Lata Mangeshkar refused to perform at a wedding ‘even if offered 10 crore dollars’, recollects Asha Bhosle

Veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar‘s ser, singer Asha Bhosle in a recent interview has recalled fond memories of her ser. She has shared how her late ser had once refused to sing at a wedding even after being offered a huge sum of money.

While speaking at the first Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award ceremony in Mumbai, Asha shared an incident about the late singer.

Asha, a veteran singer herself, revealed, “Someone invited us for a wedding. They had tickets worth million dollars or pounds. They said they wanted Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar. Didi asked me ‘will you sing at a wedding?’ I said I won’t and she then told the rep, ‘We will not sing even if you offer 10 crore dollars, because we do not sing at weddings.’ That person was very disappointed.”
At the event, she spoke of the time they drank the water with which they washed their parents’ feet. “Lata didi was just four years older than me. She would say those children who drink the water that touched the feet of their parents would reach heights in life. One day, while we resided in Kolhapur, she asked me to bring some water in a bowl and poured it on the feet of my parents, who were fast asleep. Then pouring it into our palms, we both ingested that water. Today’s generation will not do so. They will ask you to wash your hands and serve them water,” Bhosle revealed.
Lata Mangeshkar died of multiple-organ failure in Mumbai on February 6, at the age of 92. Called Swar Kokila her legion of fans, Mangeshkar’s death brought down the curtain on an era in the Indian film industry. Asha has fondly remembered Lata on various occasions.
After the passing of veteran singer Lata Mangheshkar, the Mangeshkar family announced an award after her name — The Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Puraskar — which will be given every year to an individual who has made “path-breaking, spectacular and exemplary” contribution to the nation, its people and society, according to the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Smruti Pratishthan Charitable Trust, which has instituted the award.
The first Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award ceremony was held in Mumbai, where Prime Miner Narendra Modi was honoured with the prestigious award.