When Asha Bhosle Recalled Lata Mangeshkar Calling Them the “Last of the Mughals”
An old viral interview shows Asha Bhosle remembering her sister Lata Mangeshkar’s emotional remark about the end of a golden musical era, as the legendary singer’s own voice now echoes that sentiment after her passing.
Mumbai–A resurfaced video of legendary singer Asha Bhosle has gone viral on social media, in which she recalls an emotional remark made by her elder sister, Bharat Ratna awardee Lata Mangeshkar, describing the two of them as the “last of the Mughals” in Indian playback music.
Speaking on a singing reality show, Bhosle remembered how Lata Mangeshkar reflected on the passing of an entire generation of iconic voices. “Didi used to say all the music directors have left, all the singers have left. Kishore ji has left, Rafi sahab has left, Mukesh bhai has left, Geeta has left, Shamshad ji has left. Now we both are the last Mughals,” she said.
Bhosle added that after her sister’s passing, she herself felt like the last remaining link to that golden era. “The day she left, I told her—you have also left. I am the last. I sang my first song in 1943, and till today I am singing. I am the last Mughal,” she said in the clip.
Asha Bhosle passed away in Mumbai on Sunday at the age of 92. She had been admitted to Breach Candy Hospital a day earlier, with Maharashtra Culture Minister Ashish Shelar confirming the news outside the hospital. Her last rites are scheduled to be held at Shivaji Park.
One of the most versatile voices in Indian music history, Bhosle began her playback career with the 1943 Marathi film Majha Bal and went on to deliver countless classics including Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko, O Haseena Zulfonwale Jaane Jahan, and Yeh Ladka Hai Allah. Over her career spanning eight decades, she recorded songs in nearly 20 languages and worked with leading composers such as Shankar-Jaikishan, R.D. Burman, O.P. Nayyar, Ilaiyaraaja, Bappi Lahiri, and A.R. Rahman.
In 2006, Bhosle revealed she had recorded nearly 12,000 songs, making her one of the most prolific playback singers in global music history. She was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008, cementing her legacy as one of Indian cinema’s most enduring voices. (Source: IANS)
