Actress Sharmila Tagore claimed that singer Lata Mangeshkar was once dissatisfied with her for her lack of cricket knowledge and reprimanded her for it. Tagore was married to the late cricketer Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who was a long-time member of Team India.
Tagore recounted numerous happy recollections of her time with Mangeshkar in an interview with RJ Stutee for Fever FM, including how Mangeshkar once had a chat with her about cricket and took her off guard.
“She (Lata) was so mad about cricket, not just as a spectator but knew the nitty gritty of cricket," she said. Sharing one such conversation she had with her over cricket, Sharmila said, “She (Lata) asked me some trick question and I couldn’t answer. And she got very cross with me, she said, ‘why don’t you know? You should know.’ I said, ‘well, my husband is a cricketer, I am not’. She said, ‘No, but still, aapko malum hona chahiye iske baare mein (You should know about this).’ I was properly scolded and put in my place.”
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Tagore also recounted how Mangeshkar, together with her brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar, organised a performance to raise $20,000 for the then-Indian cricket team, which went on to win the World Cup in 1983.
Mangeshkar was also very close to Sachin Tendulkar and would occasionally meet him on birthdays and special events. He used to call her ‘aai (mother)’ which she once said was an unforgettable day of her life.
Mangeshkar passed away on Sunday as a result of multiple organ failure. She was 92 years old and had been taken to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on January 8 after being diagnosed with Covid-19 and pneumonia. On Sunday, she was cremated with full state honours at Shivaj Park. Along with numerous other celebrities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended the burial.
