Data sun le, but I had to cancel the recording twice before we finally recorded it. Earlier too, Madhur and Shamir had given me a beautiful song, Kitne ajeeb rishte hain yahan par from Page 3. Apart from these, I hardly get any song worth singing these days,” says Lata.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/200...rning-raga.html
Lata Mangeskar’s song in Jail to be played every day during the morning assembly at Tihar jail
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Monday, October 26, 2009 at 02:37:06 AM
Madhur Bhandarkar and Lata Mangeshkar
Fifty two years after Lata Mangeshkar sang Ae malik tere bande hum, which had inspired prisoners in V Shantaram’s film Do Aankhen Barah Haath, the legendary singer is now ready to inspire the Tihar jail inmates. The jail authorities have decided to make Lata’s song Data sun le maula sun le from director Madhur Bhandarkar’s Jail a daily part of the morning assembly.
Surprised by the song’s fate, Lata says, “Look at the journey that the song Data sun le maula sun le has undertaken.” Recalling an instance from the past, Lata adds, “I remember when Jail’s lead actor, Neil Nitin Mukesh was born we were all sitting at Nataraj Hotel. My mother was also there with me. When Neil’s father Nitin Mukesh gave me three options for his newborn’s name, I chose Neil because he had blue eyes. Neil’s father had made me promise him that one day I would sing in a film starring his son. We never knew it would come true.”
“When Madhur and Shamir (Tandon, music director) approached me they said it was a song similar to Ae maalik,” says Lata. She asked Shamir to send the song to her home, “Nowadays, I like to hear what is offered to me before accepting. I immediately fell in love with Data sun le, but I had to cancel the recording twice before we finally recorded it. Earlier too, Madhur and Shamir had given me a beautiful song, Kitne ajeeb rishte hain yahan par from Page 3. Apart from these, I hardly get any song worth singing these days,” says Lata.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/200...rning-raga.html
Lataji is my Saraswati: Rekha Bhardwaj
Indo-Asian News Service
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 (New Delhi)
Her voice is husky and sensual, very different from that of the singing legend Lata Mangeshkar, but playback singer Rekha Bharadwaj still considers the nightingale of India her idol and describes Lata as Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning.
"Lataji is my Saraswati. I am very fortunate that I got a chance to see Lataji's recordings and the way she prepares for a song. She is something else. Nobody can be her. We cannot reach that level," said Rekha.
The singer says every song by Lata is a lesson in itself. "Whenever I need to learn something, I listen to her songs and see where she breathes out, where she breathes in, etc," she said.
Rekha feels that such was Lata's talent that she used to lift even mediocre compositions with her voice.
"Even at that time there were some mediocre compositions, but when someone like Lataji used to sing it she used to take it to some other level altogether - such is her talent."
Rekha, who is married to filmmaker-composer Vishal Bharadwaj, has musical roots that lie in Sufi, folk and classical genres. She released her first album Ishqa Ishqa in 2004 to critical acclaim. However, it was her song Namak isq ak in her husband's directorial venture Omkara that really won her accolades.
Indo-Asian News Service
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 (New Delhi)
Her voice is husky and sensual, very different from that of the singing legend Lata Mangeshkar, but playback singer Rekha Bharadwaj still considers the nightingale of India her idol and describes Lata as Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning.
"Lataji is my Saraswati. I am very fortunate that I got a chance to see Lataji's recordings and the way she prepares for a song. She is something else. Nobody can be her. We cannot reach that level," said Rekha.
The singer says every song by Lata is a lesson in itself. "Whenever I need to learn something, I listen to her songs and see where she breathes out, where she breathes in, etc," she said.
Rekha feels that such was Lata's talent that she used to lift even mediocre compositions with her voice.
"Even at that time there were some mediocre compositions, but when someone like Lataji used to sing it she used to take it to some other level altogether - such is her talent."
Rekha, who is married to filmmaker-composer Vishal Bharadwaj, has musical roots that lie in Sufi, folk and classical genres. She released her first album Ishqa Ishqa in 2004 to critical acclaim. However, it was her song Namak isq ak in her husband's directorial venture Omkara that really won her accolades.
'I miss my fellow singers, their friendship, the most'
Shubha Shetty-SahaMonday, September 28, 2009 2:33 IST
For more than six decades, her voice has captured the hearts and minds of millions of her admirers. Despite all the fame and success, however, Lata Mangeshkar continues to stay away from the glitz and glamour. In an interview with DNA, India's foremost playback singer talks about her brief acting career, her love for singing, and the few close friends she made in the course of her long career.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lata Mangeshkar at 80
People like you are irreplaceable. Is there any pressure being such a big icon?
No, not after the love and fame I have received. I have always maintained that all this has been given to me by god and I have nothing to do with this. In our kind of work, one needs to have positive energy.
Does this birthday, turning 80, make you nostalgic?
Yes. Since I was four or five years old, I wanted to learn singing from my father. But I was too afraid to tell him. I sang in front of my mother and she told him to start teaching me.
Baba passed away in 1942. I was 13 and had to start earning. Though I had started singing at the age of nine, I thought I should get into acting. I started acting in Marathi films, mainly produced by Master Vinayak. Three years later, I came to Mumbai and started to learn singing from Aman Ali Khansaab Bhendibazaarwale, while continuing being part of films.
In 1947, after Master Vinayak passed away, I stuck to playback singing. I haven't stopped since.
I have always believed that you must learn to take care of whatever you are blessed with. I think whatever talent god has blessed with me is my poonji. Thoda mehnat kiya hai riyaaz kar ke...
You have sung innumerable songs. Which has given you the most creative satisfaction?
You won't believe it, but I don't listen to my own songs. I mostly listen to bhajans and shloks. I have stuck to one principle. I won't sing an obscene song. It's not that I couldn't sing the cabaret numbers, but I purposely stayed away from them. They wouldn't suit me. I think I couldn't do justice to them the way someone else would have.
I have never sung even Marathi lavanis. I have sung one in V Shantaramji's film, Amar Bhupali. I remember clearly that when Raj Kapoor approached me to sing Main kya karoon ram mujhe buddha mil gaya, I refused to sing it. He convinced me that it would be picturised on a married woman teasing her husband. Till today, I haven't seen the picturisation of that song.
You haven't had much of a personal life. Any regrets?
None. I might have missed a lot in life, but you see, god has given me a lot of name and fame. I don't even know if I deserve it. But for what I didn't get, afsos nahin, dukh nahin. Jo mila hai wahi bahut hai.
There were many rumours about you at the peak of your career...
I believe you have to work hard to be successful. Yes, at times there will be people who appreciate you, but at the same time there will be some who talk ill of you and spread lies. Mere saath yeh sab hua hai. Kaafi logon ne mujhe tang kiya hai, baaton se pareshan kiya hai. I just ignored them. Chhod do. Koi aapka kuch nahin bigad sakta.
But I must tell you that every music director I have worked with gave me immense respect. SD Burman and Naushad treated me like their daughter. Naushad and I used to talk for hours together. SD Burman was like my brother. Even writers like Majrooh Sultanpuri and Shailendra respected me. I also used to tie rakhi to Madan Bhaiyya [music director Madan Mohan] and Shankar-Jaikishen. So along with the brickbats, I also got loads of love.
I make sure that I give immense respect to everyone I come across. I talk with respect even to my servants and driver.
Most of those people you mentioned are not around any longer. Do you feel lonely at times?
Yes, I do. Let me tell you a secret. I miss some of my fellow singers the most. Kishore [Kumar], Mukesh Bhaiyya, Talat Saheb [Talat Mahmood], Hemant Kumar, Geeta Dutt. I really miss them. Geeta was going through a tough phase in life and she would come and discuss her personal problems with me. So did Kishore. He seemed like a funny man, but he had a lot of unhappiness in his life. They would confide in me. I miss their friendship. I will always miss them. We were a close circle of friends.
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/interview_i...he-most_1293456
Shubha Shetty-SahaMonday, September 28, 2009 2:33 IST
For more than six decades, her voice has captured the hearts and minds of millions of her admirers. Despite all the fame and success, however, Lata Mangeshkar continues to stay away from the glitz and glamour. In an interview with DNA, India's foremost playback singer talks about her brief acting career, her love for singing, and the few close friends she made in the course of her long career.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lata Mangeshkar at 80
People like you are irreplaceable. Is there any pressure being such a big icon?
No, not after the love and fame I have received. I have always maintained that all this has been given to me by god and I have nothing to do with this. In our kind of work, one needs to have positive energy.
Does this birthday, turning 80, make you nostalgic?
Yes. Since I was four or five years old, I wanted to learn singing from my father. But I was too afraid to tell him. I sang in front of my mother and she told him to start teaching me.
Baba passed away in 1942. I was 13 and had to start earning. Though I had started singing at the age of nine, I thought I should get into acting. I started acting in Marathi films, mainly produced by Master Vinayak. Three years later, I came to Mumbai and started to learn singing from Aman Ali Khansaab Bhendibazaarwale, while continuing being part of films.
In 1947, after Master Vinayak passed away, I stuck to playback singing. I haven't stopped since.
I have always believed that you must learn to take care of whatever you are blessed with. I think whatever talent god has blessed with me is my poonji. Thoda mehnat kiya hai riyaaz kar ke...
You have sung innumerable songs. Which has given you the most creative satisfaction?
You won't believe it, but I don't listen to my own songs. I mostly listen to bhajans and shloks. I have stuck to one principle. I won't sing an obscene song. It's not that I couldn't sing the cabaret numbers, but I purposely stayed away from them. They wouldn't suit me. I think I couldn't do justice to them the way someone else would have.
I have never sung even Marathi lavanis. I have sung one in V Shantaramji's film, Amar Bhupali. I remember clearly that when Raj Kapoor approached me to sing Main kya karoon ram mujhe buddha mil gaya, I refused to sing it. He convinced me that it would be picturised on a married woman teasing her husband. Till today, I haven't seen the picturisation of that song.
You haven't had much of a personal life. Any regrets?
None. I might have missed a lot in life, but you see, god has given me a lot of name and fame. I don't even know if I deserve it. But for what I didn't get, afsos nahin, dukh nahin. Jo mila hai wahi bahut hai.
There were many rumours about you at the peak of your career...
I believe you have to work hard to be successful. Yes, at times there will be people who appreciate you, but at the same time there will be some who talk ill of you and spread lies. Mere saath yeh sab hua hai. Kaafi logon ne mujhe tang kiya hai, baaton se pareshan kiya hai. I just ignored them. Chhod do. Koi aapka kuch nahin bigad sakta.
But I must tell you that every music director I have worked with gave me immense respect. SD Burman and Naushad treated me like their daughter. Naushad and I used to talk for hours together. SD Burman was like my brother. Even writers like Majrooh Sultanpuri and Shailendra respected me. I also used to tie rakhi to Madan Bhaiyya [music director Madan Mohan] and Shankar-Jaikishen. So along with the brickbats, I also got loads of love.
I make sure that I give immense respect to everyone I come across. I talk with respect even to my servants and driver.
Most of those people you mentioned are not around any longer. Do you feel lonely at times?
Yes, I do. Let me tell you a secret. I miss some of my fellow singers the most. Kishore [Kumar], Mukesh Bhaiyya, Talat Saheb [Talat Mahmood], Hemant Kumar, Geeta Dutt. I really miss them. Geeta was going through a tough phase in life and she would come and discuss her personal problems with me. So did Kishore. He seemed like a funny man, but he had a lot of unhappiness in his life. They would confide in me. I miss their friendship. I will always miss them. We were a close circle of friends.
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/interview_i...he-most_1293456
Voice Eternal
Sidharth Bhatia / DNAMonday, September 28, 2009 2:32 IST Email
Mumbai: There are few things argumentative Indians agree wholeheartedly with. That Lata Mangeshkar is India's premier singer is one of them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lata Mangeshkar at 80
True, there are dissenters: many feel she is no longer what she used to be. Others say there are and have been singers as good, if not better. Still others pooh-pooh film music and put it far below classical music. None of these criticisms detracts, however, from the fact that Lata Mangeshkar has given voice to our hopes, aspirations, loves, losses, and every conceivable mood of the human condition. She has done so for generations and she has done it with aplomb and grace.
We have woken up to her songs -- Jaago mohan pyare -- and gone to sleep with them -- Dheere se aaja re akkhiyan mei. We have loved and lost a million times, cried with her, and gone into a romantic swoon with her. She is the one we turn to when we want to get maudlin, and then she cheers us with a hummable song that stays in our heads the whole day.
Her story is well known: coming from a musical family, brought up in relative poverty, singing at an early age to support her family after her father died; making it big after years of struggle, and then, gradually, consolidating her position as India's premier singer. She has sung thousands of songs, the estimates go up to 30,000, but there is no real count.
We love her not merely for her voice, her omnipresence, or her longevity, though those are important. For us, Lata Mangeshkar is much more than that; she represents a simplicity and dignity that is uniquely from this soil and imbued with a sense of Indianness.
She dresses simply in a sari (usually white), with little more than a few discreet bits of jewellery. She keeps a low profile, staying away from the world of glamour that is all around her. She has had her share of quarrels and controversies, but they have never got ugly or cheap. It is this grace that has endeared her to us even more.
Lata's pan-Indianness is also gauged from the fact that she has sung in almost every language as if it were her own. Stung by a remark that her Urdu was shaky, she worked hard on her pronunciation, winning over even her critics. But while being rooted in the Indian ethos, she has loved Western classical and pop music.
As a professional she has fought for the rights of singers. She demanded and got royalties for singers when her contemporaries were satisfied with the fee they got. She has now been heard complaining that the frequent use of her songs on new media have brought her -- and her colleagues -- nothing, which she finds unfair.
Lata Mangeshkar has been with us ever since India became independent. She began singing before 1947 and has been singing ever since. There were doubters who had then claimed that she got her chance because Noorjehan left for Pakistan. But forgive them, they know not what they say. Noorjehan, while undoubtedly a great singer, had serious limitations and, sooner or later, Lata Mangeshkar would have risen to the top on her own steam. Talent -- and, in this case, a divine gift -- cannot be hidden for long. Now, of course, she is an icon, a national treasure and a ratna who belongs to all of us. She is the soul and voice of India.
'I'm glad to have her as a friend'
I didn't know Lataji well in the initial phase of my career. I had heard she was a snob, so I was wary. But one incident changed my opinion. Soon after the 1971 war, many actors and singers travelled to the border area of Bangladesh. I was put up with Nargis and Lataji was staying in the adjacent room with Mala [Sinha]. Our bathrooms didn't have water and we knew that Lataji's did. Both of us hadn't taken a bath for two days, but we were scared to ask her.
Finally, when I asked, she was extremely polite and let me in. Midway through my bath, the water stopped. Lataji quickly got the jawans to bring two buckets of water and carried them herself to the bathroom. After we came back, she invited all of us, including Sunil [Dutt], for dinner. Since then, we are friends, though I am not in constant touch with her.I met her recently a few months back and it seemed like there has been no time gap. God bless her!
-Waheeda Rehman
As told to Shubha Shetty-Saha
'I am awestruck by her talent'
We have worked together for 50 years and I am still awestruck by her talent. She is not a singer, she is a legend. She first sang for my debut film, Dhool Ka Phool. The lori she sang, Tu mere pyaar ka phool hai... still touches me. I don't think any singer in the world could last so long. She still has the same passion in her singing that she did when she started. When she came to sing for my film Veer-Zara, she broke down while singing Tere liye hum hain. She remembered Madanji (Madan Mohan) who had composed the song 35 years ago and couldn't stop crying.
