Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar had passed away on Sunday (February 6) morning after suffering from multiple organ failures.
In her 8-decade-long career, late Lata-ji had sung over 36,000 songs in different languages.
However, despite being involved with the Bollywood industry for almost her entire lifetime, Lata-ji was firm that she never wanted a biopic on her life. The late singer had revealed during an interview that she didn’t want a biopic to be made on her life. She had said, “I wouldn’t let a biopic be made on me. That’s because I don’t believe in them.”
However, there is a specific Bollywood actress who once played a character INSPIRED by Lata-ji. Loosely inspired by the lives of the late Lata Mangeshkar and her sister Asha Bhosle, the television show Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai was premiered in 2016. The actress who played the role inspired by Lata-ji is none other than Amrita Rao!
In an interview, Amrita says, “I’m blessed and privileged to be the only actress to essay a character inspired by Lata-ji. With that came a lot of responsibility and hard work. I had to look at her pictures and videos to understand her body language. We were given a lot of information on her journey, how her father inspired her, etc. I was living Lata-ji’s life, and it was incredible.”
Amrita talks about her deeply rooted connection to the late legend saying, “I woke up that morning and the first image that came to my mind was Lata-ji’s. Something told me she has moved on. Before even reading or knowing anything. I kind of knew… I don’t know what to call it. It was an intuition, maybe. I’ve grown up listening to Lata-ji’s songs. She was my first teacher and through her songs, we learned rhythm.”
Sadly, the actress never had the chance to meet Lata-ji. She adds, “It was always a dream for me, since the time I entered the industry, that Lata-ji will playback for me.”
