Hridaynath debuted his music career in 1955 with the
Marathi film
Akash Ganga. Since then, he has composed for various Marathi films such as
Sansar, Chaani, Ha Khel Savalyancha, Janaki, Jait Re Jait, Umbartha and
Nivdung and a few
Bollywood films; the most notable among them being
Subah,
Lekin... and
Maya Memsaab. Mangeshkar also composed music for Doordarshan musical drama
Phoolwanti. Mangeshkar has also composed folk songs. Staying true to the spirit, his
Koli Geets (fishermen songs) reflect the traditional rhythms of the fishermen of
Konkan. His music to the critically acclaimed movie
Jait Re Jait is another example of his prowess in this genre. One of his most popular works is the composition for the Marathi film
Nivdung. At one point, Hridaynath was a student of
Ustad Amir Khan; however, he feels that his guru is not as timeless as his sister Lata. Mangeshkar has been the recipient of several awards throughout his career, such as the prestigious
National Award at the hands of the
President of India, the
Lata Mangeshkar Award of Maharashtra state, and seven Maharashtra State Awards for Best Vocalist and Music Director/Composer. Mangeshkar was awarded the title
pandit by the people of Maharashtra at the hands of
Bhimsen Joshi and
Jasraj. The
Shankaracharya has conferred upon him the title
Bhaav Gandharva. Mangeshkar was awarded
Padma Shri by the
Government of India in 2009. Some of his most memorable Hindi film scores are
Harishchandra Taramati,
Prarthana,
Chakra,
Lekin...,
Maya Memsaab,
Lal Salaam,
Yash Chopra's
Mashaal,
Dhanwan and
Chaani, to name a few. Mangeshkar is also the first Indian composer to compose and release two entire albums featuring the poems and songs of the poet-saint
Meera, titled
Chala Vahi Des and
Meera Bhajans. He has recently also composed and released an album titled
Meera Soor Kabeera, featuring the works of Meera,
Kabir and
Surdas. He produced an album featuring the
ghazals of
Ghalib, titled
Ghalib and sung by
Lata Mangeshkar. His collaborations with noted Marathi poets such as Shanta Shelke and Suresh Bhat have produced many Marathi classic songs of unmatched popularity. Mangeshkar joined the political party
Shiv Sena in 2009. ==Filmography==