Every song, about 50 of them, she has sung for me has been sung with her heart and soul. She objected to singing certain songs which she thought were not decent. A singer should be given that freedom. I hope she continues singing for many more years to come.
- Yash Chopra
As told to Shubha Shetty-Saha
'She is Saraswati ka vardan for us'
Whatever we are is because of her. She is beyond praise. We wait for her birthday throughout the year, but she doesn't meet anyone on her birthday. I look up to her. She is Saraswati ka vardan for us. She is going to be 80 now and we hope that she lives a healthy and long life.
Though she has achieved so much in life, she has never thrown her weight around. Her nature is such that she continues to help people, advise them, and talk to them with love. I send her flowers on her birthday and take her advice whenever I want to.
-Pyarelal
As told to Chhaya Toshniwal
'Lataji always thinks of others'
Lataji has been like a member of our family and we respect her immensely. To me, she is Didi. I am always moved by the affection she has for our family. I recall vividly the first time I met her. It was at a souvenir shop in Geneva. I deliberately lingered on in the shop until she spoke to a salesperson, just to hear her voice. Little did I know that it would be the beginning of a family relationship.
Our entertainment business, HMV Saregama, has had ties with Lataji since 1946. Her life has been about exploring innumerable possibilities with music as a medium and about inspiring the common man. It is an honour for us to continue to partner with Lataji during her distinguished career as the Nightingale of India.
Recently, I invited her to spend an evening with us at a small gathering. She had severe pain in her knee. Nevertheless, she came. That's Lataji; always doing things for others.
-Harsh Goenka
As told to Riddhi Doshi
Sidharth Bhatia / DNAMonday, September 28, 2009 2:32 IST Email
Mumbai: There are few things argumentative Indians agree wholeheartedly with. That Lata Mangeshkar is India's premier singer is one of them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lata Mangeshkar at 80
True, there are dissenters: many feel she is no longer what she used to be. Others say there are and have been singers as good, if not better. Still others pooh-pooh film music and put it far below classical music. None of these criticisms detracts, however, from the fact that Lata Mangeshkar has given voice to our hopes, aspirations, loves, losses, and every conceivable mood of the human condition. She has done so for generations and she has done it with aplomb and grace.
We have woken up to her songs -- Jaago mohan pyare -- and gone to sleep with them -- Dheere se aaja re akkhiyan mei. We have loved and lost a million times, cried with her, and gone into a romantic swoon with her. She is the one we turn to when we want to get maudlin, and then she cheers us with a hummable song that stays in our heads the whole day.
Her story is well known: coming from a musical family, brought up in relative poverty, singing at an early age to support her family after her father died; making it big after years of struggle, and then, gradually, consolidating her position as India's premier singer. She has sung thousands of songs, the estimates go up to 30,000, but there is no real count.
We love her not merely for her voice, her omnipresence, or her longevity, though those are important. For us, Lata Mangeshkar is much more than that; she represents a simplicity and dignity that is uniquely from this soil and imbued with a sense of Indianness.
She dresses simply in a sari (usually white), with little more than a few discreet bits of jewellery. She keeps a low profile, staying away from the world of glamour that is all around her. She has had her share of quarrels and controversies, but they have never got ugly or cheap. It is this grace that has endeared her to us even more.
Lata's pan-Indianness is also gauged from the fact that she has sung in almost every language as if it were her own. Stung by a remark that her Urdu was shaky, she worked hard on her pronunciation, winning over even her critics. But while being rooted in the Indian ethos, she has loved Western classical and pop music.
As a professional she has fought for the rights of singers. She demanded and got royalties for singers when her contemporaries were satisfied with the fee they got. She has now been heard complaining that the frequent use of her songs on new media have brought her -- and her colleagues -- nothing, which she finds unfair.
Lata Mangeshkar has been with us ever since India became independent. She began singing before 1947 and has been singing ever since. There were doubters who had then claimed that she got her chance because Noorjehan left for Pakistan. But forgive them, they know not what they say. Noorjehan, while undoubtedly a great singer, had serious limitations and, sooner or later, Lata Mangeshkar would have risen to the top on her own steam. Talent -- and, in this case, a divine gift -- cannot be hidden for long. Now, of course, she is an icon, a national treasure and a ratna who belongs to all of us. She is the soul and voice of India.
'I'm glad to have her as a friend'
I didn't know Lataji well in the initial phase of my career. I had heard she was a snob, so I was wary. But one incident changed my opinion. Soon after the 1971 war, many actors and singers travelled to the border area of Bangladesh. I was put up with Nargis and Lataji was staying in the adjacent room with Mala [Sinha]. Our bathrooms didn't have water and we knew that Lataji's did. Both of us hadn't taken a bath for two days, but we were scared to ask her.
Finally, when I asked, she was extremely polite and let me in. Midway through my bath, the water stopped. Lataji quickly got the jawans to bring two buckets of water and carried them herself to the bathroom. After we came back, she invited all of us, including Sunil [Dutt], for dinner. Since then, we are friends, though I am not in constant touch with her.I met her recently a few months back and it seemed like there has been no time gap. God bless her!
-Waheeda Rehman
As told to Shubha Shetty-Saha
'I am awestruck by her talent'
We have worked together for 50 years and I am still awestruck by her talent. She is not a singer, she is a legend. She first sang for my debut film, Dhool Ka Phool. The lori she sang, Tu mere pyaar ka phool hai... still touches me. I don't think any singer in the world could last so long. She still has the same passion in her singing that she did when she started. When she came to sing for my film Veer-Zara, she broke down while singing Tere liye hum hain. She remembered Madanji (Madan Mohan) who had composed the song 35 years ago and couldn't stop crying.
Every song, about 50 of them, she has sung for me has been sung with her heart and soul. She objected to singing certain songs which she thought were not decent. A singer should be given that freedom. I hope she continues singing for many more years to come.
- Yash Chopra
As told to Shubha Shetty-Saha
'She is Saraswati ka vardan for us'
Whatever we are is because of her. She is beyond praise. We wait for her birthday throughout the year, but she doesn't meet anyone on her birthday. I look up to her. She is Saraswati ka vardan for us. She is going to be 80 now and we hope that she lives a healthy and long life.
Though she has achieved so much in life, she has never thrown her weight around. Her nature is such that she continues to help people, advise them, and talk to them with love. I send her flowers on her birthday and take her advice whenever I want to.
-Pyarelal
As told to Chhaya Toshniwal
'Lataji always thinks of others'
Lataji has been like a member of our family and we respect her immensely. To me, she is Didi. I am always moved by the affection she has for our family. I recall vividly the first time I met her. It was at a souvenir shop in Geneva. I deliberately lingered on in the shop until she spoke to a salesperson, just to hear her voice. Little did I know that it would be the beginning of a family relationship.
Our entertainment business, HMV Saregama, has had ties with Lataji since 1946. Her life has been about exploring innumerable possibilities with music as a medium and about inspiring the common man. It is an honour for us to continue to partner with Lataji during her distinguished career as the Nightingale of India.
Recently, I invited her to spend an evening with us at a small gathering. She had severe pain in her knee. Nevertheless, she came. That's Lataji; always doing things for others.
-Harsh Goenka
As told to Riddhi Doshi
Lata we love you...
Celebrities reminisce about their first encounters and the time spent working with Lata Mangeshkar, on the occasion of her 80th birthday today.
Waheeda Rahman
I didn't know Lataji well in the initial phase of my career. I had heard she was a snob, so I was wary. But one incident changed my opinion. Soon after the 1971 war, many actors and singers travelled to the border area of Bangladesh. I was put up with Nargis and Lataji was staying in the adjacent room with Mala [Sinha]. Our bathrooms didn't have water and we knew that Lataji's did. Both of us hadn't taken a bath for two days, but we were scared to ask her if we could bathe in her room.
Finally, I mustered courage to go and ask. She was extremely polite and let me in. Midway through my bath, the water stopped and I called out to Lataji to help. She quickly got the jawans to bring two buckets of water and carried them herself to the bathroom. That's when I realised that one shouldn't go by the public perception of a celebrity.
Obviously she can't be too warm and friendly with every person she meets. After we came back from there, she invited all of us, including Sunil [Dutt], for dinner at her place. Since then, we are friends, though I am not in constant touch with her. During the recording of Lamhe, I was told Lataji would be there, so I made it a point to reach the studios to meet her. I met her recently a few months back and it seemed like there has been no time gap. God bless her!
(as told to Shubha Shetty-Saha)
Gulzar
For more than half a century, a lot has been written about Lata Mangeshkar and one has hardly anything to add. Even the highest award of the land, Bharat Ratna, has been conferred on her. We have been waking up and going to sleep listening to her voice since the pre-Independence era. Since the time singers like Noorjehan left, hers is the voice that has ruled our hearts. Need I say more?
(As told to Ranjib Mazumder)
Harsh Goenka
Lataji has been like a member of our family and we respect her immensely. To me, she is Didi. I am always moved by the affection she has for our family. I recall vividly the first time I met her many years ago. It was at a souvenir shop in Geneva. I deliberately lingered on in the shop until she spoke to a salesperson, just to hear her voice. Little did I know then that it would be the beginning of a long family relationship.
Our entertainment business, HMV Saregama, has had ties with Lataji since 1946. Her life has been about exploring innumerable possibilities with music as a medium and about inspiring the common man. It is an honour for us to continue to partner with Lataji during her distinguished career as the Nightingale of India. Recently, I invited her to spend an evening with us at a small gathering. She had severe pain in her knee. Nevertheless, she came. That's Lataji; always doing things for others. Not only is she is a leading light in the film industry, but also an apostle of simplicity.
(as told to Riddhi Doshi)
Yash Chopra
We have worked together for 50 years and I am still awestruck by her talent. She is not a singer, she is a legend. She first sang for my debut film, Dhool Ka Phool. The lori she sang, Tu mere pyaar ka phool hai… still touches me.
I don't think any singer in the world could last so long. She still has the same passion in her singing that she did 69 years ago when she started. When she came to sing for my film Veer-Zara, she broke down while singing Tere liye hum hain. She remembered Madanji (Madan Mohan) who had composed the song 35 years ago and couldn't stop crying.
At this stage of her career, nothing can describe the passion and professionalism she has displayed all these years. All adjectives fall short.
Every song, about 50 of them, she has sung for me has been sung with her heart and soul. She objected to singing certain songs which she thought were not decent and I totally support her. A singer should be given that freedom. I have always allowed her to say no, not that she did many times. Why force her to do something she is uncomfortable with?
Apart from the lori in Dhool Ka Phool, my favourite is Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko from Sadhana. I hope she continues singing for many more years to come.
(as told to Shubha Shetty-Saha)
Pyarelal
Whatever we are is because of her. She is beyond praise. We wait for her birthday throughout the year, but she doesn't meet anyone on her birthday. I look up to her. She is Saraswati ka vardan for us. She is going to be 80 now, but we hope she continues to live longer.
Though she has achieved so much in life, she has never thrown her weight around. Her nature is such that she continues to help people, advise them, and talk to them with love. I send her flowers on her birthday and take her advice whenever I want to.
(as told to Chhaya Toshniwal)
DNA
Celebrities reminisce about their first encounters and the time spent working with Lata Mangeshkar, on the occasion of her 80th birthday today.
Waheeda Rahman
I didn't know Lataji well in the initial phase of my career. I had heard she was a snob, so I was wary. But one incident changed my opinion. Soon after the 1971 war, many actors and singers travelled to the border area of Bangladesh. I was put up with Nargis and Lataji was staying in the adjacent room with Mala [Sinha]. Our bathrooms didn't have water and we knew that Lataji's did. Both of us hadn't taken a bath for two days, but we were scared to ask her if we could bathe in her room.
Finally, I mustered courage to go and ask. She was extremely polite and let me in. Midway through my bath, the water stopped and I called out to Lataji to help. She quickly got the jawans to bring two buckets of water and carried them herself to the bathroom. That's when I realised that one shouldn't go by the public perception of a celebrity.
Obviously she can't be too warm and friendly with every person she meets. After we came back from there, she invited all of us, including Sunil [Dutt], for dinner at her place. Since then, we are friends, though I am not in constant touch with her. During the recording of Lamhe, I was told Lataji would be there, so I made it a point to reach the studios to meet her. I met her recently a few months back and it seemed like there has been no time gap. God bless her!
(as told to Shubha Shetty-Saha)
Gulzar
For more than half a century, a lot has been written about Lata Mangeshkar and one has hardly anything to add. Even the highest award of the land, Bharat Ratna, has been conferred on her. We have been waking up and going to sleep listening to her voice since the pre-Independence era. Since the time singers like Noorjehan left, hers is the voice that has ruled our hearts. Need I say more?
(As told to Ranjib Mazumder)
Harsh Goenka
Lataji has been like a member of our family and we respect her immensely. To me, she is Didi. I am always moved by the affection she has for our family. I recall vividly the first time I met her many years ago. It was at a souvenir shop in Geneva. I deliberately lingered on in the shop until she spoke to a salesperson, just to hear her voice. Little did I know then that it would be the beginning of a long family relationship.
Our entertainment business, HMV Saregama, has had ties with Lataji since 1946. Her life has been about exploring innumerable possibilities with music as a medium and about inspiring the common man. It is an honour for us to continue to partner with Lataji during her distinguished career as the Nightingale of India. Recently, I invited her to spend an evening with us at a small gathering. She had severe pain in her knee. Nevertheless, she came. That's Lataji; always doing things for others. Not only is she is a leading light in the film industry, but also an apostle of simplicity.
(as told to Riddhi Doshi)
Yash Chopra
We have worked together for 50 years and I am still awestruck by her talent. She is not a singer, she is a legend. She first sang for my debut film, Dhool Ka Phool. The lori she sang, Tu mere pyaar ka phool hai… still touches me.
I don't think any singer in the world could last so long. She still has the same passion in her singing that she did 69 years ago when she started. When she came to sing for my film Veer-Zara, she broke down while singing Tere liye hum hain. She remembered Madanji (Madan Mohan) who had composed the song 35 years ago and couldn't stop crying.
At this stage of her career, nothing can describe the passion and professionalism she has displayed all these years. All adjectives fall short.
Every song, about 50 of them, she has sung for me has been sung with her heart and soul. She objected to singing certain songs which she thought were not decent and I totally support her. A singer should be given that freedom. I have always allowed her to say no, not that she did many times. Why force her to do something she is uncomfortable with?
Apart from the lori in Dhool Ka Phool, my favourite is Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko from Sadhana. I hope she continues singing for many more years to come.
(as told to Shubha Shetty-Saha)
Pyarelal
Whatever we are is because of her. She is beyond praise. We wait for her birthday throughout the year, but she doesn't meet anyone on her birthday. I look up to her. She is Saraswati ka vardan for us. She is going to be 80 now, but we hope she continues to live longer.
Though she has achieved so much in life, she has never thrown her weight around. Her nature is such that she continues to help people, advise them, and talk to them with love. I send her flowers on her birthday and take her advice whenever I want to.
(as told to Chhaya Toshniwal)
DNA
Composer Jatin salutes the incomparable Lataji.
Jatin, who with his brother Lalit, composed one of her memorable numbers in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, sings his favourite Lata Mangeshkar songs, including Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam.
I met Lataji for the first time in the mid-1970s. I was seven or eight years old. My brother Lalit, sister Vijeta Pandit and I had gone to Laxmikant-Pyarelal's studio to sing a chorus with Lataji. I don't remember the film's name, but it was a children's song. I sang with Lataji for the first time.
