They are renowned in the world of playback singing; their voices have regaled audiences for decades. But these days, Lata Mangeshkar and sister Asha Bhosle have been singing a different tune.
The 85-year-old Mangeshkar has invited criticism from across the board for disposing of an old film studio, Jayaprabha, in Kolhapur (Maharashtra). Bhosle, meanwhile, has invited the wrath of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for being part of a show involving Pakistani singers.
Asha downplayed Thackeray’s attack, saying she had great regard for the MNS chief. She added she had nothing to do with politics.
Last week, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal organised a protest march against the Mangeshkar family’s decision to sell the Jayaprabha studio, once a key hub of the Marathi film industry.
The Mangeshkars are said to have signed a deal with Raunak Popatlal Gundecha to sell the 11-acre land on which the studio is built, for re-development.
Earlier, Mangeshkar’s comment that Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was detained at a US airport in April because of his surname had led to strong criticism.
Bhosle, too, had courted controversy when she opposed the Peddar Road flyover, planned to be built adjacent to her residence in south Mumbai. She had said if the flyover was constructed, she would have to shift to Dubai. Bhosle had also distanced herself from parochial sentiments, saying, “Hindustan belongs to all.” Interestingly, the comment was made at a cultural event in which MNS chief Raj Thackeray was also present.
“People are bound to flock to Mumbai, as Hindustan belongs to all. Those who work hard here become prosperous. I also worked in my field with determination to earn success. I have sung in all Indian languages, but I am a proud Maharashtrian,” Bhosle had said.
More recently, Bhosle had stated the Mumbai police were arrogant and lacked courtesy. State home minister R R Patil had then reassured her, saying he had asked a senior Indian Police Service official to call on her to ascertain if any police official had been disrespectful to her.
