Well, we all are well aware that Lata Mangeshkar started working at the age of 13 (and if you had no idea read). Her father Deenanath Mangeshkar was a well-established Marathi classical singer as well as a stage actor. Young Lata didi used to act in her father’s musical plays since the age of 5. She also was taught classical singing not just by her father but also took lessons from classical music wizards like Amanat Khan, Pandit Tulsidas Sharma and Aman Ali Khan.
Well, when Lata Mangeshkar’s father died she was just 13 years old. So, as the eldest in the family, the responsibility fell upon her. She had to work to earn daily bread and butter for the family and so she started her career as a singer and actress in 1942 at the tender age of 13. Her first song was for the Marathi movie Kiti Hasaal but was later dropped from the movie. And that is not it! Before showing off her skillful voice, she was working as an actor.
In 1942, when Lata Mangeshkar started working, she was as an actress in Hindi and Marathi film. A family friend, Vinayak Damodar Karnataki helped her get a job. But it was a rocky road and so she couldn’t quite well adjust to being an actor. The struggle was real for her and so she tried her hands on singing but the song was never released!
Lata Mangeshkar’s first Hindi song happened the next year in 1943, with ‘Mata Ek Sapoot Ki Duniya Badal De Tu’ in the movie Gajaabhaau. She faced numerous rejections as her voice was considered to be soft and nasal whereas the ongoing demand was for a voice like more heavy.
But now Lata Mangeshkar is one of the most loved and celebrated female singers of all time.