I was a big fan of hers and always dreamt of making her sing for me some day. When we got Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, the producer asked us to approach Lataji to sing a song for the film.
I took my father Pandit Pratap Narayan to meet Lataji. He knew her; he had taught her brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar.
I explained to Lataji that a new boy would be acting in the film opposite Juhi Chawla. Lataji said she would sing the song, but wanted to listen to the tune. In the end, she did not sing the song as she was out of town during the recording. Alka Yagnik sang it instead.
Two years later, in 1994, when we were composing the score for Dev Anand's Gangster, Devsaab asked us which singer we wanted for the song, Maine Pyaar Kisi Se Kiya Kyun Kiya Mujhe Kya Pata, to be picturised on Mink. Lalit said Lataji.
Devsaab immediately called Lataji and asked her to sing for the film and she obliged. That was the first time we got Lataji to sing for us. We did another song with Lataji for Gangster, and later did Devsaab's Censor with her singing a song in it as well.
We got close to her only after Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Lataji was completely involved in that project. She had also become familiar with our working style.
In an interview she did then, Lataji said 'Jatin-Lalit are this decade's intelligent composers'. That was the biggest honour we got from her. It has been our privilege to work with her.
There is a huge difference between Lataji's journey and ours. She has been working since the 1940s, and has worked with many composers. That's why we were nervous initially. How would we make her sing?
But by the time Dilwale... happened, we developed a good friendship with her. She would joke with us -- she has a great sense of humour. She's very mischievous, but her jokes are all clean ones.
Yashji (Chopra) would order food from Gaylords (a restaurant in south Mumbai). She would always ask us to eat with her, and want to order new dishes. She loves Chinese food. She was very caring.
Lataji would talk about her struggle in the industry. But I will not mention that now because this is her birthday and a happy time, not the time to discuss sad stories.
She would tell us how recording songs earlier used to take a lot of time, that it is faster now, but not easy for her. I think recording those days was tougher because they used to record the whole song at one go. Nowadays we record the song in parts, and then mix it.
Before singing a song, she always has Milan supari. She does not bite it, she just has the juice.
When we were recording Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam from Diwale..., we were not getting the aalap right. It was getting late and Lataji was very tired.
She asked me to use one of the recordings she had done earlier in the evening. I requested her for one more recording. She was exhausted, but she agreed and gave her best shot.
Yashji and Pamji (Pamela Chopra, Yash Chopra's wife) and Sanjeev Kohli (the late composer Madan Mohan's son) were present. They were very happy.
When she finished, I touched her feet and apologised. She said nice work is only done through persistence. I think I pushed Lataji a lot that day.
As told to Patcy N
rediff.com
Jatin, who with his brother Lalit, composed one of her memorable numbers in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, sings his favourite Lata Mangeshkar songs, including Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam.
I met Lataji for the first time in the mid-1970s. I was seven or eight years old. My brother Lalit, sister Vijeta Pandit and I had gone to Laxmikant-Pyarelal's studio to sing a chorus with Lataji. I don't remember the film's name, but it was a children's song. I sang with Lataji for the first time.
I was a big fan of hers and always dreamt of making her sing for me some day. When we got Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, the producer asked us to approach Lataji to sing a song for the film.
I took my father Pandit Pratap Narayan to meet Lataji. He knew her; he had taught her brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar.
I explained to Lataji that a new boy would be acting in the film opposite Juhi Chawla. Lataji said she would sing the song, but wanted to listen to the tune. In the end, she did not sing the song as she was out of town during the recording. Alka Yagnik sang it instead.
Two years later, in 1994, when we were composing the score for Dev Anand's Gangster, Devsaab asked us which singer we wanted for the song, Maine Pyaar Kisi Se Kiya Kyun Kiya Mujhe Kya Pata, to be picturised on Mink. Lalit said Lataji.
Devsaab immediately called Lataji and asked her to sing for the film and she obliged. That was the first time we got Lataji to sing for us. We did another song with Lataji for Gangster, and later did Devsaab's Censor with her singing a song in it as well.
We got close to her only after Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Lataji was completely involved in that project. She had also become familiar with our working style.
In an interview she did then, Lataji said 'Jatin-Lalit are this decade's intelligent composers'. That was the biggest honour we got from her. It has been our privilege to work with her.
There is a huge difference between Lataji's journey and ours. She has been working since the 1940s, and has worked with many composers. That's why we were nervous initially. How would we make her sing?
But by the time Dilwale... happened, we developed a good friendship with her. She would joke with us -- she has a great sense of humour. She's very mischievous, but her jokes are all clean ones.
Yashji (Chopra) would order food from Gaylords (a restaurant in south Mumbai). She would always ask us to eat with her, and want to order new dishes. She loves Chinese food. She was very caring.
Lataji would talk about her struggle in the industry. But I will not mention that now because this is her birthday and a happy time, not the time to discuss sad stories.
She would tell us how recording songs earlier used to take a lot of time, that it is faster now, but not easy for her. I think recording those days was tougher because they used to record the whole song at one go. Nowadays we record the song in parts, and then mix it.
Before singing a song, she always has Milan supari. She does not bite it, she just has the juice.
When we were recording Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam from Diwale..., we were not getting the aalap right. It was getting late and Lataji was very tired.
She asked me to use one of the recordings she had done earlier in the evening. I requested her for one more recording. She was exhausted, but she agreed and gave her best shot.
Yashji and Pamji (Pamela Chopra, Yash Chopra's wife) and Sanjeev Kohli (the late composer Madan Mohan's son) were present. They were very happy.
When she finished, I touched her feet and apologised. She said nice work is only done through persistence. I think I pushed Lataji a lot that day.
As told to Patcy N
rediff.com
God wanted me to sing: Lata
Subhash K Jha , MUMBAI MIRROR 28 September 2009, 08:52am IST
How do you define the journey?
I feel God has sent me to earth to sing. I started singing when I was five, but I don’t think I’ve worked as hard as many other people.
Why do you say you that?
After 1947 when I started playback singing, the work never stopped. Before that it wasn’t easy. I used to travel by train from Grant Road to Malad and then save money by walking instead of taking a tonga to the recording studios. I thereby saved 50 paise to Re 1 which I used to buy vegetables for my family. I was the sole bread-earner after our father passed away.
That must have been really tough on an adolescent girl.
I missed out on my childhood. I had to work hard, but I was immediately given a place in playback. One of the earliest composers to support me was Master Ghulam Haider. When he was told that my voice wouldn’t suit the heroine in a Dilip Kumar saab starrer Shaheed, he gave me songs in Majboor. Then other composers like Anil Biswasji, Khemchand Prakashji and Naushad saab came forward to sign me. From 1947 onwards there was no looking back.
There has never been a rough patch in your 65-year-long career?
I’m blessed. Nowadays I’ve almost stopped singing film songs but I enjoy singing and I continue to do the work I’m comfortable with like the recent Hamuman Chalisa and my forthcoming project with my brother. When I look back I see nothing I’d like to change.
What about your infamous rift with Mohd Rafi?
I’ll tell you what happened. We had a Musicians’ Association in the 1960s . Mukesh bhaiyya, Talaj Mehmood saab had started a campaign for artistes to get royalty so that they would have a comfortable old age. Main to leti thi royalty but I also wanted other artistes to get it. Rafi saab was instigated into opposing my campaign. In a meeting among musicians he said, ‘We get money for what we sing from producers and that’s the end of what we get.’ When he was asked his opinion Rafi saab turned to Mukesh bhaiyya and said, ‘I guess this Maharani here will say whatever has to be said.’
He meant you?
Yes. I said, ‘Of course I am a Maharani. But why are you calling me that?’ He said in front of everyone at the meeting that he won’t sing with me. I turned around and said, ‘Yeh kasht aap kyon kar rahe hain? Main hi nahin gaaongi aapke saath.’ I stormed out of the meeting and called up every music director to inform them that I would thereafter not sing with Rafi saab. We didn’t sing together for almost three years.
What about the alleged differences between you and your sister Asha Bhosle?
We’re sisters. The fights were because of her husband who was against me.
Composers gave all the heroines’ songs to you and all the supporting actresses’ songs to Ashaji ...
Not always. What about so many films where only Asha sang all the songs? In fact OP Nayyarji worked only with her. Even some of Burman dada’s scores had only Asha’s vocals.
That’s because you and SD Burman had a fight.
I didn’t sing for him for 14 years. Someone had caused mischief. Burman dada said, “I won’t have Lata sing my songs.’ I said, ‘I won’t sing for you.’ Asha sang all the songs for Burman dada during that period, even for Waheeda Rehman who insisted on me singing for her. Then one day out of the blue, Burman dada phoned me and said he wanted me to sing Mora gora rang lai le and Jogi jab se aaya tu aaya mere dware in Bandini. It was his son RD who brought us together. I remember Burman dada specifically told me that Mora gora rang was written by a promising new poet, Gulzar.
Who was your favourite composer?
I liked singing for Salilda (Salil Chowdhury) because his compositions were very challenging. I also loved singing for Sajjad Husain saab, then definitely SD Burman dada and RD. But in my opinion the biggest achievement was by Shankar-Jaikishan. With Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat they changed the way we looked at playback singing.
At one time you were accused of indulging in a melodious monopoly?
Once I was even asked if I tampered with the equipment during other singers’ recordings. Bataiye main kyon aisa karun? I never bothered with what other singers were doing. When Runa Laila came to India for the first time, I went to her first recording and everybody said I was just indulging in dikhawa, that in fact I had gone to see how she sang. Runa Laila met me with lots of affection. Later she too was poisoned against me. Even some male singers accused me of trying to stop them from singing.
Which heroines did you enjoy singing for?
Nargis, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Nutan. I’d modulate my voice according to their personality.
Among today’s actresses for whom do you enjoy singing for?
I like Rani Mukerji and Kajol but I miss the camaraderie that I shared with the earlier heroines. I miss that mahaul. I really miss Kishore Kumar, also Rafi saab, Mukesh bhaiyya, Shankar-Jaikishan and Madan bhaiyya who fought with me when I couldn’t be with him for raksha bandhan. That sense of apnapan is gone.
Any unfulfilled dreams?
I wish I had given more time to learning classical singing. Lekin jo hua woh bahut hi achcha hua. What I want is that future generations of Mangeshkars keep my father’s legacy alive. My niece Radha and nephew Baijanth are singing well. I wish they make a name for themselves.
Do you miss having your own children
Not at all. My siblings’ children are mine.
Subhash K Jha , MUMBAI MIRROR 28 September 2009, 08:52am IST
How do you define the journey?
I feel God has sent me to earth to sing. I started singing when I was five, but I don’t think I’ve worked as hard as many other people.
Why do you say you that?
After 1947 when I started playback singing, the work never stopped. Before that it wasn’t easy. I used to travel by train from Grant Road to Malad and then save money by walking instead of taking a tonga to the recording studios. I thereby saved 50 paise to Re 1 which I used to buy vegetables for my family. I was the sole bread-earner after our father passed away.
That must have been really tough on an adolescent girl.
I missed out on my childhood. I had to work hard, but I was immediately given a place in playback. One of the earliest composers to support me was Master Ghulam Haider. When he was told that my voice wouldn’t suit the heroine in a Dilip Kumar saab starrer Shaheed, he gave me songs in Majboor. Then other composers like Anil Biswasji, Khemchand Prakashji and Naushad saab came forward to sign me. From 1947 onwards there was no looking back.
There has never been a rough patch in your 65-year-long career?
I’m blessed. Nowadays I’ve almost stopped singing film songs but I enjoy singing and I continue to do the work I’m comfortable with like the recent Hamuman Chalisa and my forthcoming project with my brother. When I look back I see nothing I’d like to change.
What about your infamous rift with Mohd Rafi?
I’ll tell you what happened. We had a Musicians’ Association in the 1960s . Mukesh bhaiyya, Talaj Mehmood saab had started a campaign for artistes to get royalty so that they would have a comfortable old age. Main to leti thi royalty but I also wanted other artistes to get it. Rafi saab was instigated into opposing my campaign. In a meeting among musicians he said, ‘We get money for what we sing from producers and that’s the end of what we get.’ When he was asked his opinion Rafi saab turned to Mukesh bhaiyya and said, ‘I guess this Maharani here will say whatever has to be said.’
He meant you?
Yes. I said, ‘Of course I am a Maharani. But why are you calling me that?’ He said in front of everyone at the meeting that he won’t sing with me. I turned around and said, ‘Yeh kasht aap kyon kar rahe hain? Main hi nahin gaaongi aapke saath.’ I stormed out of the meeting and called up every music director to inform them that I would thereafter not sing with Rafi saab. We didn’t sing together for almost three years.
What about the alleged differences between you and your sister Asha Bhosle?
We’re sisters. The fights were because of her husband who was against me.
Composers gave all the heroines’ songs to you and all the supporting actresses’ songs to Ashaji ...
Not always. What about so many films where only Asha sang all the songs? In fact OP Nayyarji worked only with her. Even some of Burman dada’s scores had only Asha’s vocals.
That’s because you and SD Burman had a fight.
I didn’t sing for him for 14 years. Someone had caused mischief. Burman dada said, “I won’t have Lata sing my songs.’ I said, ‘I won’t sing for you.’ Asha sang all the songs for Burman dada during that period, even for Waheeda Rehman who insisted on me singing for her. Then one day out of the blue, Burman dada phoned me and said he wanted me to sing Mora gora rang lai le and Jogi jab se aaya tu aaya mere dware in Bandini. It was his son RD who brought us together. I remember Burman dada specifically told me that Mora gora rang was written by a promising new poet, Gulzar.
Who was your favourite composer?
I liked singing for Salilda (Salil Chowdhury) because his compositions were very challenging. I also loved singing for Sajjad Husain saab, then definitely SD Burman dada and RD. But in my opinion the biggest achievement was by Shankar-Jaikishan. With Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat they changed the way we looked at playback singing.
At one time you were accused of indulging in a melodious monopoly?
Once I was even asked if I tampered with the equipment during other singers’ recordings. Bataiye main kyon aisa karun? I never bothered with what other singers were doing. When Runa Laila came to India for the first time, I went to her first recording and everybody said I was just indulging in dikhawa, that in fact I had gone to see how she sang. Runa Laila met me with lots of affection. Later she too was poisoned against me. Even some male singers accused me of trying to stop them from singing.
Which heroines did you enjoy singing for?
Nargis, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Nutan. I’d modulate my voice according to their personality.
Among today’s actresses for whom do you enjoy singing for?
I like Rani Mukerji and Kajol but I miss the camaraderie that I shared with the earlier heroines. I miss that mahaul. I really miss Kishore Kumar, also Rafi saab, Mukesh bhaiyya, Shankar-Jaikishan and Madan bhaiyya who fought with me when I couldn’t be with him for raksha bandhan. That sense of apnapan is gone.
Any unfulfilled dreams?
I wish I had given more time to learning classical singing. Lekin jo hua woh bahut hi achcha hua. What I want is that future generations of Mangeshkars keep my father’s legacy alive. My niece Radha and nephew Baijanth are singing well. I wish they make a name for themselves.
Do you miss having your own children
Not at all. My siblings’ children are mine.
