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Lata Mangeshkar, the ageless voice of India, passes away at 92

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Lata Mangeshkar, India’s most loved singer who had once moved Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to tears, leaves behind a teary-eyed nation of admirers who grew up listening to her immutable voice give wings to the words of poets and the screen careers of legions of heroines.

India’s Melody Queen, who also composed music for Marathi films and was a producer as well, and had the distinction of being conferred with the highest civilian honours of India and France, passed away on Sunday morning at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, where she had been admitted because of Covid-related complications on January 11.

Lata Didi, as she was known among her family and followers, was 92 and is survived by her siblings — playback singer and composer Meena Khadilkar, popular singer and restaurateur Asha Bhosale, singer Usha Mangeshkar, and music director Hridayanath Mangeshkar.

She never married, but was close to the late Raj Singh Dungarpur, the aristocratic former cricketer and President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 1996 to 1999.

One of India’s most loved voices, Lata Mangeshkar was the recipient of three National Film Awards, seven Filmfare awards, and of course, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1989. She was conferred the Bharat Ratna in 2001, becoming the second singer after M.S. Subbulakshmi to be so honoured, and the French awarded her the Officer of the Legion of Honour.

In 1974, Lata Mangeshkar became the first Indian to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, London. She had indeed come a long, long way since the time when the first song that she recorded for a film — ‘Kiti Hasaal’ in 1942 — was dropped in the final cut.

Born in what was then the princely state of Indore on September 28, 1929, to the classical singer, Marathi theatre actor and writer of musical plays Deenanath Mangeshkar and his wife Shevanti (Shudhamati), Lata Mangeshkar was originally named Hema by her parents, but they later changed it to Lata after the character Latika from one of her father’s musical plays.

Lata Mangeshkar’s association with the performing arts began when she was five and started appearing in her father’s musical plays, and it continued even after her father’s premature death in 1942, thanks to his good friend, the actor and director Master Vinayak (Vinayak Damodar Karnataki), who took the family under his wings.

It was Master Vinayak who took Lata Mangeshkar to Mumbai, paved her way into the world of Marathi cinema, got her to take Hindustani classical music lessons from Ustad Aman Ali Khan of the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana, and introduced her to Vasant Desai, V. Shantaram’s favourite music composer.

But it was not until Master Vinayak’s death in 1948 that the struggling singer-actor found the person whom she considered to be her “godfather” — the music composer Ghulam Haider, who gave Lata Mangeshkar her first big break with the song ‘Dil Mera Toda, Mujhe Kahin Ka Na Chhora’ in the movie ‘Majboor’ (1948). It was her first big break.

Haider took his protege to Shashadhar Mukherjee, the Filmistan boss now better known as Kajol and Rani Mukherjee’s grandfather, for his film, ‘Shaheed’ (1948), but he turned her down because he found her voice to be “too thin”.

Lata Mangeshkar proved him oh-so wrong just a year later when her song ‘Aayega Aanewaala’, filmed on the gorgeous Madhubala in Kamal Amrohi’s debut directorial, ‘Mahal’ (1949), became an ageless hit.

And in one of life’s delicious ironies, Mukherjee’s grand-daughter lip-synced the ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ song, ‘Mere Khwabon Mein’, which was sung by none other than Lata Mangeshkar, as well as the other numbers picturised on her and Shah Rukh Khan.

Since ‘Mahal’, Lata Mangeshkar was courted by just about every music director of note — from Anil Biswas to S.D. Burman (and his son Rahul Dev, whose first and last song she sang), Naushad (who had asked her to sing like the then reigning nightingale, Noorjehan), Madan Mohan, Shankar-Jaikishan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal (for whom she’s said to have sung 700 songs in 35 years), and Kalyanji-Anandji.

And she worked with every contemporary composer of note — from Anand-Milind, sons of Chitragupt, with whom she had also worked, and Anu Malik, Sardar Malik’s son, to Ilaiyaraaja and A.R. Rahman. It is said she worked with music directors from 13 states in her star-studded career.

After Noorjehan moved to Pakistan, Lata Mangeshkar became the go-to playback singer for every film producer and music composer. She did not disappoint them.

