PANJIM: Life may be short and finite, but art transcends time and space, making the artist live on in our minds and hearts. The 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is paying homage to Melody Queen Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away in Mumbai in February this year.
While the veteran singer’s soulful songs are one too many, each excelling her own huge contribution to Indian cinema and culture, the festival has chosen Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1973 musical drama film Abhimaan to pay tribute to the great artist.
The walk down the memory lane into the soulful 70s of Indian cinema presents a double blessing to Indian and international audiences, both young and old. They will get to connect and reconnect with the traumatic interplay of love, musical ambition and ego, as played out in the lives of the lead characters Subir and Uma, portrayed beautifully by actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. What is more, film lovers will get to immerse themselves in this most foundational of life struggles, being soaked in the angelic beauty of the heartrending renditions of iconic songs such as “Tere Mere Milan Ki Yeh Raina”, "Teri Bindiya Re" and "Nadiya Kinare", sung by none other than Lata Mangeshkar. The other songs in the film, to which Lata Didi, as she is affectionately known among film lovers, has lent her timeless voice and character include "Ab To Hai Tumse Har Khushi Apni" and "Loote Koi Man Ka Nagar".
As we pay tribute to the great singer, it would be fitting to recall her message to filmmakers and film lovers, at the 33rd edition of IFFI, held at New Delhi in October 2002.
Inaugurating the festival, Lata Mangeshkar had called upon filmmakers not to forget the rich Indian culture and civilisation, to guard against being overtaken by technological advancement.
She asked fellow artistes to keep in mind the tireless efforts of the great pioneers of Indian cinema such as Dada Saheb Phalke and other countless artistes who made enormous sacrifices and worked in most trying circumstances to achieve great heights for the Indian film industry.
She reminded 33rd IFFI delegates that artistes from all parts of India contributed to the development of Indian film industry.