French are a class act: Lata Mangeshkar
SUBHASH K JHA 1 December 2009, 06:23pm ISTText
Lata Mangeshkar
God continues to shower largesse on me, the Nightingale says on receiving the Legion d’Honneur. Lata Mangeshkar More Pics
She has won every award worthy of her stature including the highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in our country. Yet, when the French displaying impeccably good taste as always decide to confer their highest cultural award the Officier de la Legionne d’Honneur on Lata Mangeshkar, she humbly bows to another acknowledgement of God’s generosity.
“I don’t know why God continues to shower his largesse on me when I’ve reached an age when I’ve received more love and honour than any human deserves. But the French are a class act. And I feel doubly honoured to be chosen by them.” Lata will be getting the award at an event at a suburban hotel in Mumbai on December 2. “It would be part of the French Film Festival being held next week. They’ve sent me some invites which I’ve given to people very close to me. The rest of the film industry I’ve no idea about. I know I’ve the industry’s blessings, though.”
Among the invitees to witness Lataji’s French honour, Amitabh Bachchan is also expected to attend, though the premiere of his home production in on the very next day (December 3).
Earlier, the Big B received the same award at a function in Delhi last year, though he was conferred the award after Lataji.
Says the Nightingale, “Actually, I got this French honour three years back. But I was in no condition to receive it. I was actually on drips when I was informed about the award. Now when I had completely forgotten about it they called to say they’re giving me the award on December 2. I thought they had forgotten about it too,” she laughs her still-girlish laughter, and adds, “Actually I think it was my Rakhi-brother Shivaji Ganesan, who was the first Indian artiste to be given the Legionne d'Honneur. Then came me and Amitabhji.” Must say the French have good taste.
Laughing at the observation, Lataji says, “People say recognition has no meaning beyond a certain stage in one’s growth as an artiste. I say it’s never too late to be told people love you.
SUBHASH K JHA 1 December 2009, 06:23pm ISTText
Lata Mangeshkar
God continues to shower largesse on me, the Nightingale says on receiving the Legion d’Honneur. Lata Mangeshkar More Pics
She has won every award worthy of her stature including the highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in our country. Yet, when the French displaying impeccably good taste as always decide to confer their highest cultural award the Officier de la Legionne d’Honneur on Lata Mangeshkar, she humbly bows to another acknowledgement of God’s generosity.
“I don’t know why God continues to shower his largesse on me when I’ve reached an age when I’ve received more love and honour than any human deserves. But the French are a class act. And I feel doubly honoured to be chosen by them.” Lata will be getting the award at an event at a suburban hotel in Mumbai on December 2. “It would be part of the French Film Festival being held next week. They’ve sent me some invites which I’ve given to people very close to me. The rest of the film industry I’ve no idea about. I know I’ve the industry’s blessings, though.”
Among the invitees to witness Lataji’s French honour, Amitabh Bachchan is also expected to attend, though the premiere of his home production in on the very next day (December 3).
Earlier, the Big B received the same award at a function in Delhi last year, though he was conferred the award after Lataji.
Says the Nightingale, “Actually, I got this French honour three years back. But I was in no condition to receive it. I was actually on drips when I was informed about the award. Now when I had completely forgotten about it they called to say they’re giving me the award on December 2. I thought they had forgotten about it too,” she laughs her still-girlish laughter, and adds, “Actually I think it was my Rakhi-brother Shivaji Ganesan, who was the first Indian artiste to be given the Legionne d'Honneur. Then came me and Amitabhji.” Must say the French have good taste.
Laughing at the observation, Lataji says, “People say recognition has no meaning beyond a certain stage in one’s growth as an artiste. I say it’s never too late to be told people love you.
hi
lata ji interview is there in my posting ,
dhall
Lata Mangeshkar honoured with the 'Insignia of Officer de la Legion d'Honneur'
See all pix here:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/stills/par...#39;/index.html
See all pix here:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/stills/par...#39;/index.html
Lata Mangeshkar : Veer Savarkar Did Not Get His Due
- Planet Bollywood Special Correspondant
Mumbai, Dec 10 (PTI) Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar has lamented that freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar has not got the respect he deserved in independent India.
It is 100 years since Savarkar penned the popular poem "Ne majsi ne parat matrubhoomila, sagara pran talmalala", extolling the sea to take him back to the motherland.
Lata's brother Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar composed the music and the legendary singer lent her voice to the very popular composition.
Talking to a Marathi daily, Lata recalled that when the tunes were being composed, Tatya (Savarkar) was alive. "I went to him with the invitation. But, since he was unwell, he was not able to make it to the function," she said.
Lata said she has had the opportunity to sing many of his compositions. "The lyrics aroused patriotic fervour. They were inspirational not just to Maharashtrians, but to all Indians," she said.
- Planet Bollywood Special Correspondant
Mumbai, Dec 10 (PTI) Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar has lamented that freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar has not got the respect he deserved in independent India.
It is 100 years since Savarkar penned the popular poem "Ne majsi ne parat matrubhoomila, sagara pran talmalala", extolling the sea to take him back to the motherland.
Lata's brother Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar composed the music and the legendary singer lent her voice to the very popular composition.
Talking to a Marathi daily, Lata recalled that when the tunes were being composed, Tatya (Savarkar) was alive. "I went to him with the invitation. But, since he was unwell, he was not able to make it to the function," she said.
Lata said she has had the opportunity to sing many of his compositions. "The lyrics aroused patriotic fervour. They were inspirational not just to Maharashtrians, but to all Indians," she said.
Lata Mangeshkar wins Pride of India from Hyderabad
IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, February 02, 2010]
Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar was recently honoured with the ‘Pride of India- Kala Saraswathi’ Music Award in Hyderabad. The award was felicitated to the noted singer by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah.
Mangeshkar was reported to have bagged the award at a ceremony on Sunday by a city-based cultural organisation - Andhra Pradesh Kala Vedika - in association with the state government.
After receiving the award the Nightingale stated, “I am thankful for the love and affection of Telugu people. I want to come back to Hyderabad and perform once.”
Besides the award, Lataji was awarded with a cash prize of Rs. 15 lakh, a replica of Charminar, a Veena and ‘Swarna Kankanam’.
Incidentally, before the event the legendary singer experienced a sad incident. Lataji reported to have been quite upset when she found out her purse missing on Sunday morning in Tirumala. Mangeshkar was there on Saturday to participate in the TTD's Nada Neerajanam. The purse said to had contained cash, credit cards and flight tickets to Mumbai via Hyderabad.
According to sources, the TTD officials had been indifferent to Mangeshkar’s secretary and family members when they approached them for help. The officials were said to be busy with the chief minister's visit then. With help coming from no TTD officials, members of the entourage finally contacted the TTD executive officer, Mr I.Y.R. Krishna Rao, who came to their rescue and arranged duplicate flight tickets.
IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, February 02, 2010]
Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar was recently honoured with the ‘Pride of India- Kala Saraswathi’ Music Award in Hyderabad. The award was felicitated to the noted singer by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah.
Mangeshkar was reported to have bagged the award at a ceremony on Sunday by a city-based cultural organisation - Andhra Pradesh Kala Vedika - in association with the state government.
After receiving the award the Nightingale stated, “I am thankful for the love and affection of Telugu people. I want to come back to Hyderabad and perform once.”
Besides the award, Lataji was awarded with a cash prize of Rs. 15 lakh, a replica of Charminar, a Veena and ‘Swarna Kankanam’.
Incidentally, before the event the legendary singer experienced a sad incident. Lataji reported to have been quite upset when she found out her purse missing on Sunday morning in Tirumala. Mangeshkar was there on Saturday to participate in the TTD's Nada Neerajanam. The purse said to had contained cash, credit cards and flight tickets to Mumbai via Hyderabad.
According to sources, the TTD officials had been indifferent to Mangeshkar’s secretary and family members when they approached them for help. The officials were said to be busy with the chief minister's visit then. With help coming from no TTD officials, members of the entourage finally contacted the TTD executive officer, Mr I.Y.R. Krishna Rao, who came to their rescue and arranged duplicate flight tickets.
Lata sings for Zeenat after 25 years
Deepali Dhingra, TNN, Feb 24, 2010, 12.00am IST
You would be excused for thinking that Zeenat Aman, the first Miss India to crossover from modelling to films, is living in the past.
The actress who gave ‘sexy’ a new meaning in the 70s and 80s with films like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Manoranjan, Shalimar and The Great Gambler, is not just making a comeback to Bollywood in a substantial role in Sanjay Sharma’s Dunno Y... Na Jaane Kyun, but she’s also performing her evergreen number Aap Jaisa Koi from Qurbani and re-uniting with her co-star Kabir Bedi after 38 years.
Amidst all these reports also comes the news that songstress Lata Mangeshkar — who has sung such lovely numbers for Zeenie baby as Yashomati Maiyya Se Bole Nandlala, Panna ki Tamanna Hai, Main Na Bhoolungi and Satyam Shivam Sundaram, has lent her voice once again for the actress, apparently after a gap of almost 25 years, the last film being Yaadon ki Kasam in 1985. Says music director Nikhil who managed to convince Lata to sing for the film, “She’s sung the title track of the film. I hummed the tune of the song for her and she immediately agreed to do it. Of course, she was extremely happy to know that the song will be picturised on Zeenat and went into a nostalgic mode while speaking to me.”
The actress, on her part too, says Nikhil, was overjoyed when she heard about Lata singing for her once again. “When legends meet, history is created and that’s what is happening now,” adds Nikhil.
Deepali Dhingra, TNN, Feb 24, 2010, 12.00am IST
You would be excused for thinking that Zeenat Aman, the first Miss India to crossover from modelling to films, is living in the past.
The actress who gave ‘sexy’ a new meaning in the 70s and 80s with films like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Manoranjan, Shalimar and The Great Gambler, is not just making a comeback to Bollywood in a substantial role in Sanjay Sharma’s Dunno Y... Na Jaane Kyun, but she’s also performing her evergreen number Aap Jaisa Koi from Qurbani and re-uniting with her co-star Kabir Bedi after 38 years.
Amidst all these reports also comes the news that songstress Lata Mangeshkar — who has sung such lovely numbers for Zeenie baby as Yashomati Maiyya Se Bole Nandlala, Panna ki Tamanna Hai, Main Na Bhoolungi and Satyam Shivam Sundaram, has lent her voice once again for the actress, apparently after a gap of almost 25 years, the last film being Yaadon ki Kasam in 1985. Says music director Nikhil who managed to convince Lata to sing for the film, “She’s sung the title track of the film. I hummed the tune of the song for her and she immediately agreed to do it. Of course, she was extremely happy to know that the song will be picturised on Zeenat and went into a nostalgic mode while speaking to me.”
The actress, on her part too, says Nikhil, was overjoyed when she heard about Lata singing for her once again. “When legends meet, history is created and that’s what is happening now,” adds Nikhil.
Lata Mangeshkar to croon for Zeenat after 25 years
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, February 25, 2010]
The queens are getting together after 25 years. The golden voice of Bollywood nightingale Lata Mangeshkar will again feel the ears with her melody as she croons for the yesteryears glam queen Zeenat Aman.
Lata Mangeshkar had lent her melodious voice for Zeenat in her most memorable songs in ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’, ‘The Great Gambler’, ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ etc.
The last time she sang for Zeenat was way back in back in 1985 in the film, ‘Yaadon ki Kasam’.
After 25 years, Lata will croon the actress very popular “Aap Jaisa Koi’ from ‘Qurbani’ in Sanjay Sharma’s ‘Dunno Y... Na Jaane Kyun’. The movie also unites Zeenat with her co-star Kabir Bedi after 38 years.
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, February 25, 2010]
The queens are getting together after 25 years. The golden voice of Bollywood nightingale Lata Mangeshkar will again feel the ears with her melody as she croons for the yesteryears glam queen Zeenat Aman.
Lata Mangeshkar had lent her melodious voice for Zeenat in her most memorable songs in ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’, ‘The Great Gambler’, ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ etc.
The last time she sang for Zeenat was way back in back in 1985 in the film, ‘Yaadon ki Kasam’.
After 25 years, Lata will croon the actress very popular “Aap Jaisa Koi’ from ‘Qurbani’ in Sanjay Sharma’s ‘Dunno Y... Na Jaane Kyun’. The movie also unites Zeenat with her co-star Kabir Bedi after 38 years.
Lata Mangeshkar gets a surprise call from Aamir Khan
By: Subhash K Jha Date: 2010-03-09 Place: Mumbai
Aamir Khan has known Lata Mangeshkar since his childhood when she would visit his home to meet his father (the late Tahir Hussain). But the bonding between the two grew really strong when she praised Aamir for his singing in Aati Kya Khandala, observing that he held his sur right to the end of the song.
Give and take
After the Khandala song, Lata invited Aamir home and gifted him an expensive watch. Aamir, on his part, got her a shawl from Kashmir while shooting in the Valley for Sarfarosh. For Lagaan, he insisted she sing a bhajan which she did free of cost. Over the years, they've stayed in touch.
Lately, Aamir found no time to connect with the Nightingale, so much so that she confessed on Thursday to a mutual friend that Aamir had not been replying to any of her cards, calls and letters. The friend promptly conveyed the Nightingale's distress to Aamir who immediately decided to set things right.
He called her. Says Lata, "Aamir didn't have my new number. He sought out my number and then called. He explained how busy he had been travelling out of the country."
The singer had been planning to visit Aamir's place since his father passed away but was hesitant due to the lack of communication with his side. But now as the catchphrase goes, 'Aal Izz Well' between them. Aamir will soon be arranging a special screening of 3 Idiots for her.
Whatta film!
Adds Lata, "I love Aamir's cinema. What a film Taare Zameen Par was! Aamir told me he plans to take the whole year off now to produce films. I advised him not to lay off acting for such a long time. Public memory is so short." Lata is aware that her name is mentioned in 3 Idiots among the icons of our times.
Aamir will screen the film very shortly for the Mangeshkar family.
By: Subhash K Jha Date: 2010-03-09 Place: Mumbai
Aamir Khan has known Lata Mangeshkar since his childhood when she would visit his home to meet his father (the late Tahir Hussain). But the bonding between the two grew really strong when she praised Aamir for his singing in Aati Kya Khandala, observing that he held his sur right to the end of the song.
Give and take
After the Khandala song, Lata invited Aamir home and gifted him an expensive watch. Aamir, on his part, got her a shawl from Kashmir while shooting in the Valley for Sarfarosh. For Lagaan, he insisted she sing a bhajan which she did free of cost. Over the years, they've stayed in touch.
Lately, Aamir found no time to connect with the Nightingale, so much so that she confessed on Thursday to a mutual friend that Aamir had not been replying to any of her cards, calls and letters. The friend promptly conveyed the Nightingale's distress to Aamir who immediately decided to set things right.
He called her. Says Lata, "Aamir didn't have my new number. He sought out my number and then called. He explained how busy he had been travelling out of the country."
The singer had been planning to visit Aamir's place since his father passed away but was hesitant due to the lack of communication with his side. But now as the catchphrase goes, 'Aal Izz Well' between them. Aamir will soon be arranging a special screening of 3 Idiots for her.
Whatta film!
Adds Lata, "I love Aamir's cinema. What a film Taare Zameen Par was! Aamir told me he plans to take the whole year off now to produce films. I advised him not to lay off acting for such a long time. Public memory is so short." Lata is aware that her name is mentioned in 3 Idiots among the icons of our times.
Aamir will screen the film very shortly for the Mangeshkar family.
When Dilip Kumar made fun of Lata Mangeshkar
Much has been written about Lata Mangeshkar.
