Singing and sought after, Lata turns 81

Playback legend Lata Mangeshkar turns 81 Tuesday, with fans swearing by her golden voice even as she has chosen to cut down on assignments after singing for over 1,000 Hindi movies.

Starting her career in 1942, she reigned over the film industry for decades and is still the first preference of many filmmakers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Madhur Bhandarkar and an inspiration to established singers of today.

Lata, who was born Sep 28, 1929, also featured in the Guinness World Records book from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world. She was last heard in Bhandarkar's Jail.

"Lataji's birthday is a great event. She has given us so much in terms of music, love and affection. I just hope that she lives on forever and gives her blessings to us. I am very close to her and I am happy, proud and fortunate that she is close to me," said filmmaker Yash Chopra who has vowed only to work with her among the female singers in the industry.

"Jab bhi ji chahe" (Daag); "Kabhi kabhie mere dil mein" (Kabhi Kabhie); "Neela asman so gaya" (Silsila); Meri bindiya teri nindiya (Lamhe); "Dholna" (Dil To Pagal Hai) and "Tere Liye" (Veer Zaara) are some of Lata's hit numbers for Chopra.

Bhansali is in fact composing an album as a tribute to her.

"I know every nuance in her voice. She is a miracle of nature. And there's so much in her throat that is still untapped. I first thought I'd create just one song for her in 'Guzaarish'. Then I thought, why one song when a whole ethos, era after era of supreme excellence is embodied in that voice?" Bhansali said.

"Lataji is far more than a singer. She mirrors all the beauty of the soul. It is that beauty that I want to capture in my songs," he added.

Not just this, Bhansali's forthcoming film Guzaarish is also inspired by one of Lata's imperishable melodies, "Hai tere saath meri wafaa mein nahin to kya", composed by Madan Mohan and written by Kaifi Azmi for the film Hindustan Ki Kasam.

Starting her career in 1942 with songs in Marathi, Lata's first Hindi song was "Paa lagoon kar jori" for Vasant Joglekar's movie "Aap Ki Seva Mein" in 1946. Two years later, composer Ghulam Haider gave Lata her first major break with the song "Dil mera toda" in Majboor and after that there was no looking back for the nightingale of India, as she is fondly called.

She has worked with all the major composers of the bygone era and mesmerised the current lot too.

Lata has recorded songs for over 1,000 Hindi movies and sung in more than 36 regional Indian languages. She is the second vocalist ever to have received the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

Lilting melodies like "Aayega aanewala" from Mahal, "Aaja re pardesi" from Madhumati, "Pyar kiya to darna kya" from Mughal-e-Azam and "Satyam shivam sundaram" from the film of the same name still find a place on the favourite list of music lovers.

She has sung all kinds of songs in her long career, including romantic numbers like "Tumhen yaad karte karte", "Ajeeb daastan hai yeh", and naughty ones like "Main kamsin hoon", "Bahon mein chale aao", "Bangle ke peeche" and "Choti si umar main" as well as devotional songs like "Paoji maine Ram ratan dhan pao" and "O palan hare".

Even singers are still in awe of the great singer who is also the elder sister of singer Asha Bhosle.

"I can't express in words what she means to me and how I feel for her. Just want to wish her a happy and healthy life ahead," Sunidhi Chauhan said.

Playback singer Sonu Niigaam added: "I want to wish a very happy birthday to Lataji. Many many best wishes to her. I would just like to tell her that keep enlightening India and world with your songs and bless me."

Lata Mangeshkar taken aback by media reports

Lata Mangeshkar has been taken aback by media reports that she has dashed off a letter to the government cribbing about Mumbai's pathetic traffic scenario.

The veteran singer has tweeted a denial. During a casual conversation with a scribe, the Nightingale happened to mention the snarls.

This made its way to the headlines leaving the singer shocked about its out-of-context usuage. Like all Mumbaikars who brave the traffic, so does she.

Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar is 80 today

Bollywood wishes Nightingale of India the very best

Eight decades and 30,000 songs later, her voice continues to inspire a nation. As Lata Mangeshkar turns 80 today, everyone in Bollywood queued up to wish her.

The Bharat Ratna recipient, who has lent her voice to songs in over 20 Indian languages, is known for her quest for perfection.

