Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away aged 92 on February 6, was featured in the ‘In Memoriam’ segment at the 2022 edition of the British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTA). The star-studded event, held on Sunday, March 13 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, moved several Indian music aficionados to tears after the late singer appeared in an honorary montage sequence along with Hollywood star Sidney Poitier, Hindi film actor Dilip Kumar and several other global icons.
“An Indian playback singer, who recorded an estimated 25,000 songs for more than 1,000 Hindi films over a career spanning 70 years. Mangeshkar rarely appeared on screen, preferring instead to record the songs that other actors would later lipsync,” read lines from the tribute. "Her film credits list is vast, but notable songs featured in Anamika (1973), Aasha (1980), Dil Se (1998) and Rang De Basanti (2006). In 2001, she was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.”
Several Indians shared details of the event on social media and paid their respects to the singer.
As per BAFTA’s tribute, Lata was the first Indian artist to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in 1974. In a brief speech ahead of the concert, she had reportedly told the media that this was her first concert outside of India and she was a little nervous. The concert was organised in aid of the Nehru Memorial Fund, set up to bestow fellowships in memory of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The show, which opened to a packed audience, covered Mangeshkar's biggest Bollywood hits including Aaja Re Pardesi from Madhumati, Inhin Logon Ne from Pakeezah and Aayega Aanewala from Mahal.
Lata-tai, as she was fondly called, had a unique voice that extended over three octaves and sung melodies in almost 36 Indian languages. She passed away due to Covid-related complications.
We now pay tribute to the artists who made a significant contribution to the film industry who sadly died in the last year. On our website, we maintain a year-round testament to those in our industries who have passed away.https://t.co/903NKrE1dw #EEBAFTAs
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) March 13, 2022
(With PTI inputs)