Lata Mangeshkar is an Indian playback singer and music director. She is one of the best known and most respected playback singers in India.
Lata Mangeshkar, also known as the ‘Nightingale of India’, is one of the most versatile singers in the Indian film industry. Lata was born on September 28, 1929, to classical singer and theatre artist Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar and Shevanti in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Her father started teaching her music at an early age. By the time she was five, Lata was seen participating as an actress in plays written by her father. Her siblings – Meena, Asha, Usha, and Hridaynath – are all accomplished singers and musicians.

In a career spanning nearly eight decades, Lata Mangeshkar was the singing voice for a bevy of Bollywood leading ladies. She has lent her voice to over 5,000 songs in over a thousand Hindi and 36 regional films. She has had an unprecedented impact on Indian film music. Since 1942, Lata has pushed back the boundaries of music with her mind-boggling skills. Over the years, Lata has sung for actresses from Madhubala to Priyanka Chopra. Best known for her versatile voice quality, she has recorded albums of all kinds (ghazals, pop, etc).

Take a look at Lata Mangeshkar’s musical journey

In 1942, her father’s untimely death put the onus of providing for the family on her shoulders. Pandit Deenanath’s friend Master Vinayak took care of the Mangeshkar family and offered her a role in the film Badi Maa. In 1949, she moved to Bombay (now Mumbai), where she began learning Hindustani music from Ustad Aman Ali Khan.

Lata has worked with several legendary music directors including Madan Mohan, R D Burman, the duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal and A R Rahman. She teamed up with Madan Mohan for the 1960s like Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha from Anpadh, Lag Jaa Gale and Naina Barse Rim Jhim from Woh Kaun Thi?. Lata has sung over 700 songs for Laxmikant-Pyarelal, which include Mere Naseeb Mein from Naseeb and Sheesha Ho Ya Dil Ho from Asha.

Songs like Gata Rahe Mera Dil, and Piya Tose in Guide (1965) were recorded for S D Burman.

Lata sang R D Burman’s first and last songs – in Chote Nawaab (1961) and Kuch Na Kaho in 1942: A Love Story in 1994. Her collaborations with A R Rahman resulted in popular songs like Luka Chupi in Rang de Basanti (2006) and O Paalanhaare in the movie, Lagaan (2001).

From Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya from Mughal-e-Azam (1960) to Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh, from Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) to Rangeela Re from Prem Pujari (1970) or even Jiya Jale in Dil Se, the singer has lent her voice to a number of timeless classics over the years.

In 2012, Lata Mangeshkar launched her own music label called LM Music. Her most recent release (March 2019) was the song Saugandh Mujhe Is Mitti Ki, composed by Mayuresh Pai, which is a tribute to the Indian army and India.

Awards and recognitions

Lata Mangeshkar has received several awards and accolades during her eight-decade-long career. In 1974, she became the first Indian to perform at the Royal Albert Hall. She is the recipient of three National Film Awards, 15 Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards, four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards, two Filmfare Special Awards, Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award and many more. Lata Mangeshkar was bestowed with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1989. In 2001, she was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. The government of France conferred on her its highest civilian award (Officer of the Legion of Honour) in 2007.

Along with these, Lata Mangeshkar holds the distinction of being the most recorded artist in the history of Indian music in Guinness Record in 1974. The Indian government honoured her with the Daughter of the Nation award on her 90th birthday in September 2019.

The book entitled “Lata Mangeshkar: A Musical Journey” contains little known facts intertwined with the story of her life in music, struggles, successes and her reign as the Queen of Hindi music from the 1940s to the present day.