Lata says, take a chill pill people!

Bollywood's nightingale doesn't keep a tab on all the works of art 'inspired' by her music, and doesn't see what the hullabaloo is about, in the first place

Bollywood's nightingale doesn't keep a tab on all the works of art 'inspired' by her music, and doesn't see what the hullabaloo is about, in the first place

When Lata Mangeshkar was told about a soon-to-be-aired episode of X Factor where four male contestants insisted on trying to sing like her, she laughed. She said, "This is going too far." Mangeshkar is oblivious of the many ways in which she has inspired people. Tell her about Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla's novel Ode To Lata, and you draw a blank.


Lata Mangeshkar has recorded songs for over 1,000 Bollywood movies
and sung in over 36 regional languages

In Dhalla's novel, the protagonist's life is inspired by Mangeshkar's music. "I need to read the novel to know how I figure in it," she says. She also admitted that many of her songs now leave her cringing. "I'm amazed that people are fond of some songs, which even I don't care for." Mangeshkar can afford to be critical of her work after so many years in the field, but for the legion of fans who span across generations, her music will always be special. They now have something to look forward to.

Mangeshkar recently teamed up with 'King of Ghazal' Mehdi Hassan. Her newly-released album Sarhaden has a duet between the two, and this is the first time the duo have sung together. However, since Hassan was unwell and couldn't come down from Pakistan, the two did not record the song together. The two singers sang their parts in their respective cities, and were later merged.

According to Mangeshkar, had she not turned out to be a singer, she would have become a successful writer. "It was written in my horoscope that I'd have been successful in whatever I did," she said. Talk of cricket and her favourite cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar and Mangeshkar's eyes light up.

She says she would love for Tendulkar to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, but she is wary of the clamour surrounding it. "I don't think Sachin needs any honour to prove himself. Let the government decide when it wants to award him. Why this clamour? It makes the whole thing look political."