On Lata Mangeshkar’s 97th birth anniversary, an old interview has resurfaced in which the legendary singer spoke candidly about the possibility of being born again, writes NDTV.
During a conversation with Javed Akhtar, Mangeshkar was asked whether she would want to be reborn.
She replied that she would rather not have another life. If she did, however, she said she would not want to return as Lata Mangeshkar, adding that only she knew the difficulties she had faced.
She also said that if she were reborn, she would prefer to be born into a modest household and as a boy rather than a girl.
Mangeshkar died at the age of 92 at a Mumbai hospital on 6 February 2022. She was cremated at Shivaji Park with full state honours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Bollywood personalities, including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan, attended her funeral.
Mangeshkar began singing professionally after the death of her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, in 1942. She made her major Bollywood breakthrough with ‘Dil Mera Toda’ from ‘Majboor’ in 1948, while ‘Aayega Aanewaala’ from ‘Mahal’ became her first major hit in 1949.
Over her career, she sang in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali and several other languages. She received the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award, along with several National Film and Filmfare Awards. Her last complete album was for the 2004 film ‘Veer-Zaara’.