Lata Mangeshkar lent her voice to an endless succession of chart-topping numbers in Hindi cinema, from ‘Allah Tero Naam’ and ‘Rangeela Re’ to the ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ title track, to ‘Lukka Chuppi’ in ‘Rang De Basanti’, apart from songs in Marathi (she also composed the music for several Marathi films in her ‘Anandghan’ avatar), Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Sinhala.

In 1974, the Guinness Book of Records listed Lata Mangeshkar as the most recorded artiste in human history, stating that she had recorded “not less than 25,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs in 20 Indian languages” between 1948 and 1974. The claim was contested by her long-time rival, Mohammad Rafi, who claimed to have sung around 28,000 songs.

After Rafi’s death, the Guinness Book in its 1984 edition listed Lata Mangeshkar in its entry for ‘Most Recordings’, but it also recorded Rafi’s claim. Later editions of the Guinness Book said Lata Mangeshkar had sung no less than 30,000 songs from 1948 to 1987.

For 73 years, from 1943 to 2015, when she recorded her last song for a film (the Indo-Norwegian production, ‘Dunno Y2…Life Is A Moment’, which was all about gay love), Lata Mangeshkar commanded a fan following and an inimitable reputation with not many parallels in the Indian performing arts.

The late Yash Chopra, who was one of Lata Mangeshkar’s favourite directors, said in an article he had penned for BBC.com on the occasion of the singer’s 75th birthday (not longer after she had sung the famous ‘Veer Zaara’ song, ‘Tere Liye Hum Hain Jiye’, with Roop Kumar Rathod): “I see God’s blessing in her voice.” We are blessed to have that voice live with us forever.

Bollywood

‘Welcome’ director Anees Bazmee requests privacy after Nana Patekar demise, says ‘not in a condition to talk’

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Mumbai, Oct 8: Filmmaker Anees Bazmee has requested the media to give him some time to process the demise of veteran actor Nana Patekar.

The two shared a memorable professional association through the iconic movie Welcome, where Bazmee directed Patekar in the role of the iconic Uday Shetty.

Following the actor’s death, the director shared a note saying that he was deeply saddened and was currently not in a condition to speak about the loss.

Sharing a message on his social media account, he addressed his media friends and wrote, “To all my media friends, I’m really sorry, but I’m not in a condition to talk right now. I’m deeply saddened and still unable to process what has happened. Please give me some time. I genuinely don’t have the words or the state of mind to say anything at the moment. This is an unbearable loss and an unbearable pain for me and for all of us. I hope you understand.

Regards, Anees Bazmee.”

Talking about Anees Bazmee and Nana Patekar, they came together for the 2007 comedy Welcome, which went on to become one of Hindi cinema’s most beloved comedies.

Nana Patekar played Uday Shankar Shetty, a feared underworld don who, despite his intimidating persona, is deeply concerned about finding a suitable husband for his sister Sanjana, played by Katrina Kaif.

Anees Bazmee, in an old interview had recalled how he convinced Nana Patekar, an actor predominantly known for intense dramatic performances, to take up a comedy role.

He said he believed the legendary actor would be exceptional at comedy. Nana Patekar eventually agreed after reading the script, famously telling Anees Bazmee that he was like “kachhi mitti” and could be moulded by the director.

The collaboration resulted in one of Nana Patekar’s most memorable comic performances. His chemistry with Anil Kapoor, who played Majnu Bhai, became a major highlight of the film.

Nana Patekar’s Uday Shetty became particularly popular for his fine acting and dialogue delivery. The now-iconic “Control Uday, control” became one of the film’s most recognisable lines and turned into a popular meme.

Another unforgettable moment was Uday’s vegetable-selling sequence, with the dialogue “Aloo le lo, kaanda le lo…”, followed by his ““Subah se na ek aloo bika hai, na bika hai aadha kanda!”, ” went on to become a cult moment.

Earlier, Akshay Kumar, who shared screen space with the legendary actor in Welcome and later reunited with him in Housefull 5, also paid an emotional tribute.

For the uninitiated, Nana Patekar passed away on October 8, 2026, at the age of 75, after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa.

