Trained at the age of five by her father and Marathi theatre star, Deenanath Mangeshkar, Lata Mangeshkar started her career as a child artiste and chorus singer in 1942. But it wasn't until the late 40s when she landed her first solo hit - 'Aayega, aayega aane wala..' from the film Mahal starring Madhubala and Ashok Kumar. Lata was praised by Nargis' mother Jaddanbai for her Urdu pronunciation of a word in this song, but she was earlier mocked for her Urdu by Dilip Kumar aka 'Yusuf Bhai', as she fondly called him.

In this episode of Urdunama, we revisit and celebrate what made her the Queen of Melody – her grace while facing nasty rejections.

Tune in.

Vocals: Ushosee Pal
Guitar: Nabarun Pal
Host, Writer and Sound Designer: Fabeha Syed
Editor: Shelly Walia
Music: Big Bang Fuzz