Why Lata stopped photography

Very few people know that Lata Mangeshkar is quite fond of photography. The melody queen says she considered herself to be a good photographer till the time she met...

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar says she considered herself to be a good photographer till the time she met ace lensman Gautam Rajadhyksha.

"I purchased a rolleiflex camera in 1946 and took a lot of pictures. I thought I was good. I don't like to be photographed. But, a few years later, I started getting calls from Gautam saying he wanted to take my pictures. I always ignored that," she said, recalling her first encounters with the celebrity photographer.

The veteran singer, who counts photography as one of her hobbies, was speaking at the launch of Rajadhyksha's Marathi coffee table book `Chehre' (Faces) here last night.

Mangeshkar said she was recording for a Bengali song at Salil Chaudhary's studio when Rajadhyksha came and took her pictures. "I feel happy that those photos are still being used at many places. But, initially when I saw the photos, I was very disappointed because they were better than the pictures I had taken. I actually stopped photography after that."

"He says what he wants to say through his photos," the 81-year-old legendary singer noted.

Shooting didi (Lata) is difficult even though she is easy in front of the camera, Rajadhyksha said. "It's difficult because didi herself is a very good photographer. She is well versed with the nuances of photography."

Film personalities Jaya Bachchan, Padmini Kolhapure, Hema Malini, Kajol, Rekha, Sooraj Barjatya and Khayyam, among others, were present at the function.