Lata Mangeshkar speaks to Tellychakkar on Amitabh Bachchan: The man, the actor & the singer

Lata Mangeshkar is a stalwart in the world of Indian entertainment. And in an interview with Tellychakkar.com, she talks about another majestic figure in Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan. “When it comes to Bachchan Saab, I don’t know where to start. I always marvel at the way he bounced back after those severe setbacks that he suffered financially. And his career too was going through a lean phase. Lekin jiss qadar woh zor se wapas aaye….amazing! He’s 110 percent a perfect artiste. Give him any role, and he slips into it effortlessly. I’ve never seen him repeat himself. If he was an emperor as a young man and today, he plays older men with the same majesty. In Baghban he made me cry. I recently saw Black and I can’t get over his performance. I haven’t seen anything like this!….Kamaal ke actor hain….And he also sings, and sings quite well.” “I don’t know if he can sing every type of song. But whatever he does sing he sings in sur. His songs Holi khele and Tu kahan main yahan in Baghban are in sur. I’ve listened to them carefully. Singing in sur is far more important than remaining in taal. It’s God’s gift and Bachchan Saab has it. His voice is God’s great gift to him. When he speaks you can hear his performance on screen as well as see it. His performances are impeccable. On a social level we meet once in a while. Recently we met at Javed Saab (Akhtar)’s birthday party. More recently he graced the function for my father’s death anniversary where he was given the Deenanath Mangeshkar award. He arrived on dot, and was his charming self early in the morning. He always talks with charm and restraint…never too much and never too late. I believe he had shooting throughout the previous night. His energy level leaves me breathless…His pedigree is unquestionable. I remember when I started singing in 1947 I began reading up on Hindi litterateurs including Premchand, Mahadevi Varma, Jaishankar Prasad and of course Harivanshrai Bachchan. I loved reading them. I wanted my Hindi to improve. Any free moment, while traveling or waiting at the studios, was spent reading them. I’ve read Harivanshrai Bachchan’s Madhushala several times over, also his bulky autobiography which is truly a unique work of self revelation. Poet-lyricist Pandit Narendra Sharma, who was like a father to me, was very close to Harivanshraiji. I met him several times at Narendra Sharma’s home. Narendra Sharma whom I called Papa used to respect Harivanshraiji a lot. He used to call himbandhu. I could see the mutual love between the two…Coincidentally, Manna Dey also got the Deenanath Mangeshkar award along with Amitabh Bachchan. If I remember correctly Mannada has sung Bacchan Saab’s father’s Madhushala….What an amazing man Bachchan Saab is, and as I said, what an amazing comeback.” "After a dizzying spell of superstardom his luck gave way so badly that his fans and admirers would be in tears at his plummeting fortunes. And then look at how he climbed back to stardom. Yeh to bahut badi baat hai. Do people really say we’re the two icons of this country? Nahin nahin….Woh pehle hain main unke baad hoon. Main itna badaa manti hoon unko. I don’t know whether he knows but I truly respect Bachchan Saab and his wife Jayaji. Mere dil mein unke liye khaas jegah hai. We sang one duet together Yeh kahan aa gaye hum in Silsila…Though we didn’t record it together. I don’t know what Bachchan Saab thinks of his own singing. But I find him to be in sur while rendering his songs. He may not be the most accomplished singer. But he sings with feeling and understanding. I’ve heard his telephone number (Tu wahan main yahan) in Baghban. And I must say I’m moved by his ability to express emotions with so much restraint in a song.” Salute to the two stalwarts of Indian cinema!!!