Her incredible voice has won her many fans and admirers. One of them is Nasreen Munni Kabir, a British television producer and creator of documentaries like Movie Mahal, In Search Of Guru Dutt, How to Make it Big in Bollywood and The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan.
Her most recent book, Lata Mangeshkar... In Her Own Voice, is a book which she told rediff's Patcy N she was only too happy to write.
As we celebrate Lataji's 80th birthday on September 28, we bring you fascinating excerpts from the book:
Nasreen Munni Kabir: Isn't there a famous incident in which Dilip Kumar commented on your Urdu pronunciation?
Lata Mangeshkar: I must tell you the story. One day (composer) Anil Biswas, Yusufbhai (Dilip Kumar) and I were travelling to work together on the train. This was in 1947 or '48. In those days, Yusufbhai was able to travel by train as no one really recognised him!
We were sitting in a compartment and Yusufbhai asked who I was. Anilda replied: 'She is a new singer and sings well. You'll like her voice when you hear her.' They were chatting together and Yusufbhai asked him. 'Where is she from?' 'She is Maharashtrian.'
'But their Urdu pronunciation isn't correct and in their singing you can smell daal-bhaat' (implying a Marathi accent would come through in the pronunciation in Urdu). I felt terribly hurt hearing him say such a thing.
I knew the composer Mohammed Shafi. He was an assistant to Anil Biswas and (legendary composer) Naushadsaab, and a few days later, I told him I wanted to learn Urdu so I could pronounce it correctly.
He found me a maulana, a man called Mehboob, who taught me Urdu for a short while. When I speak, my Urdu isn't very good, but when I sing I make sure there are no flaws in my diction.
Excerpted from Lata Mangeshkar... In Her Own Voice, by Nasreen Munni Kabir, Niyogi Books, with the publisher's permission, Rs 1,489. Buy the book here.
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/s...r-won-voice.htm
Much has been written about Lata Mangeshkar.
Her incredible voice has won her many fans and admirers. One of them is Nasreen Munni Kabir, a British television producer and creator of documentaries like Movie Mahal, In Search Of Guru Dutt, How to Make it Big in Bollywood and The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan.
Her most recent book, Lata Mangeshkar... In Her Own Voice, is a book which she told rediff's Patcy N she was only too happy to write.
As we celebrate Lataji's 80th birthday on September 28, we bring you fascinating excerpts from the book:
Nasreen Munni Kabir: Isn't there a famous incident in which Dilip Kumar commented on your Urdu pronunciation?
Lata Mangeshkar: I must tell you the story. One day (composer) Anil Biswas, Yusufbhai (Dilip Kumar) and I were travelling to work together on the train. This was in 1947 or '48. In those days, Yusufbhai was able to travel by train as no one really recognised him!
We were sitting in a compartment and Yusufbhai asked who I was. Anilda replied: 'She is a new singer and sings well. You'll like her voice when you hear her.' They were chatting together and Yusufbhai asked him. 'Where is she from?' 'She is Maharashtrian.'
'But their Urdu pronunciation isn't correct and in their singing you can smell daal-bhaat' (implying a Marathi accent would come through in the pronunciation in Urdu). I felt terribly hurt hearing him say such a thing.
I knew the composer Mohammed Shafi. He was an assistant to Anil Biswas and (legendary composer) Naushadsaab, and a few days later, I told him I wanted to learn Urdu so I could pronounce it correctly.
He found me a maulana, a man called Mehboob, who taught me Urdu for a short while. When I speak, my Urdu isn't very good, but when I sing I make sure there are no flaws in my diction.
Excerpted from Lata Mangeshkar... In Her Own Voice, by Nasreen Munni Kabir, Niyogi Books, with the publisher's permission, Rs 1,489. Buy the book here.
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/s...r-won-voice.htm
This book of conversations is the closest you'll come to probably knowing Lata Mangeshkar [ Images ]. Given a choice, would you rather hear Lata Mangeshkar sing, or talk?
While that's hardly a debatable question -- especially given that Mangeshkar's voice, like Sachin Tendulkar's [ Images ], is thin, therefore less melodious, or even resonant, when she's talking -- London-based documentary filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabir, who did just that in a six-part documentary series for Channel 4, now several years later, with additional interviews, has converted it into a book in which you can read the singer as she talks about her life and songs in her own voice.
It's the closest you'll get to her autobiography, minus any personal controversies -- in Mangeshkar's case, her relationship with Raj Singh Dungarpur [ Images ] -- but plenty of professional ones, which she snuffs out with all the dignity, and simplicity, that comes with being India's [ Images ] singing diva for over six decades.
Born in a large house in Sangli, where her father ran a theatre company, and where she began to learn music, with her father's grudging approval, and with whom she sang as a child, Mangeshkar confesses to "making excuses" to get away from her daily tutoring.
"I was very young and preferred playing," she recounts, "I pretended to have a headache or stomach ache," till her father told her, "Always remember -- whether a guru or father is teaching you -- when you sing you must think to yourself you will sing better than him. Never think how can I sing in his presence? Remember this. You must excel your guru."
It was a lesson that has stayed with her all her life. "I have never forgotten Baba's words," she tells Kabir. Lata Mangeshkar...in her own voice is fascinating because the bulk of the book is in the form of an interview, conducted not over days or weeks but over years.
"Film music wasn't hugely appreciated at home," remembers Mangeshkar, "And my father was a conservative man. He was strict about the way we dressed, we could never wear powder or make-up. We couldn't go out freely. Baba didn't like us going out late at night to watch plays, not even his own productions."
It was ironic, therefore, that as the eldest, soon after the family fortunes turned penurious, the Sangli mansion was auctioned, and her father died, she would assume the financial responsibility by becoming an actress in, first, Marathi and, later, Hindi cinema.
"I had no choice," she confesses, simply, but "I never liked it -- the make-up, the lights. People ordering you about, say this dialogue, say that dialogue. I felt so uncomfortable."
Fortunately, her training in classical music and her disciplined voice started to fetch her playback assignments, but it would be a few years before the song that established her reputation -- Aayega aanewala from Mahal -- came her way, and even then it was touch and go.
"There was a lot of discussion about whether we should re-do it or replace it," she recalls, though "when the film was released, it was the first of Mahal's songs to become popular."
While she remembers with fondness the camaraderie that bound Bombay studios and sets together, Mangeshkar seemed to be forever working. "I worked hard," she says, "recording songs from morning to night. Running from one studio to another."
As a result, "I ended up going hungry all day because I didn't even know recording studios had canteens and I could buy something to eat or get some tea. I often went without food and water for the whole day."
In the fifties though "I can't say my financial situation was good, but neither was it bad, because I had a lot of work" and what with rehearsals, and gaining the studios only when the day's shooting schedule was over, "we went onto the studio floor and recorded through the night. The place was full of dust, the lights were still burning hot and it was sweltering. We couln't use the fans because of the noise they made," she reminisces. "I have recorded so many songs in difficult and trying conditions."
Those were times when, while singing duets, "both singers used the same microphone. I would stand facing the mike and the other artist would stand near me, leaving a little space between us. I had a big problem when singing with Hemant Kumar. Because he was much taller than me, I needed to use a small box or stool to stand on and sing," or when recording when she had high temperature "I fainted at the end of the recording", though, as Kabir notes of the song Tu ganga ki mauj hai her voice doesn't have a trace of being unwell.
While she comments about colleagues and friends in the industry, what's even more revealing are facets of Mangeshkar's personality that allow a glimpse behind her usually formidable façade -- such as learning flawless Urdu diction when criticised by Dilip Kumar [ Images ] for her pronounciation, or that "I like listening to Mozart [ Images ], Beethoven [ Images ], Tchaikovsky [ Images ] and Chopin [ Images ]. I have many Western classical music albums," and among her favourite singers are "Nat King Cole [ Images ], the Beatles, Barbra Streisand [ Images ] and Harry Belafonte [ Images ]" and she professes to also "like the Egyptian singer Oum Khalthoum [ Images ] and the Lebanese singer Fairouz [ Images ]".
These, her tiffs with Mohammad Rafi [ Images ] "over royalties" and Raj Kapoor [ Images ] when he changed the composers for Satyam [ Get Quote ], Shivam, Sundaram, her quarrels with Shammi Kapoor [ Images ], her fondness for mimickry, her cars (the first, a grey Hillman [ Images ], and later a Chevrolet [ Images ], a Chrysler [ Images ] and second-hand Mercedes [ Images ] and the gift, recently, of a new Mercedes by Yash Chopra [ Images ] for singing for Veer Zaara [ Images ]), her dislike of cigarette smoke but love of diamonds ("and emeralds too"), as well as interest in photography (beginning with a Rolleiflex [ Images ] she bought for Rs 1,200), her passion for cricket, and her visits abroad when "I even saw the great Marlene Dietrich [ Images ] singing on stage. I will never forget her in the excellent Witness for the Prosecution. I also saw Ingrid Bergman [ Images ] in the play The Constant Wife", and most of all her critical view of herself, make this a remarkable book.
"I have always depended on myself," says Mangeshkar, "In that sense, I am a self-made person. I have learned how to fight. I have never been scared of anyone. I am quite fearless."
Who would have thought that of the frail little person who once bought Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru [ Images ], along with the rest of the country, to tears?
LATA MANGESHKAR in her own voice
Conversations with Nasreen Munni Kabir
Publisher: Niyogi Books
Pages: 268
Price: Rs 1,500
http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/may/1...oice-review.htm
While that's hardly a debatable question -- especially given that Mangeshkar's voice, like Sachin Tendulkar's [ Images ], is thin, therefore less melodious, or even resonant, when she's talking -- London-based documentary filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabir, who did just that in a six-part documentary series for Channel 4, now several years later, with additional interviews, has converted it into a book in which you can read the singer as she talks about her life and songs in her own voice.
It's the closest you'll get to her autobiography, minus any personal controversies -- in Mangeshkar's case, her relationship with Raj Singh Dungarpur [ Images ] -- but plenty of professional ones, which she snuffs out with all the dignity, and simplicity, that comes with being India's [ Images ] singing diva for over six decades.
Born in a large house in Sangli, where her father ran a theatre company, and where she began to learn music, with her father's grudging approval, and with whom she sang as a child, Mangeshkar confesses to "making excuses" to get away from her daily tutoring.
"I was very young and preferred playing," she recounts, "I pretended to have a headache or stomach ache," till her father told her, "Always remember -- whether a guru or father is teaching you -- when you sing you must think to yourself you will sing better than him. Never think how can I sing in his presence? Remember this. You must excel your guru."
It was a lesson that has stayed with her all her life. "I have never forgotten Baba's words," she tells Kabir. Lata Mangeshkar...in her own voice is fascinating because the bulk of the book is in the form of an interview, conducted not over days or weeks but over years.
"Film music wasn't hugely appreciated at home," remembers Mangeshkar, "And my father was a conservative man. He was strict about the way we dressed, we could never wear powder or make-up. We couldn't go out freely. Baba didn't like us going out late at night to watch plays, not even his own productions."
It was ironic, therefore, that as the eldest, soon after the family fortunes turned penurious, the Sangli mansion was auctioned, and her father died, she would assume the financial responsibility by becoming an actress in, first, Marathi and, later, Hindi cinema.
"I had no choice," she confesses, simply, but "I never liked it -- the make-up, the lights. People ordering you about, say this dialogue, say that dialogue. I felt so uncomfortable."
Fortunately, her training in classical music and her disciplined voice started to fetch her playback assignments, but it would be a few years before the song that established her reputation -- Aayega aanewala from Mahal -- came her way, and even then it was touch and go.
"There was a lot of discussion about whether we should re-do it or replace it," she recalls, though "when the film was released, it was the first of Mahal's songs to become popular."
While she remembers with fondness the camaraderie that bound Bombay studios and sets together, Mangeshkar seemed to be forever working. "I worked hard," she says, "recording songs from morning to night. Running from one studio to another."
As a result, "I ended up going hungry all day because I didn't even know recording studios had canteens and I could buy something to eat or get some tea. I often went without food and water for the whole day."
In the fifties though "I can't say my financial situation was good, but neither was it bad, because I had a lot of work" and what with rehearsals, and gaining the studios only when the day's shooting schedule was over, "we went onto the studio floor and recorded through the night. The place was full of dust, the lights were still burning hot and it was sweltering. We couln't use the fans because of the noise they made," she reminisces. "I have recorded so many songs in difficult and trying conditions."
Those were times when, while singing duets, "both singers used the same microphone. I would stand facing the mike and the other artist would stand near me, leaving a little space between us. I had a big problem when singing with Hemant Kumar. Because he was much taller than me, I needed to use a small box or stool to stand on and sing," or when recording when she had high temperature "I fainted at the end of the recording", though, as Kabir notes of the song Tu ganga ki mauj hai her voice doesn't have a trace of being unwell.
While she comments about colleagues and friends in the industry, what's even more revealing are facets of Mangeshkar's personality that allow a glimpse behind her usually formidable façade -- such as learning flawless Urdu diction when criticised by Dilip Kumar [ Images ] for her pronounciation, or that "I like listening to Mozart [ Images ], Beethoven [ Images ], Tchaikovsky [ Images ] and Chopin [ Images ]. I have many Western classical music albums," and among her favourite singers are "Nat King Cole [ Images ], the Beatles, Barbra Streisand [ Images ] and Harry Belafonte [ Images ]" and she professes to also "like the Egyptian singer Oum Khalthoum [ Images ] and the Lebanese singer Fairouz [ Images ]".
These, her tiffs with Mohammad Rafi [ Images ] "over royalties" and Raj Kapoor [ Images ] when he changed the composers for Satyam [ Get Quote ], Shivam, Sundaram, her quarrels with Shammi Kapoor [ Images ], her fondness for mimickry, her cars (the first, a grey Hillman [ Images ], and later a Chevrolet [ Images ], a Chrysler [ Images ] and second-hand Mercedes [ Images ] and the gift, recently, of a new Mercedes by Yash Chopra [ Images ] for singing for Veer Zaara [ Images ]), her dislike of cigarette smoke but love of diamonds ("and emeralds too"), as well as interest in photography (beginning with a Rolleiflex [ Images ] she bought for Rs 1,200), her passion for cricket, and her visits abroad when "I even saw the great Marlene Dietrich [ Images ] singing on stage. I will never forget her in the excellent Witness for the Prosecution. I also saw Ingrid Bergman [ Images ] in the play The Constant Wife", and most of all her critical view of herself, make this a remarkable book.
"I have always depended on myself," says Mangeshkar, "In that sense, I am a self-made person. I have learned how to fight. I have never been scared of anyone. I am quite fearless."
Who would have thought that of the frail little person who once bought Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru [ Images ], along with the rest of the country, to tears?
LATA MANGESHKAR in her own voice
Conversations with Nasreen Munni Kabir
Publisher: Niyogi Books
Pages: 268
Price: Rs 1,500
http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/may/1...oice-review.htm
song :- tota tota Click to view attachment
movie :- first love letter.
Singer :- lata mangeshkar.
Bit rate :- 192 kbps
movie :- first love letter.
Singer :- lata mangeshkar.
Bit rate :- 192 kbps
song :- o radhatere bina Click to view attachment
movie :- radha ka sangam
Singer :- lata mangeshkar.
Bit rate :- 192 kbps
movie :- radha ka sangam
Singer :- lata mangeshkar.
Bit rate :- 192 kbps
song :- main tere dushman 03:45 Click to view attachment
movie :- nagina
Singer :- lata mangeshkar.
Bit rate :- 192 kbps
movie :- nagina
Singer :- lata mangeshkar.
