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Date & Place of Birth: September 28, 1929 (1929-09-28) (age 80)- Indore, India
Genre: Film music (playback singing), Indian classical music
Occupation: Singer
Instrument: Vocalist
Years active: Since 1942

Lata Mangeshkar (born September 28, 1929) is a great singer from India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in the Hindi film industry. Mangeshkar’s career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She sang in over a thousand Bollywood movies and has sung songs in over twenty regional Indian languages, but primarily in Hindi. She is the elder sister of the equally accomplished singer Asha Bhosle and lesser-known singers, brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar and sisters Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar. Lata is the second vocalist ever to have received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.

Mangeshkar was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world. The claim was that she had recorded no less than 25,000 solo, duet, and chorus-backed songs in 20 Indian languages between 1948 to 1974 (30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987, according to the 1987 edition). Over the years, while several sources have supported this claim, others have raised concerns over its veracity, claiming that this number was highly exaggerated and that Mangeshkar’s sister, Asha Bhosle, had more song recordings than she had.

Early Life:

Lata Mangeshkar was born in a Marathi speaking family in Sikh Mohalla, Indore, in the State of Madhya Pradesh. Her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar who belonged to a Konkani speaking Kalavant Family from Goa, was a classical singer and theater actor. Her mother Shudhhamati, who was from Thalner, was Deenanath’s second wife. The family’s last name used to be Hardikar; Deenanath changed it to Mangeshkar in order to identify his family with his native town, Mangeshi in Goa. Lata was named "Hema" at her birth. Her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father’s plays, BhaawBandhan. Lata is the eldest child of her parents. Asha, Hridayanath, Usha, and Meena are her siblings in sequence.

Lata took her first music lessons from her father. At the age of five, she started to work as an actress in her father’s musical plays (sangeet naatak in Marathi). Her father’s recitals and lessons left a strong impression on her, as did the songs of K.L. Saigal, who was her favorite singer and idol. Her formal education was limited to one day in the school. On the first day in the school, she started teaching songs to other children. When the teacher stopped her, she was so angry that she stopped going to the school. Other sources cite that she left school because they would not allow her to bring Asha with her, as she would often bring her younger sister with her.

In 1942, when Lata was 13, her father died of heart disease. Master Vinayak (Vinayak Damodar Karnataki), the owner of Navyug Chitrapat movie company and a close friend of the Mangeshkar family, took care of them. He helped Lata get started in a career as a singer and actress.

In the 1950s, Lata sang songs composed by various acclaimed music directors of the period, including Anil Biswas, Shankar-Jaikishan, Naushad, S. D. Burman, C. Ramchandra, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury, Khayyam, Ravi, Sajjad Hussain, Roshan, Kalyanji-Anandji,Vasant Desai, Sudhir Phadke, Hansraj Behl, Madan Mohan, and Usha Khanna. Acclaimed music director O. P. Nayyar was an exception who favored Lata’s sister Asha Bhosle as the singer of many of his compositions.

In this decade Mangeshkar sang songs in most popular movies of the period such as

• Baiju Bawra (1952),
• Mughal-E-Azam (1960),
• Kohinoor (1960).
• Aag, Aah (1953),
• Shree 420 (1955),
• Chori Chori (1956).
• Sazaa (1951),
• House No. 44 (1955),
• Devdas (1955).
• Madhumati (1958) and many more movies.

1960s

The 1960s thrust Lata Mangeshkar to being known as the undisputed leading female playback singer in Hindi cinema. She recorded songs for nearly every major composer of the period, and many of these songs continue to be popular. During the period she sang many hit songs such as

• Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya from Mughal-E-Azam (1960),
• Dastaan Hai Yeh from Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960)
• Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai, Gata Rahe Mera Dil (duet with Kishore Kumar) and Piya Tose from Guide (1965),
• Hothon Pe Aisi Baat from Jewel Thief (1967).
• Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha from Anpadh (1962),
• Lag Ja Gale and Naina Barse Rim Jhim from Woh Kaun Thi? (1964),
• Woh Chup Rahen To from Jahan Ara (1964), Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega from Mera Saaya (1966).

She also sang several playback songs for Marathi films, composed by notable Marathi music directors including Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Vasant Prabhu, Srinivas Khale, Sudhir Phadke and herself (under the name Anandghan). During the 1960s and 1970s, she also sang several popular Bengali songs, composed by music directors like Salil Chowdhury and Hemant Kumar.

1970s

In 1972, Meena Kumari’s last film, Pakeezah was released. It featured popular songs including Chalte Chalte and Inhi Logon Ne sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and composed by Ghulam Mohammed. She recorded many popular songs like

• Rangeela Re from Prem Pujari (1970),
• Khilte Hain Gul Yahaan from Sharmeelee (1971),
• Piya Bina from Abhimaan (1973).
• Amar Prem (1972),
• Caravan (1971),
• Kati Patang(1971),
• Aandhi (1975).

1980s onwards

1980s onwards, Lata Mangeshkar got selective and cut down on her film singing. She recorded mainly for films by well-known banners, such as Yash Raj Films, and Rajshri Productions. She worked with many new music directors, including Shiv-Hari, Ram Laxman, and A. R. Rahman. She also recorded some non-film songs, including ghazals with Jagjit Singh. In 1981, she recorded her first duet with S P Balasubrahmanyam for the film Ek Duje Ke Liye.

