Internet sensation Ranu Mandal is the new Internet favourite now, and in case you don’t know who she is, then you must have been living under a rock. Mandal shot to fame when a video of her singing Ek pyaar ka nagma hain by Lata Mangeshkar at Kolkata railway station went viral.
After her melodious rendition, she became an Internet sensation, and now, she has also recorded a song with Himesh Reshammiya, titled Teri meri kahani. Mandal makes for an amazing story on the positive side and power of social media.
However, fame is surely vicious and the rumour mills spare none. Rumours about Internet sensation Ranu Mandal started to amplify on social media sites; in fact, she became the subject for several fake stories too.
Reportedly, Salman Khan gifted her a house worth Rs 55 lakh along with a plan to record a song for his movie Dabangg 3. However, upon further fact-checking by The Times of India, a source close to the actor revealed, “There is no truth in this piece of news. Salman has neither bought a house for the lady nor there is any discussion about the song.”
To top that off, a 3.27-minute-long video entitled ‘Lata Mangeshkar met Internet sensation Ranu Mandal and Ranu sing a song for Lata Di impress with Ranu Mandal Song’ by a YouTube channel ‘Breaking News 24’ also started to make rounds on various social media sites.
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Turns out, the video is doctored, as the clip of Lata Mangeshkar praising Mandal was actually from a different footage where Mangeshkar was praising master blaster Sachin Tendulkar. This video, which is now deleted, got 37,40,362 views with 22,000 likes.
Also, leave it to Twitterati to blow things out of proportions. With various users tweeting and re-tweeting the video, the video became more viral by the second.
If you thought that this was the only video then you are mistaken. Just search for ‘Lata Mangeskar meets Internet sensation Ranu Mandal on YouTube and you will be blown with the list of similar videos. And in many of these a Photoshopped thumbnail image of Mangeshkar blessing Mandal has been used, which ironically was Mangeshkar blessing her sister Asha Bhonsle in 2013.
Mangeshkar finally commented on this and according to a report by Hindustan Times, she expressed her happiness for the singer. She said, “Agar mere naam aur kaam se kissiko bhala hota hai toh main apne-aap ko khush-kismat samajhti hoon (I feel fortunate if someone is benefited from my name and my work).” “But I also feel imitation is not a reliable and durable companion for success. By singing my songs or Kishoreda’s (Kumar), or (Mohd) Rafi Saab’s, or Mukesh Bhaiyya or Asha’s (Bhosle) numbers, aspiring singers can get short-term attention. But it won’t last,” she said.
Another update in the National Herald further simplifies the confusion of the doctored video and the thumbnail picture. Wishing well, Mangeshkar said, “But using my name without my permission is morally and legally wrong. And the photograph of me with this lady is a scam. Please don’t believe what you see.”
Fame is a fickle thing and one has no idea when this will end. Mandal’s talent is justifiable for her voice is indeed mellow and now, she has the proper channels to grow as well. However, publishing fake stories cum videos in her name will ultimately hamper her growth as an artist. Even if it’s done with a positive thought process, what is fake, will always be a fake and will ultimately prove to be detrimental for Mandal’s growth.
