Yashji was very close to me: Lata Mangeshkar

The Screen Guild Awards last week gave the singing legend Lata Mangeshkar a chance to re-visit one of her dearest colleagues, friend and surrogate-brother Yash Chopra, albeit after he was gone. The awards function was held at Yashraj Studios where Lataji visited for the first time. Says the Nightingale emotionally, “Yashji was very close to me. During his lifetime I didn’t visit his dream studio although he kept inviting me. For one reason or another, my visit to Yashraj Studios kept getting postponed. Now finally when I visited the studios for the awards he was not there to welcome me. But I could feel his presence everywhere. The experience shook me to the core.” Apparently Yash Chopra who had taken a personal oath that Lataji would sing for all films was very saddened that she could not lend her voice to his last film Jab Tak Hai Jaan. A month before his sudden death he rang up Lataji to express his regret and sorrow at her absence from Jab Tak hai Jaan and to invite her to the film’s music release so that she could be a token presence in his film. Lataji, however, had declined the offer to release the music of Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Says Lataji, “It was sad that I couldn’t be part of his last film. But my relationship with Yashji went far beyond one score or another. Our bonding was beyond work. He cared deeply for this sister of his. I went to the Screen Guild award at the personal request of Mr Ramesh Sippy and Andre Timmins of Wizcraft who had organized the function. When I went and received the award, I missed Yashji very much. In fact I was so shaken by emotion that I had to request Gulzar Saab to support me as I made my way to the stage.”