Lata Mangeshkar, the late legendary singer, who died in Mumbai on Sunday (February 6), began singing when she was 13 years old, recording her first song in 1942. She's one of India's most famous cultural icons and a singer who has defined music and melody for generations, with a career spanning seven decades. Lata Mangeshkar has recorded hundreds of film songs and sung in over 36 regional and international languages, earning her the Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Awards and various other awards. In an interview, Maheshkar had revealed that Tamil language was difficult, she said, “The Tamil language was really difficult for me to handle. I would note down all the lines in English and then master their pronunciation, as they are very particular about accent and diction.” Here are five hits of different languages apart from Hindi sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
‘Lodi’ ( Punjabi)
Lata Mangeshkar along with Gurdas Maan and Udit Narayan sang the ‘Lodi’. The song from the epic movie ‘Veer Zaara’ starring Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta brings out the essence and celebrations of “Lohri” festival. Lata Mangeshkar sang in a half-dozen Punjabi films between 1948 and 1950, as well as 1953 and 1954. Another intriguing fact is that Lata Mangeshkar also sang 'Shabad Gurbani,' a collection of Punjabi spiritual tunes.
‘Jonakore Rati’ (Assamese)
The popular song 'Jonakore Rati' was the first Assamese song sung by India's nightingale, Lata Mangeshkar, in the Assamese film 'Era Bator Sur' by legendary vocalist Bhupen Hazarika. For the Sanskrit 'Vartavalli' event, Bezboruah, a national award winner, adapted the song into Sanskrit, which was sung by emerging artiste Dipshikha Sharma.
‘Ghunghate Dhankun Re Ek Kodiyun’ (Gujarati)
'Ghunghate Dhankun Re Ek Kodiyun' from the film Mehndi Rang Lagyo and 'Dhari Kanku Kankan Panetar' from the film Lalwadi Pholwadi are two of her most well-known Gujarati film works.
‘Bellane belagayithu’ (Kannada)
Lata Mangeshkar sang two Kannada film songs. Both were taken from the 1967 film Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna. "Bellana Belagayitu" was a Raag Bhupali song, whereas "Ellare Iratheero, Endara Bartheero" was a folk song.
‘Valaiyosai Kala Kalavena’ (Tamil)
SP Balasubramaniam and Lata Mangeshkar sang ‘Valaiyosai Kala Kalavena’ in the 1988 Tamil film ‘Sathya’, which starred Kamal Hassan. Illayaraja wrote the music for the song. This is a love song with Hassan and Amala that was released in 1988.
