LAHORE-“Noor Jehan was and will remain a Melody Queen,” says legendry singer Lata Mangeshkar on the eve of Noor Jehan’s death anniversary.
In a detail interview with Family Magazine, Lata Mangeshkar recalled her first meeting with Madam Noor Jehan which took place in 1943 during the shooting of the film ‘Badi Maa’.
She said, “The first time I performed in front of her, I was a bit nervous because of my Marathi accent. On her demand, I first sang a classical song Jewan Bekar Bina Tumharay and she was happy on it. I was never offered to sing in Pakistan films. If they would I surely would have sang for them.
“In London during a stay in hotel when we were waiting for a lift Madam Noor Jehan asked me to sing Aey Dile Nadaan. Madam Noor Jehan was very sweet even in her looks.
“When she was ill, we used to talk on the phone and she always asked me to pray for her as I don’t know how much pain she had been going through.
“Noor Jehan was and will remain a Melody Queen,” Lata Mangeshkar maintained.
Mangeshkar continued: “On her death anniversary, I always post something on the social media. I regularly use the Twitter and Facebook accounts. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mehdi Hassan and Gulab Ali are among the singers in Pakistan which are my favourite.” About Pakistani fans, she said: “I felt overwhelmed when one of my close aide informed me that I had more fans in Pakistan than India.”
The detailed interview of Lata Mangeshkar will be published in Family Magazine on December 22, 2017 edition.