Bit rate :- 192 kbps
Golden memories
Lata Mangeshkar is set to create history with a rendition of Bahu asota sundara 50 years after she first sang it on Maharashtra Divas
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Saturday, May 01, 2010 at 04:05:11 AM
It wasn’t only Ae mere watan ke logon that moved Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to tears when Lata Mangeshkar sang the patriotic composition in front of him in 1962 in Delhi.
Two years before that, on the occasion of Maharashtra Divas in Mumbai, Nehruji was equally moved when he heard her sing Bahu asota sundara sampan ki mahaan. Half a century later, again for Maharashtra Divas celebrations, Lata Mangeshkar will be singing the same song, this time at the Shiv Sena Bhavan.
“I still remember Pandit Jawaharwal Nehru had come for the first celebration of Samyukta Maharashtra (United Maharashtra) 50 years ago on May Day,” said Lata taking time off between rehearsals a day before the event. “Was I nervous singing in front of him? When I’m singing, I forget the world around me.”
When she was asked to sing the song for May Day this year, Lata, who tends to forget the lyrics and tunes of even her most popular numbers, recalled every word of the song.
“It’s true that I have limited capacity to remember my numbers,” she laughs. “When people come and rave about this song and that song sung by me, I smile politely, clueless about what they are so gung-ho about. But this song, I remember in all its glorious detail, maybe because of the strong historical association with the birth of an independent Maharashtra and the struggle behind it.”
It has been a truly hectic month for the 81-year-old singing legend. On her father’s death anniversary on April 24, Lata gave the Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar Puraskar to Kajol.
Says the legendary songtress, “Among contemporary actresses, Kajol has always been my favourite. We wanted to honour her with the award in my father’s memory because she is so spirited, natural and no-nonsense. Quite like what I used to be when I was young.”
But aren’t Kajol and Ajay Devgan known to be fierce Asha Bhosle loyalists?
Lata dodges the question and says, “I don’t know about that. But Kajol gives me a lot of love and respect. I’ve sung some of my best songs for her aunt Nutan and mother Tanuja. And I also sang for Kajol in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Maybe I’ll sing for Kajol’s daughter as well.”
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/201...n-memories.html
Lata Mangeshkar is set to create history with a rendition of Bahu asota sundara 50 years after she first sang it on Maharashtra Divas
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Saturday, May 01, 2010 at 04:05:11 AM
It wasn’t only Ae mere watan ke logon that moved Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to tears when Lata Mangeshkar sang the patriotic composition in front of him in 1962 in Delhi.
Two years before that, on the occasion of Maharashtra Divas in Mumbai, Nehruji was equally moved when he heard her sing Bahu asota sundara sampan ki mahaan. Half a century later, again for Maharashtra Divas celebrations, Lata Mangeshkar will be singing the same song, this time at the Shiv Sena Bhavan.
“I still remember Pandit Jawaharwal Nehru had come for the first celebration of Samyukta Maharashtra (United Maharashtra) 50 years ago on May Day,” said Lata taking time off between rehearsals a day before the event. “Was I nervous singing in front of him? When I’m singing, I forget the world around me.”
When she was asked to sing the song for May Day this year, Lata, who tends to forget the lyrics and tunes of even her most popular numbers, recalled every word of the song.
“It’s true that I have limited capacity to remember my numbers,” she laughs. “When people come and rave about this song and that song sung by me, I smile politely, clueless about what they are so gung-ho about. But this song, I remember in all its glorious detail, maybe because of the strong historical association with the birth of an independent Maharashtra and the struggle behind it.”
It has been a truly hectic month for the 81-year-old singing legend. On her father’s death anniversary on April 24, Lata gave the Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar Puraskar to Kajol.
Says the legendary songtress, “Among contemporary actresses, Kajol has always been my favourite. We wanted to honour her with the award in my father’s memory because she is so spirited, natural and no-nonsense. Quite like what I used to be when I was young.”
But aren’t Kajol and Ajay Devgan known to be fierce Asha Bhosle loyalists?
Lata dodges the question and says, “I don’t know about that. But Kajol gives me a lot of love and respect. I’ve sung some of my best songs for her aunt Nutan and mother Tanuja. And I also sang for Kajol in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Maybe I’ll sing for Kajol’s daughter as well.”
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/201...n-memories.html
Lata-Shankar's Ode To 'Maharashtra Day'
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/broadband/...ashtra-Day.html
Lata Mangeshkar and Shankar Mahadevan enthralled the crowd with their performances on 'Maharashtra Day'. Also present were politicians Bal Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray and eminent historian Babasaheb Purandhare
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/broadband/...ashtra-Day.html
Lata Mangeshkar and Shankar Mahadevan enthralled the crowd with their performances on 'Maharashtra Day'. Also present were politicians Bal Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray and eminent historian Babasaheb Purandhare
The men who fascinate Lata
Subhash K Jha , May 23, 2010, 12.00am IST
Lata Mangeshkar tracks celluloid heroes and tells Subhash K Jha what she loves about them...
Amitabh Bachchan
I don’t know where to start when it comes to Bachchan saab. Jiss qadar woh zor se wapas aaye ... amazing! (I marvel at the way he bounced back after severe setbacks.) When it comes to perfection as an artiste, he’s 110 per cent perfect. Give him any role, and he slips into it effortlessly. I’ve never seen him repeat himself. He made me cry in Baghban. I recently saw Black and can’t get over his performance. Kamaal ke actor hain ... (He’s a fabulous actor). And he sings well too! I’ve listened carefully to Holi khele and Tu kahan main yahan in Baghban. They are in sur. Singing in sur is far more important than maintaining taal. His voice is God’s gift to him. His performances are impeccable.
On a social level, we meet once in a while. He’s charming and always talks with restraint. His pedigree is unquestionable. When I started singing in 1947, I began reading up on Hindi litterateurs including Premchand, Mahadevi Varma, Jaishankar Prasad and, of course, Harivansh Rai Bachchan. I’ve read Madhushala several times over; also his bulky autobiography which is a unique work of self-revelation. I don’t know whether Bachchan saab knows this, but I truly respect him and Jayaji. Mere dil mein unke liye khaas jagah hai. (They hold a special place in my heart.)”
Hrithik Roshan
“Hrithik has the fluidity and rhythm to move effortlessly through songs. I think he got this sense of rhythm from his grandparents. His grandfather was a great composer and his grandmother a very good singer. His uncle Rajesh Roshan is a well-known composer and even Hrithik’s father Rakesh has a very good music sense. His musical heritage comes alive in his dance moves. Hrithik’s a brilliant actor too. Woh itna sundar acting karta hai ki main hairaan ho jaati hoon. (I am stunned by his acting.) I think his greatest gift from God is that he looks very innocent. His eyes are so deep and transparent ... ”
Rishi Kapoor
“Everyone in Raj Kapoor’s family has a sense of music and rhythm. Rishi Kapoor carried the tradition of the dancing hero to a new height. He brought in a new style. He’s one of my all-time favourite heroes. Even today he looks so handsome. Is he my favourite Kapoor? Haan kahungi, kyun nahin? (I’d say yes, why not?) Now there’s Rishi’s son Ranbir Kapoor. I believe he’s wonderful. But I haven’t seen much of his work.”
Shah Rukh Khan
“I first saw Shah Rukh in a serial called Fauji. There was something special about him. Then I saw his film Chamatkar and later Deewana and Baazigar, in which he played a negative character. It was quite evident that Shah Rukh could play any kind of role. I remember him saying somewhere that he had no sense of rhythm and dance. But I saw him in Ruk ja o dil deewane in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Chaiyyan chaiyyan in Dil Se. Ussmein itna sahi dance kiya tha unhone. (He danced so well in these songs.)”
Aamir Khan
“Aamir Khan is another favourite. I loved his dancing in Radha kaise na jale in Lagaan. In Aamir’s case every mannerism, including the dance steps, is dictated by the character he plays. He never steps outside the character’s orbit. That’s what I like about him.”
Richard Gere
“I spent one unforgettable afternoon with Richard Gere. And I personally took photographs of our meeting! I invited him to visit Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune but he was in a hurry as he had to return to the US on the same night to be with his family for Christmas. What a simple and unaffected man. He was wearing a simple shirt with a pair of jeans. On his wrist was a tulsi mala which he probably used for his Buddhist chanting. I gifted him a statue of Buddha.”
Subhash K Jha , May 23, 2010, 12.00am IST
Lata Mangeshkar tracks celluloid heroes and tells Subhash K Jha what she loves about them...
Amitabh Bachchan
I don’t know where to start when it comes to Bachchan saab. Jiss qadar woh zor se wapas aaye ... amazing! (I marvel at the way he bounced back after severe setbacks.) When it comes to perfection as an artiste, he’s 110 per cent perfect. Give him any role, and he slips into it effortlessly. I’ve never seen him repeat himself. He made me cry in Baghban. I recently saw Black and can’t get over his performance. Kamaal ke actor hain ... (He’s a fabulous actor). And he sings well too! I’ve listened carefully to Holi khele and Tu kahan main yahan in Baghban. They are in sur. Singing in sur is far more important than maintaining taal. His voice is God’s gift to him. His performances are impeccable.
On a social level, we meet once in a while. He’s charming and always talks with restraint. His pedigree is unquestionable. When I started singing in 1947, I began reading up on Hindi litterateurs including Premchand, Mahadevi Varma, Jaishankar Prasad and, of course, Harivansh Rai Bachchan. I’ve read Madhushala several times over; also his bulky autobiography which is a unique work of self-revelation. I don’t know whether Bachchan saab knows this, but I truly respect him and Jayaji. Mere dil mein unke liye khaas jagah hai. (They hold a special place in my heart.)”
Hrithik Roshan
“Hrithik has the fluidity and rhythm to move effortlessly through songs. I think he got this sense of rhythm from his grandparents. His grandfather was a great composer and his grandmother a very good singer. His uncle Rajesh Roshan is a well-known composer and even Hrithik’s father Rakesh has a very good music sense. His musical heritage comes alive in his dance moves. Hrithik’s a brilliant actor too. Woh itna sundar acting karta hai ki main hairaan ho jaati hoon. (I am stunned by his acting.) I think his greatest gift from God is that he looks very innocent. His eyes are so deep and transparent ... ”
Rishi Kapoor
“Everyone in Raj Kapoor’s family has a sense of music and rhythm. Rishi Kapoor carried the tradition of the dancing hero to a new height. He brought in a new style. He’s one of my all-time favourite heroes. Even today he looks so handsome. Is he my favourite Kapoor? Haan kahungi, kyun nahin? (I’d say yes, why not?) Now there’s Rishi’s son Ranbir Kapoor. I believe he’s wonderful. But I haven’t seen much of his work.”
Shah Rukh Khan
“I first saw Shah Rukh in a serial called Fauji. There was something special about him. Then I saw his film Chamatkar and later Deewana and Baazigar, in which he played a negative character. It was quite evident that Shah Rukh could play any kind of role. I remember him saying somewhere that he had no sense of rhythm and dance. But I saw him in Ruk ja o dil deewane in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Chaiyyan chaiyyan in Dil Se. Ussmein itna sahi dance kiya tha unhone. (He danced so well in these songs.)”
Aamir Khan
“Aamir Khan is another favourite. I loved his dancing in Radha kaise na jale in Lagaan. In Aamir’s case every mannerism, including the dance steps, is dictated by the character he plays. He never steps outside the character’s orbit. That’s what I like about him.”
Richard Gere
“I spent one unforgettable afternoon with Richard Gere. And I personally took photographs of our meeting! I invited him to visit Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune but he was in a hurry as he had to return to the US on the same night to be with his family for Christmas. What a simple and unaffected man. He was wearing a simple shirt with a pair of jeans. On his wrist was a tulsi mala which he probably used for his Buddhist chanting. I gifted him a statue of Buddha.”
QUOTE(Sharmila-Sweet @ May 7 2010, 12:23 PM) 
Lata-Shankar's Ode To 'Maharashtra Day'
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/broadband/...ashtra-Day.html
Sharmila, thanks a ton for posting this. I hold strong opinions about Lata's post-1975 singing, but hearing her sing the "shriimant yogii" song so well at age 80+ was an amazing experience!
Warm regards,
Abhay
^ You are most welcome Abhay 
Muse-ical Score
Sanjay Leela Bhansali convinces Lata Mangeshkar to sing the track composed specially for her
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Friday, June 04, 2010 at 02:16:42 AM
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s passion for music is universally known. And his love for Lata Mangeshkar is equally public. He has finally turned composer with Guzaarish and his fantasy of having Lata sing for him is coming true after years of patience.
A song to be sung by his muse and inspiration Lata Mangeshkar is a project that has obsessed and frightened Bhansali for years. He says, “I grew up listening to her sing. I cannot start my day without listening to at least some of her songs. I’ve been in awe of her for so many years that when I finally heard her record a song for Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 1942: A Love Story, I was mesmerised. When she walked into the studio, time stood still. Ironically, the song she sang contained the lyric Samay ka yeh pal tham sa gaya hai.”
Lata Mangeshkar
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
It was then that Sanjay had decided he would one day direct a film and Lataji would sing for him. “No filmmaker’s creative vision can be complete without her voice,” says Sanjay.
Despite his ardent wish, Lata could not sing in Sanjay Bhansali’s Khamoshi: The Musical and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. For Devdas, Sanjay had actually set aside the situation in the script where Lata would sing. When again his desire was thwarted, Sanjay scrapped the situation and the song meant for Lata.
Maybe the Nightingale was destined to sing for Bhansali only when he turned music composer. Now that the director has turned into a full-fledged composer with Guzaarish, he has finally mustered the creativity and courage to compose a song for his idol. The song that he has composed for Lata is a soft and sensitive ballad about how precious the gift of life is.
He created the song over two years and has since then been polishing it to perfection. Now he is all set to record the number with her.
Says Sanjay, “Yes, I have the song for Lataji ready finally. But I have still not mustered up the courage to ask her to sing it for me. How can I ask her to sing for me? I have grown up hearing her voice. I learnt the emotions for direction from the way she sings. In Devdas, I asked Shreya Ghosal to copy Lataji’s style. I tell every singer male or female to refer to her. To now ask her to sing… my God!”
However, when Lataji hears about her biggest bhakt’s secret plan for her she is game for it. “Sanjay Bhansali has a great music sense. I loved his songs in Devdas. And that title song in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is outstanding. Whatever he composes would reflect his fine aesthetic sense. Every capable director understands music. I believe that to be a complete filmmaker one has to know about every aspect of cinema,” says Lataji.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/201...ical-Score.html
Sanjay Leela Bhansali convinces Lata Mangeshkar to sing the track composed specially for her
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Friday, June 04, 2010 at 02:16:42 AM
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s passion for music is universally known. And his love for Lata Mangeshkar is equally public. He has finally turned composer with Guzaarish and his fantasy of having Lata sing for him is coming true after years of patience.
A song to be sung by his muse and inspiration Lata Mangeshkar is a project that has obsessed and frightened Bhansali for years. He says, “I grew up listening to her sing. I cannot start my day without listening to at least some of her songs. I’ve been in awe of her for so many years that when I finally heard her record a song for Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 1942: A Love Story, I was mesmerised. When she walked into the studio, time stood still. Ironically, the song she sang contained the lyric Samay ka yeh pal tham sa gaya hai.”
Lata Mangeshkar
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
It was then that Sanjay had decided he would one day direct a film and Lataji would sing for him. “No filmmaker’s creative vision can be complete without her voice,” says Sanjay.
