Mangeshkar surname brings in comparison, pressure: Radha

Mumbai: Radha, niece of legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar and youngest child of musician Hridaynath Mangeshkar, says pressure, expectation and comparison will always come with her last name.

The 31-year-old singer is the third generation crooner from the Mangeshkar family. "The pressure is definitely on and around me constantly. I will not deny it and be humble. There is lot of pressure, expectation and comparison that I face," Radha told reporters here. But if the surname has a down side, it has good one too. It fetches work at least initially. "The surname has definitely helped me.. Because of it people automatically recognise you. Few years or it was kind of easy for next generation to enter (industry). But today its not easy. The family name, backgrounder doesn`t matter today much," she said. As Marathi is her mother tongue, she is well-versed with the Maharashtrian culture and music sensibilities. Radha has been singing and performing Marathi songs with her father-cum-teacher Hridyanath Mangeshkar since childhood. "I am performing mostly in Marathi, I started my singing career in Marathi. So I am now comfortable in it and by the grace of God have done some good work. I do live shows in Marathi and I am quite comfortable in that," Radha said. On whether she would love to lend her voice for Hindi songs, she said, "I would love to sing for Hindi films but there are no such offers. If something interesting comes my way and I like it, I will do it." "I always follow advice of my father. And I have only learnt from him. He is my guru. Whatever I am today is because of him and his teachings," she said. PTI