Amitabh  Bachchan Receives The Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award

In spite of frail health  , Amiabh Bachchan was  present on April 24  to be the  awarded Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Puraskar.The award was given to Mr Bachchan by Lataji’s siblings   Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar,  and  Usha Mangeshkar who  also honoured  AR Rahman, Randeep Hooda, Roopkumar Rathod, Padmini Kolhapure, Ashok Saraf with Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Awards

The 82nd Memorial Day Anniversary ceremony of the late Master Deenanath Mangeshkar, held at Deenanath Mangeshkar Natyagruha in Mumbai, saw the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Smruti Pratishthan, Pune, honoring eminent personalities from various fields.

      Recipients were lauded for their contributions to music, drama, art, medicine, and social work, in homage to Master Deenanathji’s cultural legacy in Maharashtra.

 The event featured the presentation of various Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Puraskars across diverse domains, culminating in a musical tribute to Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar presented by Pt Hridaynath Mangeshkar and singer Vibhavari Apte-Joshi, with accompanying musicians.

These awards are  a testament to Master Deenanathji’s enduring influence on Maharashtra and India’s cultural heritage. The programme was jointly organised by Deenanath Mangeshkar Smruti Pratishthan and Hridayesh Arts.

Significantly, Mr Bachchan  is  a huge admirer  of Lataji’s artistry. He once  told me, “Lataji is beyond any  description of praise. A phenomenon like  her will never happen again.To even compare her stature with mine is  blasphemous.”

Lataji  was  also a keen admirer of   the Bachchan’s  virtuosity. She once said to me, “When it comes to  Bachchan Saab  I don’t know where to start.  I always marvel at the way he bounced back after those severe setbacks that he suffered financially. And his career too was going through a lean phase. Lekin jiss qadar woh zor se wapas aaye….amazing! He’s 110 percent a perfect artiste. Give him any role,  and he slips into it effortlessly. I’ve never seen him repeat himself. If he was an emperor as a young man today he plays older men  with the same majesty.”