Lata Mangeshkar remains one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated singers. Her magical voice created a lasting place among music lovers worldwide.
However, her journey also included struggles, rejection, and financial hardships. The legendary singer started performing at a very young age.
Lata inherited music from her father Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar. Over time, people honoured her with titles like Swar Kokila and Bharat Kokila.
From Hema To Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, on September 28, 1929. Her father was a theatre artist and singer.
Initially, her name was Hema. Later, her father renamed her Lata after a character named Latika from his play.
Besides singing, Lata also explored acting during her early career. She appeared in small roles in Hindi and Marathi films.
Her acting credits included movies like Jeevan Yatra, Pahili Mangalagaur, Majhi Bal, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Badi Maa, Chimukla Sansar, and Subhadra Mandir.
First Song, First Earnings And Major Break
At just 13 years old, Lata entered the film industry as a singer. She recorded her first song for the Marathi film Kiti Hasaal in 1942.
Meanwhile, her first stage performance earned her only ₹25. That amount became her first income during childhood.
Later, Lata received her first major Hindi film opportunity at 18. Music composer Ghulam Haider gave her a chance in the movie Majboor.
She sang the 1948 song “Angrezi Chhora Chala Gaya” with singer Mukesh.
The Rejection That Changed History
Before gaining fame, director-producer Shashidhar Mukherjee rejected Lata’s voice. Ghulam Haider introduced her to Mukherjee for work.
However, Mukherjee called her voice too thin and refused the opportunity. Later, he regretted that decision.
Eventually, he offered Lata opportunities in films like Anarkali and Ziddi.
A Voice That Crossed 36 Languages
Lata Mangeshkar sang songs in Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Odia, Assamese, Sindhi, Gujarati, and many other languages.
Overall, she sang in 36 languages and ruled the music world for seven decades.
Her famous songs included “Lag Ja Gale”, “Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh”, “Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon”, “Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya”, “Luka Chuppi”, and “Dekha Ek Khwab”.
Several reports claim she recorded 25,000 songs, while some mention numbers reaching 30,000.
Awards And Final Chapter
Lata received National Awards in 1972, 1975, and 1990. She also won Filmfare Awards in 1958, 1962, 1965, 1969, 1993, and 1994.
Additionally, she received Maharashtra Government Awards twice, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and Bharat Ratna in 2001.
The legendary singer passed away at 92 years old on February 6, 2022, in Mumbai.