From light classical music to film songs and from ghazals to bhajans and pop, she has sung a variety of numbers. Having worked with almost all top music composers and singers in the industry, Lata has also featured in the Guinness Book of Records from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world.

IANS spoke to members of Bollywood, who wished the queen of melody and prayed for her long and healthy life.

Yash Chopra: On the occasion of her 80th birthday, I would like to wish Lataji, who has had a long-lasting relationship with Yash Raj Films, happiness, happiness and more happiness with a sincere prayer that she remain forever young.

Karisma Kapoor: I would like to wish Lataji a very happy birthday. The songs that she has sung for my grandfather don't need any explanation. I just want to ask her: how does she still sing so melodiously even at this age?

Prasoon Joshi: My best wishes to Lataji on her birthday. I feel so fortunate that my entry in Bollywood was marked by a song sung by her. I wrote my first song for her, which was the title track of "Lajja". It was totally a dream come true. Then luck again favoured me when I wrote Luka chhupi for her in the film Rang De Basanti. I feel extremely humbled to write songs for someone as great as her.

Kunal Kohli: What can one say about a living legend like Lataji and who am I to say something? I don't think a word has been created to describe her and her contribution to Hindi film music. My best wishes to her for a long and healthy life.

Mohit Chauhan: I give my heartiest congratulations to the melody queen. I wish more and more years added to her life. Since childhood I have been listening to her songs and she is still my favourite singer.

Sunidhi Chauhan: Words can't express what I feel about her. I only wish that she lives for ever and ever.

Kailash Kher: Whatever she has achieved till now and the way she sings even till today is just miraculous. A normal person can't do that. I won't call her just a singer; she is music to me. She is a blessing to the nation and all Indians should hope and pray for her long life and good health for many years to come. I wish her a long and healthy life.

Manoj Bajpai: May she live and sing for another 1,000 years. I doubt we will ever have another Lataji. Her voice is a miracle of god. A very happy birthday to her.

Sukhwinder Singh: Lataji's is the voice of the millennium. She is truly an international artist and one of her own kind. For her birthday I just want to say that I hope she lives for 1,000 years.

Anand Raj Anand: A very happy birthday to a living legend - Lataji.

Lata Mangeshkar sings yet another 'prison anthem'

Madhur Bhandarkar thrilled she sung for his ‘Jail’

Lata Mangeshkar sang "Ae malik tere bande hum", a song that inspired prisoners in V. Shantaram's film "Do Aankhen Barah Haath" in 1957. Now Madhur Bhandarkar has the singing legend render a new-age 'prison anthem' in his latest movie "Jail".

"We want Lata-ji's 'Daata sun maula sun' to be the new-age 'Ae maalik tere bande hum'. We want youngsters to embrace it and get to know the endless magic of Lata-ji's art. It has the potential to be hummed and sung in schools and colleges for all times to come," Bhandarkar told IANS.

Lata's "Ae malik tere bande hum" went on to inspire generations of Indians imprisoned in their prejudices and daily despondencies. Now 52 years later when Bhandarkar conceived the song, he wanted only Lata to sing it.

"I'm not just a Lata fan. I am her fanatic. When she agreed to sing 'Kitne ajeeb rishte hain yahan par' for my 'Page 3', I felt I had achieved one of my biggest dreams. And now to have her sing for me again, and that too for a film that stars Neil Nitin Mukesh, whose grandfather Mukesh was very close to Lata-ji," the director said.

The prison anthem in "Jail" entitled "Daata sun maula sun" is written by a first-time lyricist Ajay Garg.

"When he recited the lines for me, it was there and then decided that no other singer but Lata-ji has the right to touch these words," said Bhandarkar, known for his creative excellence in films like "Chandni Bar", "Page 3" and "Fashion".

The director says it didn't take him much to convince the singer to go behind the mike for the song.

"I've kept in touch with Lata-ji since 'Page 3'. When I told her it was a song for my film composed by Shamir Tandon, who had done 'Kitne ajeeb' for her, she was immediately interested and asked us to send the tune," he said.

Lata was also enamoured by the idea that the film starred her Mukesh-bhaiyya's grandson Neil. She is very close to the whole family.

Interestingly, in the last decade Lata-ji has sung two bhajans "Oh paalan haare" ("Lagaan") and "Ek tu hi bharosa" ("Pukar") - both for A.R. Rahman.