Ranu Mondal/Mandal

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ranu Mondal

• Ranu Mondal was born into an economically weaker family in Krishnanagar, West Bengal.

• Her parents had passed away when she was too young.

• Mondal spent most of her childhood at her aunt’s house in Ranaghat, West Bengal.

• She was inclined towards music from a very young age.

• In her childhood, Ranu used to listen to the songs of Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, and Lata Mangeshkar and sing along.

• She got married to her neighbour, Bablu Mondal, at the age of 19.

• After her marriage, she, along with her husband Bablu, went to Mumbai in search of work.

• Her ex-husband, Bablu Mondal, worked as a cook at Feroz Khan’s house in Mumbai.

• Initially, she did a number of odd jobs in Mumbai.

• She, then, worked as a singer at a local club in Mumbai.

• While singing at the club, she earned the name of ‘Ranu Bobby.’

• Ranu worked there as a singer for a while and then, left the job as her husband didn’t approve of it.

• She went through depression after the demise of her ex-husband and relocated to her hometown in Ranaghat.

• Mondal lived there in poverty and started singing songs at the Ranaghat Railway Station to earn her living.

• In July 2019, a 26-year old engineer, Atindra Chakraborty, spotted Mondal singing a Lata Mangeshkar‘s song at the Ranaghat Station and shared her video on Facebook.

  

• The video collected more than 4 million views within a few days and made Ranu an internet sensation.

• After she gained popularity, many people approached her and offered her food.

• A local salon even offered her a free makeover.

  

• She was felicitated by the local Block Development Officer (BDO) of the West Bengal Government as part of the government’s Kanyashree Divas celebrations. The state government even assured her assistance.

• Ranu was called to give a guest performance on the reality TV show “Superstar Singer.” She sang the rendition of the song “Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai” in the show and received huge appreciation.

View this post on Instagram

Thank you Super Star Singer and the team of Sony to showcase such amazing talent from all parts of the world on the show, whether it’s the kids or the seniors, all are truely historic talents. Lots of love ? #superstarsinger #sony #talent #singers #realityshow #historic #instadaily #instalike #trending

A post shared by Himesh Reshammiya (@realhimesh) on Aug 23, 2019 at 10:35pm PDT

• When the host of the show asked her the reason for singing songs at the railway station, Ranu answered that she didn’t have a home to live and used to sing songs to earn her living. She further told him that sometimes people offered her some food or money after listening to her songs.

• The Bollywood musician, Himesh Reshammiya, got so impressed with her performance that he offered her to sing a commercial song for him.

• She made her singing debut in Bollywood with the song ‘Teri Meri Kahani’ for the film “Happy Hardy and Heer” in 2019.

• Himesh shared a short version of the song through his Instagram account while it was being recorded by Ranu in the studio.

View this post on Instagram

Recorded teri meri kahani my new song from happy hardy and heer with the very talented ranu mondal who has a divine voice , all your our dreams can come true if we have the courage to peruse them , a positive attitude can really make dreams come true , thanks for all your love and support

A post shared by Himesh Reshammiya (@realhimesh) on Aug 22, 2019 at 10:08am PDT

• Reportedly, Himesh has paid Rs. 6-7 lakhs to Ranu for her first Bollywood song.

  

• Ranu is a huge admirer of Lata Mangeshkar.

• It is rumoured that Mondal has received a house as a gift from Salman Khan.

• Atindra Chakraborty (the person who posted her video on Facebook), while sharing the details of his encounter with Ranu, says-
  

  I was hanging out with my friends at a tea stall on platform No 6. A Rafi song was playing in the radio aloud. Suddenly I heard the lady humming to the tune, as she sat on the platform floor. I asked her if she could sing something for us. She sang a song and I recorded it on my mobile. We were surprised how melodious she was.”

• During an interview, Mondal revealed that she was able to meet her daughter, Sathi Roy, after almost a decade because of the video that went viral. She expressed her happiness and said that this was her second life and she would try to make it better.

  

• Ranu’s story of getting recognition is similar to the success story of the famous American voice-over artist, author, sportscaster, and philanthropist, Ted Williams. Like Mondal, William also received recognition after the video of his demonstration of a promo for a radio advertisement went viral on the internet.

  

• When Lata Mangeshkar was asked comment on Ranu Mondal’s claim to fame, she said, “Agar mere naam aur kaam se kissiko bhala hota hai toh main apne-aap ko khush-kismat samajhti hoon (If anyone benefits from my name and work, I feel fortunate). 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.”

• Ranu’s daughter, Elizabeth Sathi Roy, was highly criticised on social media for abandoning her mother for almost a decade. However, her daughter claimed that she didn’t know that her mother used to sing on Ranaghat Railway Station as she was not able to visit her regularly. She also said that contrary to the rumours that she had united with her mother only after her mother got fame, she was always in touch with Ranu.

• In November 2019, a video of Ranu went viral on social media in which she was seen resisting a fan of her who wanted to take a selfie with Ranu.

• Here’s an interesting video about Ranu Mondal’s biography: