Lata Mangeshkar

Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar (??? ???????) (born September 28, 1929) is a popular Indian singer, whose career has spanned over six decades. Although she has worked on non-film songs and has sung in many languages, she is chiefly known as a Bollywood Hindi playback singer.

1940s: Initial days in Bollywood

Lata Mangeshkar's first cinematic song was for the film Kiti Hasaal, which was produced by Vasant Joglekar. Her father didn't want her to sing for movies, however, and the song had to be dropped from the film. Her talent impressed Vasant very much though, and he later said that "she is an introvert. That's why she's not proud. But she reveals her pride in her singing."

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When she was 13 her father expired, leaving Lata to go through financial and emotional struggles. She didn't like acting very much, but the untimely death of her father and financial need forced her to play cameo roles in many Hindi and Marathi films. Her first role was in Pahili Mangalagaur (1942), where she played the younger sister to actress Snehprabha Pradhan. She went on to act in many more feature films including, Maaze Baal, Chimukla Sansar (1943), Gajabhau (1944), Badi Maa (1945), Jeevan Yatra (1946), Mand (1948), and Chhatrapati Shivaji (1952). In Badi Maa, Lata acted with Noor Jehan and her younger sister Asha Bhosle. She sang for herself and did playback for Asha.

Related Topics:
Hindi - Marathi - 1942 - 1943 - 1944 - 1945 - 1946 - 1948 - Chhatrapati Shivaji - 1952 - Noor Jehan - Asha Bhosle - Playback

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In 1945, maestro Ghulam Haider (who had earlier discovered Noor Jehan) took Lata to the producer of a forthcoming movie starring actress Kamini Kaushal. He wanted the producer to give 16-year old Lata a chance to sing. The producer dismissed Lata's soft voice as too immature and girlish. Ghulam Haider was extremely annoyed and said "Let me fortell today that this girl will soon put to shame everyone else including Noor Jehan. Producers and signers will fall at her feet begging her to sing in their fims."

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1945 - Ghulam Haider - Noor Jehan

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In 1947, Vasant Joglekar employed Lata to sing for his film Aapki Seva Mein. The popular songs composed by musician Datta Daavjekar established Lata as a leading playback singer in Bollywood. She reinforced her position with hits from the movie Majboor - Angrezi chhora chala gaya, Dil mera toda Haaye and, mujhe kahinka na choda tere pyaar ne.

Related Topics:
1947 - Bollywood

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In 1949, Lata got her big break with the song Aayega Aanewaala from the movie Mahal. The song was for Bollywood's screen goddess Madhubala and was composed by Khemchand Prakash. The film was a mega-hit across India and proved to be a turning point in the careers of Madhubala and Lata. More hits followed and Lata became the most sought after playback singer, often working with the composers such as Naushad and lyricists like Sahir Ludhiyanvi, Rajendra Krishna, and Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Related Topics:
1949 - Madhubala - Naushad - Sahir Ludhiyanvi - Rajendra Krishna - Majrooh Sultanpuri

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