Soft-spoken, dignified signing legend Lata Mangeshkar was made the subject of ridicule, as was seen on a recently aired music awards show. Mimicking her was comedienne Sugandha Mishra, a regular on comedy shows including Kapil Sharma's, who is known for her imitation of the Melody Queen.

It has become fashionable to pull down iconic figures for a few chuckles at popular awards functions and sadly, it was the Nightingale's turn this time around.

Shockingly, self-proclaimed Lata bhakts like Javed Akhtar, Ila Arun, Usha Uthup and Shankar Mahadevan laughing in the audience while the comedienne picked at the Bharat Ratna winner.

Only singer Alka Yagnik looked disturbed and shocked. When contacted, she said, "I didn't like it. It was not in good taste. And it went on and on. This is what the music industry has come to, disrespecting their very own Bharat Ratna. Kam se kam, Lataji ko toh baksh dena tha. Shame on them."

While the Nightingale refused to comment on the matter saying it's a free country and that everyone is entitled to entertain oneself and others in the way they feel, a source very close to her said, "They wanted to invite her to honour her. When she couldn't attend they decided to make fun of her. This is their way of honouring our most loved singer."

Adds this source, "Sugandha has made a career out of imitating Lataji. We wish her all the best."

We tried getting in touch with the self-proclaimed Lata bhakts.We also tried contacting the show's host Aditya Narayan, whose father Udit literally worships the ground Lata stands on. They all chose to stay mum.

But the pertinent question remains: Did Lata Mangeshkar, a well-loved, well-awarded singing legend, deserve to be belittled and ridiculed for a few laughs at a music award show?