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Akshay Kumar mourns Nana Patekar demise, says ‘it’s hard to believe you’re gone’

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Mumbai, Oct 8: The sudden demise of veteran actor Nana Patekar at the age of 75 has left the Indian film industry mourning and in a state of shock.

Among those remembering the late actor is Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who shared an emotional note recalling his association with Patekar across two memorable films, Welcome and Housefull 5.

Taking to his social media account, Akshay wrote, “Really saddened by the news of Nana ji’s passing. He was one of those rare actors who never needed to do too much to make you sit up and watch. That voice, that intensity, that honesty in every performance… he was completely his own.”

Recalling their professional association, Akshay added, “I feel fortunate that we got to work together in Welcome, and then again more recently in Housefull 5. There are so many memories from those sets that I’ll always hold close.”

Akshay further remembered the legendary actor as a performer who was truly one of a kind, and wrote, “Nana ji was truly one of a kind. It’s hard to believe you’re gone. Thank you for all the memories. You will be missed more than words can say.”

Talking about Akshay Kumar and Nana Patekar’s professional association, they first shared screen space in Anees Bazmee’s 2007 comedy Welcome.

Akshay played Rajiv, while Patekar essayed the character of Uday Shetty, which went on to attain iconic status.

Nana Patekar’s chemistry in the movie with Anil Kapoor, who played Majnu Bhai, became one of the biggest highlights of the film.

Nearly two decades later, the actors reunited for Housefull 5. The 2025 comedy featured Akshay as Julius, while Nana Patekar played Superintendent Dhagdu Hulgund. The film also starred Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Nargis Fakhri, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff and others.

For the uninitiated, Nana Patekar passed away on Thursday, October 8, at the age of 75 after reportedly suffering a severe cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa. He was reportedly found unconscious at home and was taken to Manipal Hospital.

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Randeep Hooda to late Nana Patekar: When I first saw him in Parinda, didn’t think I was watching an actor

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Mumbai, Oct 8: Actor Randeep Hooda mourned the loss of veteran actor Nana Patekar, remembering how his performance in the 1989 “Parinda” made him feel he was watching a real person rather than an actor.

Randeep took to Instagram, where he praised Nana as he called him a “one-of-a-kind actor and human being.” He also shared a string of images of the late star from his younger days.

Taking to the caption section, he wrote: “When I first saw him in Parinda I didn’t think I was watching an actor. I thought I was watching a real person. When I met him years later, that feeling stayed with me.”

“He was exactly that, a real person who wore his heart on his sleeve and not just a pretentious actor. Saddened and shocked by the loss of a one-of-a-kind actor and human being. Honest, fearless and always true to himself. An arresting actor, a towering personality, and an inferno of talent. Rest in peace, Nana sir. You will be deeply missed. Om Shanti.”

Parinda is a crime thriller directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film stars Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Madhuri Dixit.

Parinda’s story is loosely inspired by Marlon Brando starrer On the Waterfront. Parinda follows Kishan, who works for the underworld chieftain Anna.

Kishan’s brother Karan returns home after completing his studies in the United States. The two brothers are caught on different sides of a gang war after Karan decides to avenge his friend’s death by Anna.

The shocking news about Nana Patekar’s sudden demise came on October 8. He passed away in Goa at the age of 75.

His death was confirmed by the Manipal Hospital, Goa. The statement mentioned that the veteran star was found unconscious at his Dona Paula – Goa, residence and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors declared him brought dead.

In a career spanning over four-decades, Nana made a name with his powerful performances across Hindi and Marathi cinema. He made his Hindi film debut with Gaman in 1978 and went on to become one of the most respected performers of his generation.

Nana’s breakthrough came with films such as Salaam Bombay! and Parinda. He went on to deliver powerpack performances in films including Angaar, Tirangaa, Krantiveer, Agni Sakshi, Khamoshi: The Musical, Yeshwant, Ab Tak Chhappan, Apaharan and Raajneeti.

Nana Patekar was last seen in Subedaar. He played a special role as Lance Naik Nana Waghmare. Directed by Suresh Triveni, it also stars Anil Kapoor in the titular role, alongside Radhika Madan, Khushbu Sundar, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Mona Singh, and Faisal Malik.

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