Remembering the legend: Lata Mangeshkar
As many of you may have noted from the news, Bollywood playback singer Lata Mangeshkar passed away yesterday at the age of 92. For those from the Indian Subcontinent and those who are interested in the land, this is a momentous loss. The flags across India will be flown at have mast due to her impact.
The greatest singers impact a generation. Generation X in Korea would be different without Seo Taiji and the Boys, the Silent Generation in the west would be quite different without Chuck Berry, and the Baby Boomers without The Beatles. For South Asians, however, Lata Mangeshkar impacted several generations. Her first song to be officially released (she recorded some tracks before) was Natali Chaitrachi Navlai when she was 13. Her final song was released in 2019 when she was 90 years old. That is 77 years, and she was not retired when she passed away, still active. For the length of a lifetime, she was releasing music. As a result, in many families, including mine, it was simply normal for three of four generations to have Lata Mangeshkar singing their favorite songs.
Lata Mangeshkar certainly was an influential personality in the Bollywood music industry. Over her many years, she got into several, well-publicized feuds. Few can forget her feud with her equally legendary sister Asha Bhosle, which ended when the two reunited, or her feud with Sahir Ludhianvi. In the latter, she was not the one who started it, but she ended it.
Lata Mangeshkar was unapologetically herself. As one of the biggest names in the industry, she could tell what songs she wanted. She would voice her opinions, even if out of fashion. However, throughout it all, she was proud of her nation and proud of her craft. From donating the earnings from her signature track, Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon to the widows from victims of the Sino-Indian war to many other such acts, she was Lata Mangeshkar.
One can only be so dominant, however, with a voice like Lata's. She was able to fill any tune with pathos, driven by joy or sorrow. From the youthful euphoria of Ae Dil Mujhe Bata De to the hidden sorrow of Ajeeb Dastan Hai Ye, Lata Mangeshkar mastered her craft. I wanted to end this post with a list of Mangeshkar's best tracks, but that is a near-impossible task. As a result, I have embedded below, some of her classics. There are many more, for Lata Mangeshkar was truly a legend, more than any other singer across the world. Truly a legend who will be remembered and missed.
Image Source: DNA India
R.I.P she was an awesome voice for Bollywood. Even though i've pretty much only watched SRK movies, her beautiful voice stood out so well - especially in DDLJ, Veer-Zaara, K3G, and so many more.
ReplyDeleteShe truly was amazing. It is crazy to think how current generations know her from her SRK and Salman Khan songs, but she was already in her 70s and 80s when she released them. Such an eternal legend.
DeleteRest in power. I'll listen to these. I remember enjoying your golden age of Bollywood (IIRC?) series so much. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteTrue, she was such a memorable legend. I'd say every one of these songs are 10s (maybe not the final one, but she sung it when she was in her 90s), and she still has many equally strong classics. Few singers, ever, have even had a third of the impact she had.
DeleteHaha, I thought no one read my Golden Age Bollywood series! Glad to see someone remembers it!
I keep thinking of another figure like her, and wow no one comes to mind right now. Impact and legacy across multiple generations. She's that rare type of amazing.
DeleteI followed the series religiously! Should've commented lol (or maybe I did but I just don't remember?).
The only singers that I think had a legacy as widespread as hers could be Kishore Kumar, Mohd. Rafi, and most notably, her sister, Asha Bhosle. However, none could actually commercially last like she did.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed it so much! It is still one of my favorite series on this blog, though I do think I could have given the posts a few updates, and I actually forgot to embed some songs lol!