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.

Bollywood mourns Michael Jackson's death

He is someone who called himself as 'Bad' and 'Dangerous', and still was loved by one and all, the world over. We are indeed talking about the one and only 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson, the very name who invented the cult 'Moon Walking' dance step. Well, the entire world came to a standstill yesterday when this musical legend breathed his last. He suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away, thus bringing the musical world to a grinding halt!

We spoke to Bollywood's eminent music directors and choreographers for their reactions to MJ's death. This is what they had to say:

Sajid (of Sajid-Wajid duo): "It is a big loss for the music industry, and he was a legend of sorts, someone who never paid heed to the image or personality, that he carried and the way we remember Bob Marley, Michael Jackson also falls in the same league. Today is by far a very mournful day for the entire music industry."

A.R. Rahman: "I am shocked at the untimely passing away of Michael Jackson, one of the greatest musicians of our times. MJ, for most of our generation was an icon who made uncompromising music. He pushed the milestone of Pop music to unbelievable levels through the 80s and 90s. I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection and vision. I met him personally after the Oscars in Los Angeles and we vibed very well. He said that he loved India and the Indian people. He said he heard good things about me and he was praising the chord progression of Jai Ho's chorus.

He was bursting with energy and told me that every dance move he did came from his soul and did a five second stunning example. It was like a lightning strike. He was concerned about developmental issues such as Global Warming and about wars and its damages to the human community. He asked me to compose a unity anthem on the likes of "We are the World" for him. I nodded in awe...!

He introduced me to his three lovely bright kids. The kids told him "I love you Dad". And he replied, "I love you more" as a proud father. I wished him well for his concerts and he said "God Bless you". After hearing the shocking news, I wished it was another rumor which would fade away soon. It took me time to believe that he is no more. I remember, my late sound engineer H. Sridhar had brought me a video of the premiere of 'Remember the Time' when I was recording 'Kadal Rojave' for my first movie Roja. Seeing it inspired all of us that afternoon.

Now, there is no Sridhar and no Jackson anymore. I hope all of us value people's existence more and respect them when they are alive. LIFE IS SHORT...! Artists and their art live for ever. Jai Ho, MJ! We love you for your music, regardless of all the controversies!"

Vishal Dadlani: "Goodbye, Michael Jackson. The one thing we never let you be was a human being. You went from a God to an alien to a demon. But if we remember you for anything but your music, the failing will be ours. Sorry for all the harassment, thank you for all the music."

Wajid (of Sajid-Wajid duo): "It's indeed very sad news, I was driving when I got this message from someone, I was so shocked that I actually stopped driving and started to think about the man since then. It's actually a very big loss to everyone, because all of us have grown up listening to his songs; he was a real example of a perfect singer and performer... a complete artist. I was in fact looking out for his new album that he was composing, but now everything has come to a stand still and I am at a complete loss for words."

Sukhwinder Singh: "I am totally shocked. Since the time I first heard this news, I felt a great sadness from somewhere deep within."

Jatin Pandit: "A major section of the music industry has been wiped out; he was in a class of his own. I was really fortunate enough to witness his performance when he came down to Bombay. He was a rare combination of performance and talent."

Saroj Khan: "It's a great loss to the world. He was not just a lovely dancer, but also a wonderful creator. I admired him very much. God bless his soul to rest in eternal peace."

Ganesh Hegde: "It's an extremely sad day for the whole industry. His death means a total end to the world of music and an era in itself. There's a lot of reason for the fact that I am here and am what I am today. One of the main reasons is none other than the King of Pop Michael Jackson! He is the one who showed the way to many people like me that rags can surely be transformed into riches.

I still remember the day when I had a chance to meet him just for a minute. And trust me, I must have told him 'Sir, I love you' at least 20 times in 10 seconds. He, very generously said that 'I like it'. That's the most important one minute of my life."