Did Lata Mangeshkar try to push down new singers? Anuradha Paudwal dismisses speculation, says ‘they should try to sing like her'

Indian Express

3 days ago

Iconic human beings often end up being polarising individuals, as their wide reach also pulls in people who might not agree with their practices or believe in their greatness. Lata Mangeshkar was definitely one of those singers who through her voice, moved an entire country, and through her actions, received praise, love and sometimes criticism. While there are some who think that Mangeshkar's unchallenged domination is the result of some larger scheme. There are some, like singer Anuradha Paudwal, who refuse the existence of any such actions or plans and continue to defend the icon even now.
While talking to BBC Hindi, Anuradha reflected on her career as a playback singer, how an opportunity that presented itself out of nowhere when SD Burman listened to her voice on a tape recorder. She shared, 'When Burman sahab was composing the music for Abhimaan (1973), he wanted a small shloka (stanza) for the introductory scene of Jaya Bachchan. He asked my husband (Arun Paudwal), who was his music arranger, to come up with something, and he did, but while sending the recording to him, he asked me to record it in my voice. The moment he heard my voice, he asked Arun about me and told him that he didn't need Lata ji for such a small part and that I should sing it, and that's how things started for me.'
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Getting to sing something that was originally planned for Mangeshkar is an honour in itself, no matter how small the part is, and Anuradha acknowledges this. When asked about people's speculations about Mangeshkar and Bhosle's careers and whether they deliberately pushed talent down in order to serve their longevity, Anuradha quickly shut down the allegations. She said, 'Lata ji is like my guru, and she will always remain so, and I learnt singing hearing her sing the Bhagavad Gita. The people who think that she was throwing her weight around or pushing people down should try and sing like her. How many people could do what she did with her voice? People have their peaks, and just because these two sisters had such a long career, you can't undermine them. Even at this age, Asha ji practises every day, and doubting the two of them is extremely foolish.'
Throughout her illustrious career, Mangeshkar remained very vocal about what she felt was fair and unfair in the industry. Her demanding royalty payments as a singer were one of the most impactful things to happen in Bollywood music for a long time, and even though it divided the industry back then, her actions laid the groundwork for giving singers their due.