Lata Mangeshkar's death: How Dilip Kumar’s remark spurred her into learning Urdu

Sometime in 1947, noted composer Anil Biswas introduced her to legendary actor Dilip Kumar on a local train, saying, ‘This is Lata, she sings very well’. 

After learning that she was a Maharashtrian, Kumar “said very truthfully that singers who were not conversant with the Urdu language invariably tripped in the pronunciation of words derived from the language and that jarred and spoiled the listening pleasure for those who enjoyed the lyric as much as the melody,” Mangeshkar said. 

Though initially saddened, she soon realised that he had said it with the intention of improving her diction. She went home and sent for Shafi Imam, a family friend and an Urdu expert, who arranged a learned maulana. 

The result was priceless pieces of musical legacy in Urdu, including Pyaar kiya toh darna kya and Bekas pe karam (Mughal-e-Azam) and Mausam hai aashiqana (Pakeezah).