“Kashmir Files doesn’t have any songs, it is a tragic, epic drama but it is also a tribute to genocide and the victims. I actually recorded a folk song from a Kashmiri singer and we wanted Lata didi to sing that. She had stopped singing for films and had retired but we requested her. She was close to Pallavi (Joshi) and she agreed to sing for our movie. Kashmir was very close to her heart and she said she will record the song after the COVID surge subsides. She was also not allowed to go to studios, so we were just waiting to record with her, but then this happens. It will remain a dream to work with her,” shared the filmmaker.
Speaking about his fondest memory of the legend, Vivek Ranjan revealed, “When I was new in the industry, I had done a show and Lata didi visited the sets. Today you see actors and singers behaving like stars but here Lata didi was the biggest star and yet so simple and traditional. When you meet her, you feel she is like her your mother,
itni mamtha thi unke andar. When I told her that I had just started my career, she told me,
aapke andar itni patibha hai, kabhi bhi aapko zarurat pade toh nisankoch mujhe bataiye (You are so talented, if ever you need help, please reach out to me without any hesitation). And after 20-25 years in this industry, I have never seen anybody making you feel so comfortable and offering a lifetime commitment to call anytime. And it is true that she was extremely accessible.”
Beyond the spotlight, Lata Mangeshkar was a very simple person who indulged in special gestures. “Another thing that a lot of people don’t know that she was very fond of all these reality shows and movies. Obviously she had stopped going theatres, but if she liked somebody’s performance, then she would send laddoos, mithai and flowers to that person. So, this side of Lata ji, nobody knows. She never behaved like a star; she behaved like a mother or a sister. It is difficult to comprehend for the newer generations where all the relationship are virtual, but she believed in organic heart to heart relationships. She was extremely attached to India. Her heart was beating for India and if anybody made the country proud, she would call that personally and congratulate. And you’ve seen her tweets? She used to do it herself, that’s how she was.”
“I was never a worshiper of Lata Mangeshkar. But my parents used to listen to her all the time. And that was an awakening and it happened because maybe I was destined to understand the divine part of Lata ji’s voice. I don’t think I can love any artist as much as I love her. If you look at it, she actually represented Indian values. She was the simplest star or celebrity you have ever seen after Gandhi. And secondly seva, she was very charity minded. People don’t know much about this but she has done a lot for young talent. And the third thing was sacrifice. Her life was full of sacrifice. She has sacrificed so much, she remained single all her life, just to dedicate herself to this craft and art and fourth thing is spirituality, she was so spiritual. When you add all these things, they take the form of Maa Saraswati, and that’s exactly what she was,” concluded Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, paying a fitting tribute to the legend.
