Lata Mangeshkar death: Many left-leaning Indians pointed out that the famous singer had backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the same time, some Hindu extremists accused Muslim Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan of “spitting on” Mangeshkar at his funeral.
Mangeshkar fans are angry at the unnecessary “politicization” of a singer whose voice has comforted people of all faiths.
Even the death of Lata Mangeshkar, the famous playback singer whose career spanned seven decades, failed to unite India.
lata mangeshkar death expired at 92 after weeks of hospitalization from a COVID infection.
After his death, the Indian government announced two days of mourning and cremated his body with all state honors.
As condolences poured in from around the biosphere, some Indian liberals saw fit to point available that Mangeshkar was a fan of the Hindu separatist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Hindutva (Hindu supremacy) ideology, which is why her musical heritage is not his should be celebrated.
Some liberals said the state tribute to the late singer was proof she was close to the ruling party, ignoring Mangeshkar’s remarkable work: more than 25,000 songs in more than 2,000 Indian films.
Another controversy erupted during her last rites.
Shah Rukh Khan often discovers himself at odds with Hindu extremist groups.
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Politicizing Mangeshkar’s death
Dozens of prominent Bollywood personalities attended lata mangeshkar death last rites in Mumbai. Shah Rukh Khan, is nicknamed the “King of Bollywood. Also attended the funeral to pay his respects to the “Nightingale of India.” But he has been embroiled in controversy after a video of him reciting an Islamic verse and blowing air to ward off “evil spirits,” which is an Islamic custom.
Khan was soon trolled on shared media, with some BJP leaders saying Khan “spit” on Mangeshkar’s corpse.
Arun Yadav, leader of Haryana’s ruling party, tweeted Sunday, “Did he spit?”
Experts say Hindu right-wing groups have not only attacked Khan because he is Muslim but also because he does not follow the ruling party’s line.
lata mangeshkar death has highlighted India’s communal problem, with analysts saying the country’s entertainment industry is not immune to political tensions.
India bids farewell to beloved vocalist Lata Mangeshkar
Saira Shah Halim, actress and documentary filmmaker, believes Mangeshkar’s death was used politically to polarize Indian society further.
“It’s no secret that the ‘Hindutva Brigade’ is trying to polarize the country. Their concerted efforts to invade all walks of life, including the entertainment industry. Which has factually been a personification of unity, must be resisted,” Halim said DW…
Bollywood: a symbol of secular India
Although a minority in India, Muslims have dominated the Indian film industry since its inception in the 1930s. Muslims have left an ineffaceable mark on Bollywood, from poets and screenwriters to singers and actors.
In the early stages of Indian film, Muslim then Hindu figures drew inspiration from socialism and secularism, espoused by Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister.
“Bollywood is not just about entertaining, and it is also India’s cultural ambassador to the rest of the world. Indians should do their best to protect their copy,” Halim added.
Halim’s uncle, Naseeruddin Shah, a Bollywood actor, has also been the target of far-right trolling on many occasions. In 2018, Hindu extremists branded the veteran actor “anti-national” for expressing concerns about the country’s political environment.
Bollywood figures working to strengthen cultural ties with Pakistan have also been ridiculed and insulted on social media. They have sometimes been lashed out by actors and singers who branded Pakistani performers a “security risk.”
“It was necessary [from the Hindu right] to give a twist to Khan’s viral image in which it pays homage to the singer as a symbol of secularism,” Anubha Sarkar, a professor at Monash University, Australia, and a Bollywood actress. Expert,
Legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar has died at the age of 92
lata mangeshkar death Political Association
Like many other Indian artists, Mangeshkar’s political tastes have swung from secularism to the right in recent decades.
The legendary singer supported, at least publicly, the secular party of the Indian National Congress after India gained individuality from British rule in 1947.
But for the past decade, he had expressed support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party.
With the support of the BJP, Mangeshkar was elected to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) in November 1999, and she stayed there until 2005.
In 2013, he endorsed the then Prime Minister of the State of Gujarat, Modi, for the post of Prime Minister.
A voice that comforted everyone.
However, lata mangeshkar deathalways praised Muslim artists in India and many Pakistani singers.
She is held in high esteem in Pakistan, and her death was also mourned in the Muslim-majority country.
Regardless of her political leanings, lata mangeshkar death was popular with all sectors of South Asian society. Many of her fans have expressed disgust at the unnecessary “politicization” of a singer whose voice has comforted people of all religions, castes, and creeds.