MUMBAI: India's nightingale Lata Mangeshkar made her film debut years ago before making her debut as a singer. But Lata Mangeshkar's film debut was not as a singer but as an actress. She acted in Master Vinayak's 'Pehli Mangala Gaur' in 1942 and also sang a song in the same film.

After the death of her father, Lata Mangeshkar started acting at the age of 13 to help her family financially. But her acting career started at the age of five with her father's musical theatre company.

Lata Mangeshkar made her stage debut at the age of five in Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar's, her father, play. Although she was able to garner a lot of praise, she did not have much interest in acting. Instead, she fell in love with music. Lata Mangeshkar once said in an interview that she does not want to be a character by painting her face.

Until 1947, Lata Mangeshkar continued to act in a few films and plays. After the death of Master Vinayak in 1947, Lata Mangeshkar did not return to acting. After that, she turned to film playback singing and became known as India's nigntingale.