Lata Mangeshkar

Known as the Nightingale of India, legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar has contributed to the soundtracks for more than 2,000 films—in 36 different languages. ∙ After getting her big break with the 1948 film Majboor, the song “Aayega Aanewala”—from 1949’s Mahal—made her a bona fide star. ∙ Mangeshkar once brought Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears with her rendition of the patriotic poem “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo.” ∙ In 1974, she became the first Indian ever to perform at London’s Royal Albert Hall. ∙ She received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award—the Indian film industry’s top honor—in 1989, and was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, in 2001. ∙ The governments of two different Indian states, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, have instituted a Lata Mangeshkar Award.