New Delhi: Legendary singer and Bharat Ratna awaredee Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away in Sunday in Mumbai, has a huge fan following in neighbouring Bangladesh as she, along with other Bollywood celebrities, had played an active role in the country’s Liberation War by mobilising funds.
On Sunday, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina extended her condolences on the demise of The Nightingale of India. She had once visited Dhaka on the invitation of her father, ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in 1972.
A historic photo of Lata Mangeshkar with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman together in Dhaka in 1972 was shared by the state radio broadcaster AIR.
Mangeshkar was a part of an Indian cultural delegation that called on Rahman and his family in Dhaka in 1972. Actress Waheeda Rehman, a young Sanjay Dutt and his father and actor Sunil Dutt were also a part of the delegation.
“Namaskar. As soon as the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War ended, we went to Bangladesh and we did several events with (Bollywood actor) Sunil Dutt’s group. At the time, we used to commute all around by Army planes,” Lata Mangeshkar had once tweeted,in 2019, recalling her Bangladesh visit in 1972.
She also sang a song for a Bangladeshi movie which is regarded as her only song for any Bangladeshi movie.
The song “O Dadabhai”, composed by Salil Chowdhury for the film “Raktakto Bangla”, was released in December 1972.
The movie was directed by Mumtaz Ali, and starred Biswajit Chatterjee, Kabori, and Golam Mustafa.
(IANS)