Despite his ardent wish, Lata could not sing in Sanjay Bhansali’s Khamoshi: The Musical and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. For Devdas, Sanjay had actually set aside the situation in the script where Lata would sing. When again his desire was thwarted, Sanjay scrapped the situation and the song meant for Lata.
Maybe the Nightingale was destined to sing for Bhansali only when he turned music composer. Now that the director has turned into a full-fledged composer with Guzaarish, he has finally mustered the creativity and courage to compose a song for his idol. The song that he has composed for Lata is a soft and sensitive ballad about how precious the gift of life is.
He created the song over two years and has since then been polishing it to perfection. Now he is all set to record the number with her.
Says Sanjay, “Yes, I have the song for Lataji ready finally. But I have still not mustered up the courage to ask her to sing it for me. How can I ask her to sing for me? I have grown up hearing her voice. I learnt the emotions for direction from the way she sings. In Devdas, I asked Shreya Ghosal to copy Lataji’s style. I tell every singer male or female to refer to her. To now ask her to sing… my God!”
However, when Lataji hears about her biggest bhakt’s secret plan for her she is game for it. “Sanjay Bhansali has a great music sense. I loved his songs in Devdas. And that title song in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is outstanding. Whatever he composes would reflect his fine aesthetic sense. Every capable director understands music. I believe that to be a complete filmmaker one has to know about every aspect of cinema,” says Lataji.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/201...ical-Score.html
Launch of Gautam Rajadhyaksha's book Chehere
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/stills/par...here/index.html
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/stills/par...here/index.html
'I knew him from the time he ran around in shorts'
By: Subhash K Jha Date: 2010-06-27 Place: Mumbai
Lata Mangeshkar remembers RD Burman on his 71st birthday
As far as female playback legends go, Lata Mangeshkar had the honour of having sung for both the Burman maestros -- father Sachin Dev Burman and son Rahul Dev Burman.
She recalls her initial encounters with RD. "I knew him from the time he would run around in his shorts. He was very naughty. When he came to me with his first song Ghar aaja ghir aaye badra in Mehmood's Chote Nawab, I couldn't believe he had grown up."
The 80 year-old legend recalls her first meeting with Panchamda. "He thrust his autograph book at me when I was recording for his father. Do you know what I wrote in the autograph book? 'Pancham badmashi chhod do' (Stop being naughty) He laughed and ran away. After that, I didn't see him for a long time. He didn't stay much with Burman Dada. He loved his naani and stayed with her more. "
While inviting Lata to sing his first composition, RD also managed to mend relations between her and his father SD Burman. "Yes, Burman Dada and I were not on talking terms. Out of the blue Burman Dada called and said, 'Kya hua tumko? Kyon naraaz ho?' I later came to know Pancham told his father not to fight with me because no one else could sing in the style that he wanted.
Comparing the son to the illustrious father Burman, Mangeshkar observes, "If he wanted, Pancham could've easily followed his father's style. But he followed a unique path. He observed the music and rhythms of African American musicians. He loved ghetto music."
Would it be right to say RD gave all the strong Indian melodies to Lata and the westernised songs to Asha?
"Pancham always gave the right song to both of us. He'd tell me, 'Whatever I compose for you, I can never let Asha sing, and vice versa. Therefore, a Raina Beeti Jaye or a Beeti Na Beetayi Raina came to me. And why just the classical numbers? RD gave me Bahon Mein Chale Aao, which I consider his career's best."
Recalling her special bond with RD, Lataji says, " He called me Didi. But I treated him like my son. When he got married to Rita, he told me to gift him a hand-written letter. He kept it all his life. When he had his first heart attack while recording a song, I was told about it by his associate Sapan Chakravarty. I broke down.
When Pancham heard about my reaction, he told me not to worry. When he had a heart surgery in London, I happened to be there. He sent me a message saying he wanted to meet me before surgery. I went to meet him in the hospital. He told me, 'I don't know what will happen to me. I wanted to meet you before surgery'."
Her rapport with RD remained unaltered even when he married Asha. "Pancham and I didn't expect anything from one another. He used to tell me things that he didn't share with anyone else." Mangeshkar sang both, RD's first and last tracks.
"The last I heard from him was when he asked me to sing Kuch Na Kaho in 1942: A Love Story. I was in Delhi when he passed away. I couldn't sing Kuch Na Kaho during his lifetime. I felt terrible when I recorded it without Pancham."
By: Subhash K Jha Date: 2010-06-27 Place: Mumbai
Lata Mangeshkar remembers RD Burman on his 71st birthday
As far as female playback legends go, Lata Mangeshkar had the honour of having sung for both the Burman maestros -- father Sachin Dev Burman and son Rahul Dev Burman.
She recalls her initial encounters with RD. "I knew him from the time he would run around in his shorts. He was very naughty. When he came to me with his first song Ghar aaja ghir aaye badra in Mehmood's Chote Nawab, I couldn't believe he had grown up."
The 80 year-old legend recalls her first meeting with Panchamda. "He thrust his autograph book at me when I was recording for his father. Do you know what I wrote in the autograph book? 'Pancham badmashi chhod do' (Stop being naughty) He laughed and ran away. After that, I didn't see him for a long time. He didn't stay much with Burman Dada. He loved his naani and stayed with her more. "
While inviting Lata to sing his first composition, RD also managed to mend relations between her and his father SD Burman. "Yes, Burman Dada and I were not on talking terms. Out of the blue Burman Dada called and said, 'Kya hua tumko? Kyon naraaz ho?' I later came to know Pancham told his father not to fight with me because no one else could sing in the style that he wanted.
Comparing the son to the illustrious father Burman, Mangeshkar observes, "If he wanted, Pancham could've easily followed his father's style. But he followed a unique path. He observed the music and rhythms of African American musicians. He loved ghetto music."
Would it be right to say RD gave all the strong Indian melodies to Lata and the westernised songs to Asha?
"Pancham always gave the right song to both of us. He'd tell me, 'Whatever I compose for you, I can never let Asha sing, and vice versa. Therefore, a Raina Beeti Jaye or a Beeti Na Beetayi Raina came to me. And why just the classical numbers? RD gave me Bahon Mein Chale Aao, which I consider his career's best."
Recalling her special bond with RD, Lataji says, " He called me Didi. But I treated him like my son. When he got married to Rita, he told me to gift him a hand-written letter. He kept it all his life. When he had his first heart attack while recording a song, I was told about it by his associate Sapan Chakravarty. I broke down.
When Pancham heard about my reaction, he told me not to worry. When he had a heart surgery in London, I happened to be there. He sent me a message saying he wanted to meet me before surgery. I went to meet him in the hospital. He told me, 'I don't know what will happen to me. I wanted to meet you before surgery'."
Her rapport with RD remained unaltered even when he married Asha. "Pancham and I didn't expect anything from one another. He used to tell me things that he didn't share with anyone else." Mangeshkar sang both, RD's first and last tracks.
"The last I heard from him was when he asked me to sing Kuch Na Kaho in 1942: A Love Story. I was in Delhi when he passed away. I couldn't sing Kuch Na Kaho during his lifetime. I felt terrible when I recorded it without Pancham."
Lata regrets not meeting MJ
By: IANS Date: 2010-06-25 Place: New Delhi
Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar has expressed her regrets over not being able to meet late King of Pop Michael Jackson.
Remembering the Thriller hitmaker on his first death anniversary Friday, Lata wrote on her Twitter page, "My humble tribute to one of the greatest pop artists ever, Michael Jackson...may his soul rest in peace... I never got opportunity to meet him... I'll always have this regret in my heart..."
Jackson died due to a cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009 at his Los Angeles home.
By: IANS Date: 2010-06-25 Place: New Delhi
Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar has expressed her regrets over not being able to meet late King of Pop Michael Jackson.
Remembering the Thriller hitmaker on his first death anniversary Friday, Lata wrote on her Twitter page, "My humble tribute to one of the greatest pop artists ever, Michael Jackson...may his soul rest in peace... I never got opportunity to meet him... I'll always have this regret in my heart..."
Jackson died due to a cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009 at his Los Angeles home.
Midnight bikers ruining my sleep, song, says Lata
Unable to take the noise pollution, Pedder Road’s most famous resident says she’s contemplating moving out after 50 years
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Monday, July 12, 2010 at 02:35:37 AM
The deafening roar of bikes racing down Pedder Road in the dead of night is drowning out the country’s most famous voice. Lata Mangeshkar, who has been living in Prabhu Kunj building for 50 years, is finding it impossible to cope with the increasing noise pollution in the once-serene neighbourhood.
She is reportedly planning to move to a quieter part of the city.
A source close to the 81-year-old singer who also lives in the building said, “Didi’s health has been suffering because of the incessant traffic. Her first-floor apartment faces the street, which is teeming with cars and bikes all through the day and even at night. It is absolutely impossible to get a sound night’s sleep.”
Increasing 24X7 traffic may not unique to Pedder Road, but the problem here has been compounded with bikers on heavy-duty machines vrooming down at 100 kmph after midnight.
“Every time a biker races down Pedder Road and deliberately revs up his engine, the building vibrates badly. We remain awake all night, so does Didi,” says the source.
“This is not good given her frail condition. Sadly, no one seems to have raised any objections to this menace so far,” he added.
Mangeshkar has lived in this house with her sister Asha Bhosle for decades, before the latter moved out to stay with her son in Khar. “If things get worse, Didi too may move to her house in Lower Parel,” added the source. Sources in Prabhu Kunj say Mangeshkar has apparently started shifting her valuables out of her apartment. When approached, the Bharat Ratna awardee said, “I have shifted all my trophies and awards from Prabhu Kunj to our hospital in Pune. My three-bedroom flat couldn’t accommodate them any more. I’ve now taken over a small part of our hospital for private occupancy. There was no other option.”
She also admitted, “My health is getting affected by the noise. But at this stage in my life, I don’t know if I can stay anywhere else. I have lived here with my family for 50 years after all.”
Pedder Road, which is jam-packed all day, is a favourite haunt of bikers after 1 am
Additional CP (traffic) Brijesh Singh said, “There are 717 vehicles per km on Mumbai’s roads with 450 vehicles being bought every day. South Mumbai roads were not designed for this kind of traffic. When eminent citizens like Lata Mangeshkar raise the issue, it changes things at policy level. As far as bikers are concerned, we will take necessary steps with the help of local police and residents.”
As an artiste she should understand’
Biker Gangs were active on the Bandra reclamation stretch till April 2009 as the sea link was incomplete. While their stunts drew some appreciation initially, the police were soon flooded with complaints. After a crackdown the gangs have all but gone underground though late in the night they are still seen racing along Marine Drive and the Western Express Highway.
A college drop-out who helps his father fashion the choppers (modified bikes with exaggerated handlebars, mud guards, etc) told Mirror, “The thrill is unmatched. We invest much more than money in our bikes. This is our passion. As an artiste she should understand.”
Unable to take the noise pollution, Pedder Road’s most famous resident says she’s contemplating moving out after 50 years
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Monday, July 12, 2010 at 02:35:37 AM
The deafening roar of bikes racing down Pedder Road in the dead of night is drowning out the country’s most famous voice. Lata Mangeshkar, who has been living in Prabhu Kunj building for 50 years, is finding it impossible to cope with the increasing noise pollution in the once-serene neighbourhood.
She is reportedly planning to move to a quieter part of the city.
A source close to the 81-year-old singer who also lives in the building said, “Didi’s health has been suffering because of the incessant traffic. Her first-floor apartment faces the street, which is teeming with cars and bikes all through the day and even at night. It is absolutely impossible to get a sound night’s sleep.”
Increasing 24X7 traffic may not unique to Pedder Road, but the problem here has been compounded with bikers on heavy-duty machines vrooming down at 100 kmph after midnight.
“Every time a biker races down Pedder Road and deliberately revs up his engine, the building vibrates badly. We remain awake all night, so does Didi,” says the source.
“This is not good given her frail condition. Sadly, no one seems to have raised any objections to this menace so far,” he added.
Mangeshkar has lived in this house with her sister Asha Bhosle for decades, before the latter moved out to stay with her son in Khar. “If things get worse, Didi too may move to her house in Lower Parel,” added the source. Sources in Prabhu Kunj say Mangeshkar has apparently started shifting her valuables out of her apartment. When approached, the Bharat Ratna awardee said, “I have shifted all my trophies and awards from Prabhu Kunj to our hospital in Pune. My three-bedroom flat couldn’t accommodate them any more. I’ve now taken over a small part of our hospital for private occupancy. There was no other option.”
She also admitted, “My health is getting affected by the noise. But at this stage in my life, I don’t know if I can stay anywhere else. I have lived here with my family for 50 years after all.”
Pedder Road, which is jam-packed all day, is a favourite haunt of bikers after 1 am
Additional CP (traffic) Brijesh Singh said, “There are 717 vehicles per km on Mumbai’s roads with 450 vehicles being bought every day. South Mumbai roads were not designed for this kind of traffic. When eminent citizens like Lata Mangeshkar raise the issue, it changes things at policy level. As far as bikers are concerned, we will take necessary steps with the help of local police and residents.”
As an artiste she should understand’
Biker Gangs were active on the Bandra reclamation stretch till April 2009 as the sea link was incomplete. While their stunts drew some appreciation initially, the police were soon flooded with complaints. After a crackdown the gangs have all but gone underground though late in the night they are still seen racing along Marine Drive and the Western Express Highway.
A college drop-out who helps his father fashion the choppers (modified bikes with exaggerated handlebars, mud guards, etc) told Mirror, “The thrill is unmatched. We invest much more than money in our bikes. This is our passion. As an artiste she should understand.”
Lata, Amitabh bond on Twitter
SUBHASH K JHA, Jul 14, 2010, 10.51am IST
Though social networking has its advantages and disadvantages the entertainment business has nothing to complain about. Not when Bollywood’s two living legends Lata Mangeshkar(LM) and Amitabh Bachchan (AB) are brought closer through their interaction on Twitter.
No doubt LM and AB have been very fond of one another for decades. In fact when AB reluctantly turned singer in the 1970s one of his first major songs was Yeh kahan aa gaye hum with Lataji in Silsila. Sadly the two legends could not record the song together.
Unable to meet frequently because of their individual commitments the two super-icons met sporadically at functions and public events where they get along like a house on fire. Both individually expressed their fondness for one another’s company and their regret at not bonding more often.
That lack of connectivity between AB and LM has changed. Thanks to Twitter where they exchanged messages. So delighted was AB to find his favourite singer on the micro-blogging site says, “The most gratifying moment on Twitter came when I got to interact with Lataji.”
The singing legend reciprocates by saying, “I am really happy to connect with Bachchan Saab through Twitter. I must admit it feels good to be in touch with him again.”
Says Lataji, “I don’t know if they know this. But I’m very fond of the Bachchans. Yes, Jayaji did tell me about the project when we met at a book release. I’m most grateful to both Amitji and Jayaji for always showering me with their love and affection. I’m glad I got an opportunity to connect with Amitji and the parivar through Twitter.”
SUBHASH K JHA, Jul 14, 2010, 10.51am IST
Though social networking has its advantages and disadvantages the entertainment business has nothing to complain about. Not when Bollywood’s two living legends Lata Mangeshkar(LM) and Amitabh Bachchan (AB) are brought closer through their interaction on Twitter.
No doubt LM and AB have been very fond of one another for decades. In fact when AB reluctantly turned singer in the 1970s one of his first major songs was Yeh kahan aa gaye hum with Lataji in Silsila. Sadly the two legends could not record the song together.
