Actress Saira Banu considered Lata Mangeshkar a family member. Her late husband, cinema icon Dilip Kumar, treated Mangeshkar like his younger sister. In an exclusive conversation with News18, Saira Banu said she was constantly checking up on Mangeshkar’s health ever since she was hospitalised. She also recalls some fond memories of the singer visiting her and Dilip Kumar at their home.
“It is a terrible day for me. I have been checking on her since the time she was hospitalised last month. I have been in touch with her niece Rachana. In fact, till early morning she was responding to the treatment. I last spoke to Rachana at 1 am today morning and she said that Lataji is critical but all right. But unfortunately she passed away early morning.
Lataji was like family to us. Dilip saab has lost her younger sister. Both of them were really fond of each other and she would often come to our house. Whenever she would come at home it felt like we have another family member joining us. She has been the most wonderful and down to earth person. We never felt that she was the ‘Lata Mangeshkar.’ She would always come in when there was no one, as she didn’t like to mingle with too many people at the same time.
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One of the fond memories that I remember about Dilip saab and Lataji is when Dilip saab introduced her as his ‘Lata meri choti behen, stage pe aao’ at her first international concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1974. Their relationship just grew over the years. They would always celebrate Raksha Bandhan. They would often travel together in train and to work also.
Lataji loved her food a lot. Whenever Dilip saab knew she was coming, he would order to make special delicacies for her. Lataji was simple eater and loved eating kormas, shaami Kebabs and biryani. She would like to feed Dilip saab with her own hands.
I would insist on filmmakers to have Lataji as my voice in all my films and almost all my songs have been sung by her. She was always my voice. I remember almost around 30 years back in an interview, Lataji was asked that you have sung for many big heroines. but who do you think your voice suits the best, and she took my name. When I saw the interview, I jumped out of my chair. I was thrilled and hold that moment very close to my heart.
In fact, Lataji holds a special place in my love story with Dilip saab. I was shooting for the song Kanha Kanha Aan Padi for my film Shaghird (1967). It is a Bhajan and I still remember shooting for it at Filmistaan studio on the night of Janmashtami. The next day itself Dilip saab flew down from Madras and put a proposal of our marriage to my mother and my family. So this song is my favourite Lata Mangeshkar song and will remain so.
Even before Dilip saab, Lataji has been very close to my family. She would often visit my grandmother, Shamshad Begum, the famous classical singer and not the playback singer. She used to sing for Columbia Radio. Whenever Lataji would meet my grandmother she would touch her feet and Dilip saab would always say, ‘Meri choti behen aayi hai.’ They shared a special bond which cannot be described in words.”
