Mangeshkar, Lata << MAHN gesh kahr, LAH tah >> (1929-2022), was an Indian motion-picture actress and playback singer. A playback singer is someone whose voice is used in a movie in place of that of the actor or actress. She was reputed to have had one of the most recorded human voices. She sang in over 20 languages, and her voice has been heard in hundreds of films. Mangeshkar became one of the most prominent playback singers in Indian cinema beginning in the 1950’s. She was known in Bollywood for her musical memory and ability to quickly learn new songs and mold them to her unique singing manner. Bollywood is the name for India’s motion-picture industry. Mangeshkar received a number of Filmfare Awards for playback singing, as well as a lifetime achievement award. Filmfare Awards are presented annually for artistic and technical excellence in filmmaking in the Hindi language. The Indian magazine Filmfare presents the awards. She also received a number of other awards and honors for her singing. They include the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the Indian motion-picture industry’s highest honor, which she received in 1989; and the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award in 1996 for her outstanding contribution to India through her singing.
Kumari Lata Mangeshkar was born on Sept. 28, 1929, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. She was born into a musical family and received training in music and singing from her father, an actor and singer. Mangeshkar began acting and singing in the theater at the age of 9. After her father’s death in 1942, Mangeshkar was for some time her family’s sole breadwinner. She made her Hindi film debut as a singer and actress in 1942. She acted in films for several years before singing her first playback song in 1947. Mangeshkar’s younger sister Asha Bhosle also became a well-known playback singer. Mangeshkar died on Feb. 6, 2022.