Unable to meet frequently because of their individual commitments the two super-icons met sporadically at functions and public events where they get along like a house on fire. Both individually expressed their fondness for one another’s company and their regret at not bonding more often.
That lack of connectivity between AB and LM has changed. Thanks to Twitter where they exchanged messages. So delighted was AB to find his favourite singer on the micro-blogging site says, “The most gratifying moment on Twitter came when I got to interact with Lataji.”
The singing legend reciprocates by saying, “I am really happy to connect with Bachchan Saab through Twitter. I must admit it feels good to be in touch with him again.”
Says Lataji, “I don’t know if they know this. But I’m very fond of the Bachchans. Yes, Jayaji did tell me about the project when we met at a book release. I’m most grateful to both Amitji and Jayaji for always showering me with their love and affection. I’m glad I got an opportunity to connect with Amitji and the parivar through Twitter.”
Lata tai’s ‘trained’ voice
Virat A Singh
Posted On Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 03:50:25 AM
The legendary Lata Mangeshkar might be miffed with the traffic cops but she's willing to make an exception for Railway officials.
Lata Mangeshkar with Satya Prakash
Latatai will be singing a song whose lyrics have been penned by Satya Prakash, Chief Operations Manager (COM) of Central Railway in Sanjay Sharma's film Dunno Y...Na Jaane Kyun. Nikhil Kamath has composed the music of the film, which will release by August this year.
"It's difficult for me to explain my joy," says Satya Prakash. Prakash has written some books that have compilations of his poetry.
The officer is proud to have pursued his passion as diligently as his profession.
Virat A Singh
Posted On Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 03:50:25 AM
The legendary Lata Mangeshkar might be miffed with the traffic cops but she's willing to make an exception for Railway officials.
Lata Mangeshkar with Satya Prakash
Latatai will be singing a song whose lyrics have been penned by Satya Prakash, Chief Operations Manager (COM) of Central Railway in Sanjay Sharma's film Dunno Y...Na Jaane Kyun. Nikhil Kamath has composed the music of the film, which will release by August this year.
"It's difficult for me to explain my joy," says Satya Prakash. Prakash has written some books that have compilations of his poetry.
The officer is proud to have pursued his passion as diligently as his profession.
Lata Mangeshkar - Pandit Jasraj duet for Marathi film
Neeta Kolhatkar / DNAFriday, July 23, 2010 1:00 IST
Mumbai: For the first time, two doyens of different genres — Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar and Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj — will come together to sing a Marathi song.
The song is from a spiritual film, Aai Tuza Ashirwaad (blessings of mother), which has been directed by Madhura Jasraj, wife of Pandit Jasraj. Madhura, incidentally, is the daughter of legendary Marathi film maker V Shantaram.
The song, Om namo sukhdayini, is actually an aarti that was recorded at Swarlata Studios.
The song has also been sung once by Suresh Wadkar. Its music has been composed by Mayuresh Pai.
Pai said musicians consider it a privilege to compose for Mangeshkar, and with Pandit Jasraj also being there, it is a dream moment for him.
“Actually this is all very surreal for me. I have learnt music from Suresh Wadkar who is my guru. He has sung my song, and now it will be sung by the guru of all gurus, Panditt Jasraj, and the goddess Saraswati [Mangeshkar]. It appears as if the universe has conspired to bring me this dream moment,” Pai told DNA.
The film is already edited and it will be released on August 20.
Neeta Kolhatkar / DNAFriday, July 23, 2010 1:00 IST
Mumbai: For the first time, two doyens of different genres — Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar and Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj — will come together to sing a Marathi song.
The song is from a spiritual film, Aai Tuza Ashirwaad (blessings of mother), which has been directed by Madhura Jasraj, wife of Pandit Jasraj. Madhura, incidentally, is the daughter of legendary Marathi film maker V Shantaram.
The song, Om namo sukhdayini, is actually an aarti that was recorded at Swarlata Studios.
The song has also been sung once by Suresh Wadkar. Its music has been composed by Mayuresh Pai.
Pai said musicians consider it a privilege to compose for Mangeshkar, and with Pandit Jasraj also being there, it is a dream moment for him.
“Actually this is all very surreal for me. I have learnt music from Suresh Wadkar who is my guru. He has sung my song, and now it will be sung by the guru of all gurus, Panditt Jasraj, and the goddess Saraswati [Mangeshkar]. It appears as if the universe has conspired to bring me this dream moment,” Pai told DNA.
The film is already edited and it will be released on August 20.
Thanks Sharmila for nice info.
Rahman pays homage to Lata at Wembley
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 03:49:18 AM
In an under-attended concert at the huge Wembley on Sunday evening(only 7,000 out of the 9,000 seats were filled) Rahman brought the house down when he paid a very unusual homage to Lata Mangeshkar. Rahman sang his most precious duet with Lata, Lukka chuppi from Rang De Basanti.
Images of Lata singing Lukka chuppi flashed on the monitor as Rahman joined her live at the stadium. The rendition brought the house down.
Apparently Rahman had flown into Mumbai to record Lataji’s voice and images. Says a source, “Lukka chuppi is one of Rahman’s favourite tracks. When he sings about a child being separated from his mother he actually feels he is singing about his own mother.
He wanted this song to be a part of his concert and he didn’t want a stand-in voice for Lata. So he recorded her singing the number live and sang along with the recording at the concert.”
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 03:49:18 AM
In an under-attended concert at the huge Wembley on Sunday evening(only 7,000 out of the 9,000 seats were filled) Rahman brought the house down when he paid a very unusual homage to Lata Mangeshkar. Rahman sang his most precious duet with Lata, Lukka chuppi from Rang De Basanti.
Images of Lata singing Lukka chuppi flashed on the monitor as Rahman joined her live at the stadium. The rendition brought the house down.
Apparently Rahman had flown into Mumbai to record Lataji’s voice and images. Says a source, “Lukka chuppi is one of Rahman’s favourite tracks. When he sings about a child being separated from his mother he actually feels he is singing about his own mother.
He wanted this song to be a part of his concert and he didn’t want a stand-in voice for Lata. So he recorded her singing the number live and sang along with the recording at the concert.”
Pak PM is Lata tai’s biggest fan
Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar has been extended an invitation to visit Pakistan as a state guest by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Monday, August 09, 2010 at 03:16:07 AM
It is an honour very few are truly worthy of. Our very own Lata tai has been invited to fly to Pakistan to meet the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. If things go as planned, she would soon be sitting, in all her glory, with the crème-de-la-crème of the Pakistani PM’s office.
As it turns out, a very persuasive invitation for Lataji to visit our neighbouring country has come from none other than the Pakistani Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani himself.
During a dinner meeting with singer Adnan Sami in Islamabad last week (which Mumbai Mirror reported recently), Gilani raised the question of Lataji’s long-pending visit. “She owes it to her fans in Pakistan, which includes me,” the Pakistani PM apparently told Adnan.
He then suggested that Adnan personally bring her to Pakistan as the country’s state guest.
Obviously, if Lataji visits Pakistan soon, cultural ties between the two countries would go to another level.
Confirming the invitation from Pakistan’s PM, Adnan says, “Yes, Gilani saab has invited Lataji through me. He is a huge fan of hers. So is Nawaz Sharif for that matter.”
As per Adnan’s account, during his dinner last week in Islamabad, Gilani could not stop singing Lataji’s evergreen melodies. It was after that session that the PM extended the invitation for Lataji to Adnan.
Yousuf Raza Gilani
Says Adnan, “Lataji has been invited as a state guest to Pakistan. I will personally escort her and will make sure she is looked after properly like a Bharat Ratna should be. Lataji is a national treasure not only in India but also in Pakistan. Just the thought of her visit has filled Pakistani people with a feeling of elation. She must go there. I will make sure it happens.”
While Lataji is yet to take a call on this invitation, the long-standing desire of the Pakistanis to have her amongst them for just one visit, is now on its way to fulfillment.
Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar has been extended an invitation to visit Pakistan as a state guest by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Monday, August 09, 2010 at 03:16:07 AM
It is an honour very few are truly worthy of. Our very own Lata tai has been invited to fly to Pakistan to meet the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. If things go as planned, she would soon be sitting, in all her glory, with the crème-de-la-crème of the Pakistani PM’s office.
As it turns out, a very persuasive invitation for Lataji to visit our neighbouring country has come from none other than the Pakistani Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani himself.
During a dinner meeting with singer Adnan Sami in Islamabad last week (which Mumbai Mirror reported recently), Gilani raised the question of Lataji’s long-pending visit. “She owes it to her fans in Pakistan, which includes me,” the Pakistani PM apparently told Adnan.
He then suggested that Adnan personally bring her to Pakistan as the country’s state guest.
Obviously, if Lataji visits Pakistan soon, cultural ties between the two countries would go to another level.
Confirming the invitation from Pakistan’s PM, Adnan says, “Yes, Gilani saab has invited Lataji through me. He is a huge fan of hers. So is Nawaz Sharif for that matter.”
As per Adnan’s account, during his dinner last week in Islamabad, Gilani could not stop singing Lataji’s evergreen melodies. It was after that session that the PM extended the invitation for Lataji to Adnan.
Yousuf Raza Gilani
Says Adnan, “Lataji has been invited as a state guest to Pakistan. I will personally escort her and will make sure she is looked after properly like a Bharat Ratna should be. Lataji is a national treasure not only in India but also in Pakistan. Just the thought of her visit has filled Pakistani people with a feeling of elation. She must go there. I will make sure it happens.”
While Lataji is yet to take a call on this invitation, the long-standing desire of the Pakistanis to have her amongst them for just one visit, is now on its way to fulfillment.
Bhansali’s ode to the Nightingale
To commemorate her 82nd birthday, Sanjay Leela Bhansali will start work on an album inspired by Lata Mangeshkar’s less celebrated wonders
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 03:37:36 AM
That the self-proclaimed Lata Mangeshkar devotee Sanjay Leela Bhansali has turned into a music composer with Guzaarish is a well-known fact. What no one knows, not even the people closest to the director, is that he has been secretly working on another album of songs created and composed exclusively for his muse.
And now when India’s Nightingale turns 82 on September 28 , SLB’s precious secret project will finally be given the attention he has been craving to give it for all these years.
Though SLB refuses to speak about his own personal ode to the legendary singer, a source close to the director says, “During the past one year Sanjay has been completely consumed by Guzaarish and its music.
Having taken on the task of composing a full score for the first time Sanjay had put his dream opus—the Lata Mangeshkar album — on the backburner. He now intends to go at it full-throttle. On her birthday he will get to work seriously on his Lata Mangeshkar project.”
Sanjay Bhansali’s Lata Mangeshkar project will focus on creating songs that the director, as an ardent fan of Lata, has observed to have been less conspicuous in her repertoire.
Says SLB, “I know every nuance in her voice. She is a miracle of nature. And there’s so much in her throat that is still untapped. I first thought I’d create just one song for her in Guzaarish.
Then I thought, why one song when a whole ethos, era after era of supreme excellence is embodied in that voice? She mirrors all the beauty of the soul. It is that beauty I want to capture in my songs.”
Incidentally, Lataji has worked with other filmmakers, who were closet composers, like Raj Khosla and Raj Kapoor. But a filmmaker turning into a music composer officially is a first.
To commemorate her 82nd birthday, Sanjay Leela Bhansali will start work on an album inspired by Lata Mangeshkar’s less celebrated wonders
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 03:37:36 AM
That the self-proclaimed Lata Mangeshkar devotee Sanjay Leela Bhansali has turned into a music composer with Guzaarish is a well-known fact. What no one knows, not even the people closest to the director, is that he has been secretly working on another album of songs created and composed exclusively for his muse.
And now when India’s Nightingale turns 82 on September 28 , SLB’s precious secret project will finally be given the attention he has been craving to give it for all these years.
Though SLB refuses to speak about his own personal ode to the legendary singer, a source close to the director says, “During the past one year Sanjay has been completely consumed by Guzaarish and its music.
Having taken on the task of composing a full score for the first time Sanjay had put his dream opus—the Lata Mangeshkar album — on the backburner. He now intends to go at it full-throttle. On her birthday he will get to work seriously on his Lata Mangeshkar project.”
Sanjay Bhansali’s Lata Mangeshkar project will focus on creating songs that the director, as an ardent fan of Lata, has observed to have been less conspicuous in her repertoire.
Says SLB, “I know every nuance in her voice. She is a miracle of nature. And there’s so much in her throat that is still untapped. I first thought I’d create just one song for her in Guzaarish.
Then I thought, why one song when a whole ethos, era after era of supreme excellence is embodied in that voice? She mirrors all the beauty of the soul. It is that beauty I want to capture in my songs.”
Incidentally, Lataji has worked with other filmmakers, who were closet composers, like Raj Khosla and Raj Kapoor. But a filmmaker turning into a music composer officially is a first.
Rekha and legendary singer Lata Mangeskar share a candid moment at Rekha's a birthday party on Sunday in Mumbai.
The enigmatic actress turned 56th on Sunday (October 10).
The enigmatic actress turned 56th on Sunday (October 10).
Lata Mangeshkar is spotted at the launch of her Saregama India Ltd's album Aapki Sewa Mein Main Aur Mere Saathi at Saregama Office in Mumbai.
Lata Mangeshkar made a rare public appearance to launch her new album Aapki Sewa Mein Main Aur Mere Saathi last evening, and chatted freely with the media present.
The album has been named after her first film as a singer, Aap Ke Sewa Mein released way back in 1946. The collection of songs, she says, had an emotional bearing on her since her childhood. The assortment also includes unreleased songs from films like Garam Coat and Amar Samadhi.
"I miss my colleagues of yesteryears," she said.
The legendary singer, who has millions of admirers around the globe, confesses to being an admirer of Amitabh Bachchan, and his game show Kaun Banega Crorepati. A self-confessed introvert, Lataji claimed that she preferred to spend time at home watching television especially her favourite show, CID.
Lataji has sung for many actresses on screen, but claims that her favourites have been Kajol and Rani Mukerji. Her favourite actors are Salman Khan and Aamir Khan.
Ardent fans don't have to search too hard for a piece of Lataji -- she's quite active on twitter, and likes interacting with people on the social networking site. She also uses the forum to remind her fans the birthdays of freedom fighters.
Check out the video, and watch Lataji talk about what to expect from Aapki Sewa Mein Main Aur Mere Saathi.
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/o...nches-album.htm
The album has been named after her first film as a singer, Aap Ke Sewa Mein released way back in 1946. The collection of songs, she says, had an emotional bearing on her since her childhood. The assortment also includes unreleased songs from films like Garam Coat and Amar Samadhi.
"I miss my colleagues of yesteryears," she said.
The legendary singer, who has millions of admirers around the globe, confesses to being an admirer of Amitabh Bachchan, and his game show Kaun Banega Crorepati. A self-confessed introvert, Lataji claimed that she preferred to spend time at home watching television especially her favourite show, CID.
Lataji has sung for many actresses on screen, but claims that her favourites have been Kajol and Rani Mukerji. Her favourite actors are Salman Khan and Aamir Khan.
Ardent fans don't have to search too hard for a piece of Lataji -- she's quite active on twitter, and likes interacting with people on the social networking site. She also uses the forum to remind her fans the birthdays of freedom fighters.
Check out the video, and watch Lataji talk about what to expect from Aapki Sewa Mein Main Aur Mere Saathi.
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/o...nches-album.htm
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