Melody queen Lata Mangeskhar's reaction to Ranu Mondal, stating that the internet sensation should be original and that “imitation is not a reliable and durable companion for success,” has disappointed many fans and social media users, who feel the legendary singer could have not reacted the way she did. On Twitter, outrage poured as many took to call out Mangeshkar for her remarks.
Here’s what some fans had to say.
"Such a superstar and so ungracious," wrote a Twitter user.
"A poor lady sang on a railway platform for a living. #RanuMondal's voice was miraculously noticed by SM and she became a star. Inspiring Lata ji could have been more gracious, complimented and helped her. This lecture on "imitation" was avoidable," another user said.
A user "disagreed" with Mangeshkar and called her "a bit harsh", while another said that this could have been taken in "true spirits by a senior artist like Lataji".
Another user also questioned, “Why such insecurity?”
Lata Mangeshkar on Ranu Mondal
In an interaction with IANS, Lata Mangeshkar said,
“Be original. By all means sing the evergreen songs by me and my colleagues. But after a point the singer must seek and find his or her own song. If Asha (Bhosle) had not insisted on singing in her own style, she would have remained in my shadow forever.”Lata Mangeshkar
She went on to say that many “aspiring singers get short-term attention, but it won’t last.”
Mondal, who has been given a formal Bollywood break by singer-composer Himesh Reshammiya, has now recorded three tracks for him. She became an overnight social media sensation after a video of her singing Lata Mangeshkar's soulful number ‘Ek pyaar ka nagma hai’ at Ranaghat railway platform in Kolkata went viral on the internet.
(With inputs from IANS)
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