Lata Mangeshkar Insulted At Music Awards? [VIDEO ADDED]

The nation is reeling under the impact of a recent music awards held last week, and telecast on Sunday where Melody Queen Lata Mangeshkar, was mimicked by a small-time female comedian Sugandha Mishra.

Mishra, a regular on comedy shows including Kapil's, is known for her imitation of the Melody Queen.

It is fashionable to pull down iconic figures for a few chuckles at popular awards functions. Shockingly, Lataji regarded by many of her fans as the embodiment Goddess Saraswati, was mimicked and ridiculed at a music awards function.

Even more shockingly, self-proclaimed Lata bhakts like Javed Akhtar, Ila Arun, Usha Uthup and Shankar Mahadevan were caught rolling with laughter and falling off their seats in the audience while the comedienne demolished the dignity of a Bharat Ratna winner and who has singlehandedly defined popular Hindi film music for more than 50 years.

Only singer Alka Yagnik looked disturbed and shocked. When I contacted Alka sounded genuinely distressed at seeing her idol being so ridiculed. "I didn't like it. It was not in good taste. And it went on and on. This is what the music industry has come to, disrespecting their very own Bharat Ratna. Lataji is a Goddess. Kam-se-kam unko toh baksh dena ttha(spare her at least!). Shame on them."

Adds composer Lalit Pandit, "The whole music fraternity and the film industry loves Lataji to death. I was surprised by the act when it was on. I didn't expect this and I frankly feel it was overdone. Though at that time when the was on it didn't look as objectionable as it did when it was telecast. Lata Didi is a Bharat Ratna and nothing about her should be used for laughter."

Aditya Narayan, who anchored the offensive satire on Lataji says, "We as a country have a warped perception of what is humorous. When a comedienne does a takeoff on Lataji or Ashaji I refuse to address them by the names of the legends that they mock. At the said awards function, never once did I mention Latabai's name. From my end that's the maximum I can do. I neither organized nor scripted the show."

While Lataji refused to comment on the matter saying it's a free country and everyone is entitled to entertain oneself and others in the way they feel, a source very close to Lataji said, "They wanted to invite her to honour her. When she couldn't attend they decided to make fun of her. This is their way of honouring our most revered and adored singer."

The source close to Lataji also adds, "This girl Sugandha has made a career out of imitating Lataji. We wish her all the best. If by mimicking the biggest entertainment icon this girl can earn her living, then so be it."

We tried getting in touch with all the self-proclaimed Lata bhakts who were ROFL while Sugandha did her thing. We also tried contacting the show's host Aditya Narayan whose father Udit Narayan worships the ground that Lataji walks on.

They all chose to stay mum.

But the disturbing question that the episode at the music awards raises is, should the Nightingale Of Asia, the Bharat Ratna of India and the pride of Maharashtra be belittled publicly, and that too on stage at a music awards function?