Usha Mangeshkar is the youngest sister of the legendary singer Lata Mangeskar. Usha is a playback singer and has sung multiple songs in the Indian cinema.
Wiki/Biography
Usha Mangeshkar was born on Sunday, 15 December 1935 (age 85 years; as of 2020) in Bombay Presidency, British India (now Mumbai).
Usha Mangeshkar during childhood with her eldest sister Lata Mangeshkar
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 4″
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper
Family & Caste
Her father had a Marathi origin as he belonged to Maharashtra, and her mother was a Gujarati.
Parents & Siblings
Usha’s father, Deenanath Mangeshkar, was a Marathi theatre artist and a Marathi theatre actor. He was also a renowned Natya Sangeet musician and a Hindustani classical vocalist. Her mother, Shevanti Mangeshkar, was the sister of Deenanath’s first wife Narmada, who died early.
She has one brother, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, and three elder sisters, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, and Meena Khadikar. All her siblings are also associated with music.
Usha with her siblings
Relationships, Husband & Children
She is unmarried.
Career
Film
She made her singing debut with a Bollywood song “Badi Dhoom Dham Se Meri Bhabi Aayi” from the film “Subah Ka Tara” (1954 romantic-drama).
Usha Mangeshkar’s debut song from the film Subah Ka Tara
Awards
National Film Awards
- President’s Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Marathi for the film “Jait Re Jait” (as the producer of the film) at the National Film Awards in 1977
Filmfare Awards
- Nominated for the Filmfare Award for the best female playback singer for the song “Mai to Aarti” from the film “Jai Santoshi Maa” (1975).
Other Awards
- Best Female Playback Singer for her song “Jai Santoshi Maa” at BFJA Awards 1975
- Lifetime Achievement Award at Mirchi Awards 2020
Usha Mangeshkar while receiving Lifetime Achievement Award
- Gan Samragni Lata Mangeshkar Award by the cultural department of the Maharashtra government (2020-21)
Note: She has many more awards and accolades to her name.
Facts/Trivia
- Usha Mangeshkar is an animal lover and has a pet dog “Bittu” at her house.
Usha Mangeshkar with her pet dog Bittu
- She loves to paint in her leisure time. Moreover, She feels acting and painting are interconnected. She used to make sketches while listening to the songs about its location in the movie and also stated an incident where she drew a sketch while listening to the song “Suhana Safar” from the film “Madhumati”(1958), she figured a picture of a sea in her mind and sketched it on a paper. Later, when she saw the song in the movie, it was shot in a jungle, which was different from what she had imagined, so, it became a disappointment to her.
- Usha lost her father when she was only six years old. After his demise, Lata Mangeshkar, being the eldest sibling in the family started singing to earn money.
- While growing up, Usha developed an interest in singing and began singing in the year 1953 with some low budgeted films that gradually proved successful for her career.
- The song “Mai to Aarti” from the film “Jai Santoshi Maa” (1975) was one of her major hits, and it brought her major success. Another song “Mungda” from Raj N Sippy’s suspense thriller “Inkaar” (1977) also helped her to gain popularity.
- The song “Mungda” was recreated for Indra Kumar’s comic caper Total Dhamaal ( 2019). It was highly criticised by the original singer Usha Mangeshkar and the composer Rajesh Roshan as well as the public. The remake was titled as the “toilet mix ” by the audience. Usha Mangeshkar expressed her rage for ruining a classic and said,
Our songs (the songs sung by the Mangeskar sisters Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Usha Mangeshkar) were created after a great deal of thought and they were done with sensitivity and care. To rip them off in this arbitrary manner is not correct.”
- In 1992, Usha produced a musical drama “Phoolwanti” for Doordarshan that was based on a story by Baba Sahib Purandare.
- Folk music lures her more than any other music form.
- Usha has been singing for over 60 years as of now.
- Usha received a Doctor of Philosophy degree by Maharashtra’s Education Minister in Pune (2019).
- The two sisters, Lata and Usha, last sung ‘Aaya Mausam Dosti ka’ for Sooraj Barjatya’s ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ in 1989. Later, in 2017, both reunited after an interval of 27 years to sing a song titled ‘Ek Baar Bidaai De Do Maan’ from ‘Main Khudiram Bose Hun,’ a biopic of a Bengali freedom fighter.
- Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Lata Mangeshkar was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai after she complained of difficulty in breathing and later, quarantined with her sister Usha Mangeshkar and Hridaynath at home in Mumbai.
- The Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowaln congratulated Usha at the 7th Mising Youth Festival on March 2020 in Jengraimukh, Assam. It was a five-day festival that started on 5 March.
Tripping on nostalgia with the soulful songs from iconic movies Chameli Memsaab and Khoj.
Bhupen da's magic and @ushamangeshkar ji's rendition took me to the 70s. An evening to remember. pic.twitter.com/EDmjok8xMx
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) March 8, 2020
- Hridaynath (Usha’s brother) states Usha to be a gifted painter. According to him, she has done all his covers of long-playing records, correspondingly to the content of lyrics and music. Moreover, she has also received the President award for painting.
- Usha and her family are a big cricket fan and state to follow cricket as a religion. In an interview talking about it, she said,
Our mother was a huge cricket fan, and we would all get together in her room with good food, and tune in to the game.”
- Usha admires her both elder sisters as they have inspired her a lot in life. She doesn’t compare her success with anyone. She also believes to learn from her own experiences of life and follows the mantra to stay always positive.
