Pakeezah (1972) is the story of a courtesan who falls in love and battles the constraints of society. Two movies in particular left a deep mark. These were the melodies that shaped the many layers to my identity. We listened on the old cassette player and watched movies through VHS video players. I grew up in Glasgow listening to her songs alongside my mum and dad, who arrived in the UK in 19 respectively. Lata was an Indian Hindu whose legacy is personal for me, a Muslim of Pakistani heritage. Hindu holy men chanted alongside a song from her 1970 film Pagla Kahi Ka (Such a Fool) – “Tum mujhe yun bhula na pao ge, jab kabhi bhi suno ge geet meray” (“You will not be able to forget me, whenever you hear my songs”) while India’s greatest film star, Shah Rukh Khan, who is Muslim, held his hands apart for prayer.
Lata Mangeshkar, who died last week aged 92, was Bollywood royalty. Her art bridged cultural divides too – bringing together India and Pakistan when politicians failed.
Her legendary status was not just achieved through her prolific output or global reach, impressive as these were. But unlike Paul and Mick, Lata Mangeshkar sang them in 36 languages. It is said she recorded more songs than the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined.
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