In 1990, Mangeshkar launched her own production house for Hindi movies. Its first (and only movie), Lekin, flopped. However, she won her third National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her song Yaara Sili Sili from the film. During the 1990s, she became very choosy. Some of her songs in this period were with music directors like Jatin-Lalit, Nadeem-Shravan, and more.

Mangeshkar has sung for almost all the Yash Chopra films, and films from his production house Yash Raj Films, including Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991), Darr (1993), Yeh Dillagi (1994), Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and later on Mohabbatein (2000), "Mujhse Dosti Karoge"" (2002) and Veer Zaara (2004). The Yash Raj Films banner’s songs have been known for their romantic melodies identified with Mangeshkar’s voice, and songs such as Kabhi Main Kahun, Hothon Pe Bas , Hogaya Hai Tujhko, Humko Hamise Churalo and Tere Liye have become classics.

A. R. Rahman recorded a few songs with Mangeshkar during this period, the more popular songs include "Jiya Jale" (Dil Se, featuring Preity Zinta), "Khamoshiyan Gungunane Lagin" (One Two Ka Four), "Ek Tu Hi Bharosa" (Pukar), "Pyaara Sa Gaon" (Zubeidaa) and "O Paalanhaare" (Lagaan).

In 1999, she was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha. However, she did not attend the Rajya Sabha sessions regularly, inviting criticism from several members of the House, including the Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah, Pranab Mukherjee and Shabana Azmi.She stated the reason for her absence as ill-health; it was also reported that she had not taken a salary, allowance or a house in Delhi for being a Member of Parliament. In 2001, Lata Mangeshkar was awarded Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor. In the same year, she established the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune, managed by the Lata Mangeshkar Medical Foundation (founded by the Mangeshkar family in October 1989).

In 2005, she designed a jewellery collection called Swaranjali, which was crafted by Adora, an Indian diamond export company. Five pieces from the collection raised £105,000 at a Christie’s auction, and a part of the money was donated for the 2005 Pakistan earthquake relief.Also in 2001, she recorded her first Hindi song with the composer Ilaiyaraaja, for the film Lajja (2001); she had earlier recorded Tamil and Telugu songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

In 2000s, Lata Mangeshkar, along with other residents of the Peddar Road area in Mumbai, opposed the construction of a flyover in the area, creating a controversy. She believed that construction of the flyover would increase air and noise pollution in the area, and threatened to quit the city if the flyover was built. In 2006, it was reported that she and her sister Asha Bhosle had purchased apartments in Parel and were planning to move out of Peddar Road.

On June 21, 2007, she released an album Saadgi, featuring eight ghazal-like songs written by Javed Akhtar and composed by Mayuresh Pai.

Music direction

Lata Mangeshkar composed music for the first time in 1955 for movie "Ram Ram Pavhane". Later in 1960s, she composed music for following Marathi movies under the pseudonym of "Anand Ghan".[17]

* 1950 – Ram Ram Pavhana
* 1963 – Maratha Tituka Melvava
* 1963 – Mohityanchi Manjula
* 1965 – Sadhi Manase
* 1969 – Tambadi Mati

She won Maharashtra State Government’s Best Music Director Award for the film Sadhi Manase. The song Airanichya deva tula from the same film received best song award.

Production

Lata Mangeshkar has produced four films:

* 1953 – Vaadal (Marathi)
* 1953 – Jhaanjhar (Hindi), co-produced with C. Ramchandra
* 1955 – Kanchan (Hindi)
* 1990 – Lekin (Hindi)

Awards and recognitions

• Lata Mangeshkar has won several awards and honors, including Padma Bhushan (1969), Padma Vibhushan (1999), Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1989), NTR National Award (1999), Bharat Ratna (2001), three National Film Awards, and 12 Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards.
• She has also won four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards. In 1969, she made the unusual gesture of giving up the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award, in order to promote fresh talent. She was later awarded Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.
• In 1984, the State Government of Madhya Pradesh instituted the Lata Mangeshkar Award in honor of Lata Mangeshkar.
• The State Government of Maharashtra also instituted a Lata Mangeshkar Award in 1992.

Lata in The Guinness Book of Records

In 1974, The Guinness Book of Records listed Lata Mangeshkar as the most recorded artist in the history, stating that she had reportedly recorded "not less than 25,000 solo, duet and chorus backed songs in 20 Indian languages" between 1948 and 1974. Her record was contested by Mohammed Rafi, who was claimed to have sung around 28,000 songs. After Rafi’s death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of World Records stated Lata Mangeshkar’s name for the "Most Recordings", but also stated Rafi’s claim. The later editions of Guinness Book stated that Lata Mangeshkar had sung no fewer than 30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987.

Although the entry has not been printed in Guinness editions since 1991, reputable sources claim that she has recorded thousands of songs, with estimates ranging up to figures as large as 50,000.However, even the earliest Guinness claim of 25,000 songs (between 1948-1974) was claimed to be exaggerated by other sources, who stated that the number of songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu films till 1991 was found to be 5250. Mangeshkar herself stated that she does not keep a record of the number of songs recorded by her, and that she did not know from where Guinness Book editors got their information

Source:Wikipedia

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