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Hridaynath Mangeshkar Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth26 October 1937

Age87 Years

BirthplaceMumbai, Maharashtra

ProfessionMusic Director, Music Composer, Singer, and Politician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseBharati Malvankar Mangeshkar

FamilyFather: Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar; Sisters: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Meena Khadikar, Usha Mangeshkar; Children: Aadinath, Vaijnath, Radha

Hridaynath Mangeshkar Biography

Hridaynath Mangeshkar is an Indian music director, composer, singer and occasional politician, known for classical and devotional compositions, Marathi and

Early life and background

Hridaynath Mangeshkar was born on 26 October 1937 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He grew up in a musical household as the son of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, a noted classical singer and theatre actor. Several of his elder sisters — including Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Meena Khadikar and Usha Mangeshkar — also pursued careers in music. Hridaynath’s family environment and early exposure to performance and poetry shaped his lifelong interest in song, composition and classical forms.

He did not receive formal school education due to financial constraints, but he developed a deep literary and musical sensibility through home reading and listening. As a child he absorbed religious and poetic works from Marathi and other Indian traditions and later explored the poetry of classical Marathi and Sanskrit-era writers as well as bhakti and Urdu poets. He learned multiple languages, including Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit and Urdu, in order to work closely with the source texts he set to music.

Career

Hridaynath began his professional musical journey at a young age. At 17 he briefly worked at All India Radio, an early engagement that ended after a few days. His first recognized break as a composer came in 1955 with a private HMV record, and in the same year he made his debut as a film music director in Marathi cinema with Akashganga.

Over the decades he composed for numerous Marathi films such as Ha Khel Savalyancha (1976), Chaani (1977), Janaki (1979) and Sansar (1980). He also worked in Hindi cinema, composing for films including Dhanwan (1981), Ram Ki Ganga (1984), Maya Memsaab (1993) and Lal Salaam (2002). His credits include music direction for Nivdung (1989, Marathi) and the Hindi film Lekin… (1990).

Hridaynath’s output covers a broad range: Indian classical, devotional bhajans, folk arrangements and popular song. He produced albums focused on saint-poets — Meera Bhajans and collections based on Kabir and Surdas — and created a well-known album of Ghalib ghazals sung by his sister Lata Mangeshkar. He composed music for two chapters of the Bhagavad Gita in 1967 and is credited with bringing classical and devotional texts into recorded musical settings in inventive ways.

He also composed for television, notably the Hindi musical drama Phoolwanti on Doordarshan, and his Koli song compositions brought regional fisherfolk melodies to wider audiences. As a performer he has sung in films such as Anantyatra (1985), Maya (1993) and Sail (2006), and he has appeared on stage in concerts and shows. Trained on harmonium and tabla, he studied with several teachers and spent formative years as a disciple of Ustad Amir Khan.

Recognition and honors

Hridaynath received national and state recognition across his career. He won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction in 1990 for Lekin…, the Lata Mangeshkar Award from the state of Maharashtra in 2006 and the Padma Shri in 2009. In 2016 he was honored by the Sangeet Natak Akademi with both a fellowship and an award, and he later received a Lifetime Achievement Award at Pulotsav in 2018. He has also earned multiple Maharashtra State Awards for his vocal and composition work.

Public profile

Known variously as Balasaheb and Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, he has been addressed with the honorific Pandit by peers such as Bhimsen Joshi and Jasraj. His musical interests emphasize close reading of poetry and careful selection of raga and tala to suit each lyric’s mood and meter. He has described Salil Chowdhury as a mentor figure and repeatedly highlighted the importance of textual understanding when composing bhajan, ghazal or geet.

Personal life

Hridaynath married Bharati Malvankar (daughter of Marathi comedian Damuanna Malvankar) on 17 March 1970. They have three children: sons Aadinath, who runs a music academy in Pune, and Vaijnath, a composer; and a daughter, Radha, who is a classical singer. He continues to be based in Mumbai.

Politics

Hridaynath has been associated with Shiv Sena and contested the Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2009.

Latest updates

Across a career spanning classical, film, devotional and folk music, Hridaynath Mangeshkar remains recognized for his literary approach to composition and for setting important Indian poetic traditions to music. His work includes notable film scores, devotional albums, a Ghalib ghazal collection and television composition, and he continues to be celebrated through lifetime and state honors.
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Recent Work

Lekin…

Music director (won National Film Award for Best Music Direction in 1990)

1990
Ghalib album

Album of ghazals by Ghalib sung by Lata Mangeshkar, composed by Hridaynath

Meera Bhajans

Album based on the poems and songs of Meera, composed and released by Hridaynath

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Career Highlights

  1. Debut as composer and private HMV record in 1955
  2. Marathi film debut as music director with Akashganga (1959)
  3. National Film Award for Best Music Direction for Lekin… (1990)
  4. Padma Shri recipient (2009)
  5. Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Award (2016)
  6. Multiple Maharashtra State Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award at Pulotsav (2018)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Hridaynath Mangeshkar born?

26 October 1937

What is Hridaynath Mangeshkar known for?

Music Director, Music Composer, Singer, and Politician

What is Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s marital status?

Married

Who is Hridaynath Mangeshkar married to?

Bharati Malvankar Mangeshkar