Legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar passed away at the Breach Candy Hospital on Sunday, February 6. The nightingale had sung more than 30,000 songs in her career.
While most people know about her heavenly voice and the way it enchanted millions, very few knew about her small stint in acting. When she was only five years old, Lata Mangeshkar worked as a child artist in Dinanath Mangeshkar’s Marathi musical dramas.
In the book, Lata: Sur Gatha, written by Jatindra Mishra, he mentions her stint in theatre. She played a role in the play Subhadra, a mythological drama. After this, Lata played the role of Krishna in her father’s film Gurukul.
When Dinanath Mangeshkar died of a heart attack in 1942, Lata Mangeshkar essayed a small role along with her younger sister Asha in Master Binayak’s Hindi language movie Badi Ma in 1945. She, however, never played a leading lady in any film.
In a 2006 interview, Lata said, “I started working as an actress, but I never liked acting. I used to work with Master Binayak. I worked on the movie, but I didn’t enjoy it.” She added that she also disliked putting on make-up and dressing up.
Master Binayak died in 1948 and his theatre company Praful Pictures soon closed down. Shortly after, Lata got her big break with lyricist Nazim Panipati’s song Dil Mera Toda, Mujhe Kahin Ka Na Chhoda in Majboor (1948).
The song was a semi-hit. Following this, Lata got a chance to sing Ayega Aane Wala for Mahal (1949) starring Madhubala. Thus started the journey of India’s Nightingale.
