Farida Jalal weeps remembering Lata Mangeshkar and reunites with Aruna Irani — an evening of memory and music
On a stage awash with soft light and the hush of an expectant audience, farida jalal sat with hands clasped, eyes fixed on the singer whose voice opened old wounds and warm memories. When Shreya Ghoshal began to sing the Lata Mangeshkar classic “Rahe Na Rahe Hum, ” the veteran actress could not hold back tears, and an evening of reunion and recollection unfolded.
Why did Farida Jalal become emotional on the show?
The performance of a Lata Mangeshkar song triggered a flood of memories for the actress. Watching Shreya Ghoshal fill the stage with the timeless melody, Farida described how a previous call changed her plans: “Achanak ek din phone aaya unki taraf se Sanjiv Kohli sahab ka. Unhone mujhe phone karke bola Lata ji chahte hain. She has been watching you on the show. She said, ‘Will you anchor my seven shows all over America? Mahina bhar toh lagega. ’”
She recounted leaving other work to accept that request, framing the decision as an act born of devotion: “Toh mere haath mein kaafi saara kaam tha. I left all of that work because I have always been a very hard-core fan. Lata didi ke aage kuch sujhta hi nahi tha mujhe. Woh gaati thi aur main ro padti thi, piche baithkar unhe dekhkar… I was madly in love with her. ” Overcome, she paused and said, “Ab nahi bola jayega, ” with tears in her eyes. The episode tied the personal and the public: a performance of a beloved song became a conduit for private grief and admiration.
What did Farida Jalal and Aruna Irani say when they reunited after 53 years?
The night also served as a reunion. Farida Jalal and Aruna Irani, who last met around the time they worked on the film Bobby, embraced the unexpected chance to see one another again. Both women appeared stunned and joyful as they greeted each other on stage. They reflected that despite long careers, they had not crossed paths often and realized their last meeting had been directly after Bobby.
Onstage pageantry followed personal recollection: the program welcomed Aruna with the song “Chadti jawani meri chaal mastani, ” and Aruna performed with characteristic energy while Farida made a grand entrance on “Aye Dil Laaya Hai Bahaar. ” Later, after a contestant sang “Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahan, ” the hosts asked the actresses about their closest friends. Aruna answered, “Mere bahut achhe friend thi Smita ji, a wonderful actress, and what a lovely human being she was. ” Farida responded with restraint and warmth: “We remember her with so much love. Sab he mai sabhi hain mai ek ka naam nahi lena chahungi. Iss Industry ne mujhe bahut saara pyaar diya hain, bahut hi achhe rishte diye hain jo hamesha main kayam rakhna chahungi. ”
How did the evening stitch songs, memory and legacy together?
The program threaded two kinds of longing: the personal idolization of Lata Mangeshkar and the camaraderie formed on film sets decades earlier. Lata’s presence was felt both through the songs performed — remembered in lines and melody — and through Farida’s anecdote about being asked to anchor shows overseas. Context for that mourning sits alongside the fact of Lata Mangeshkar’s storied career: the singer’s work spanned many decades and thousands of songs, with classics such as “Lag Ja Gale, ” “Tere Bina Zindagi Se, ” “Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon, ” and “Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya” continuing to resonate. The record also notes that Lata Mangeshkar died on February 6, 2022, at the age of 92.
Voices beyond the stage framed the night: performances invoked cinematic memory, personal anecdotes gave those songs fresh emotional weight, and two actresses who shared a film nearly as distant as a lifetime found themselves reunited by the same music that marked their youth.
Gopi Adusumilli, identified in the program materials as a programmer and as President of AGK Fire Inc., is noted for his interest in writing about Indian movies; his biographical note accompanies coverage of the evening and signals the cultural appetite that keeps such reunions resonant for audiences.
Back in the dimming light where the story began, farida jalal sat with the echo of a voice she admired and the warm clasp of an old colleague’s hand. The music onstage had opened a private door, and the reunion had reminded everyone present of the long arcs that bind performers, songs and audiences across decades.
