Kumar Sanu, Shailendra Singh, Anand-Milind to get Lata Mangeshkar Award

Noted playback singers Kumar Sanu and Shailendra Singh and music-composer duo Anand-Milind will be conferred with the National Lata Mangeshkar Award for different years, an official said on Tuesday. They will be presented the prestigious award on Wednesday (September 28), the birth anniversary of the late legendary singer, at her birthplace Indore. Singh, who has made a special place in the heart of music aficionados with his distinct voice in 1970-1980 decades will be given the Lata Mangeshkar Award for 2019, while Anand-Milind who have composed music for over 200 films, will be conferred with the honour for 2020. Sanu, who lent his velvet voice to numerous popular songs in the 1990s, will be given the award for 2021, the official said. The last Lata Mangeshkar Award function was held on February 7, 2020, after which the event could not be organised due to the coronavirus pandemic. Officials informed the award is given for promoting excellence in the area of light music annually by the Madhya Pradesh government's culture department. It carries a cash prize of Rs two lakh and a citation. Earlier recipients included Naushad, Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle.