It would not be an exaggeration to say that Lata Mangeshkar is the single most important person in Bollywood history. You only have to check our catalogue of the greatest Bollywood Soundtracks to see how consistently her name features in the list of all-time classics, with major hits in each decade from the 1940s till present day. She has sung for almost every music director and every film producer and has enjoyed unparralelled success. Affectionately known as the 'Nightingale of India', Lata has been a major Bollywood personality since 1949 and has sang her way into the record books as the world's most prolific singer. Lata Mangeshkar became the first recipient of the prestigious Filmfare Award for Best Playback Singer for Madhumati (1958). In response to accusations of monopilising the industry, Lata took the unprecedented step of withdrawing herself from the running for future Filmfare Awards in 1969 after she had won her fourth trophy.