Hear Lata Mangeshkar in These Four Streaming Films

They called her the Queen of Melody.

Lata Mangeshkar, the Bollywood singer who died on Sunday at 92, left behind a monumental body of work in a career that began in 1942, when she was just 13. Her singing for films, which continued until 2015, spanned numerous regional-language industries, but she defined mainstream Hindi cinema in a way few artists have. (Another artist who did, Mangeshkar’s sister Asha Bhosle, is also a playback singer.)

Mangeshkar lent her angelic voice, with its four-octave range, to several generations of stars, from Madhubala in the horror classic “Mahal” (1949) and the historical epic “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960) to Hema Malini in the crime comedy “Dream Girl” (1977) to Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor in the romantic drama “Dil To Pagal Hai” (1997). In “Dil To Pagal Hai,” her recognizable voice emanates from both actresses, sometimes in the same scene, but this double duty isn’t distracting. With thousands of songs to her name, she was as common to Indian audiences as close-ups and scene transitions, accepted as a crucial element of cinematic language.

Four of her most successful films are available to stream. Given the breadth of her career, they effectively double as a highlight reel for the history of Hindi cinema. An introduction to its riches would be nearly impossible without her.

‘Awaara’ (1951)

Stream it on MUBI; buy or rent it on Amazon Prime.

Raj Kapoor’s “Awaara” straddles the line between art house and blockbuster. It was both a Grand Prix nominee at the Cannes Film Festival and an enormous financial success, a huge hit not only in India, but also in China and the Soviet Union.

A false-imprisonment story with social reform on its mind, “Awaara” cemented Hindi cinema’s lasting theme of romance across economic lines, told here through Kapoor’s trenchant mix of gritty melodrama and lavish musical scenes. Mangeshkar, who provides the singing voice for the actress Nargis, captures the giddy excitement of new love in “Jab Se Balam Ghar Aaye” (“Ever Since My Beloved Returned”), which she deepens into intoxicating passion in “Dam Bhar Jo Udhar Munh Phere” (“If You Turn Away for a Moment”), an intimate duet with the renowned singer Mukesh.

Mangeshkar’s vocals are just as suited to the story’s dreamlike turn in “Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi” (“My Stranger Came Home”), in which she projects an operatic longing. The film runs the stylistic gamut, and her dynamic voice aids in its transformations.

‘Sholay’ (1975)

Buy or rent it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play and YouTube.

Ramesh Sippy’s musical “western” “Sholay” had a fabled theatrical run of nearly six years. Its box office success is partially owed to its musical set pieces composed by R.D. Burman.

“Holi Ke Din” (“On the Day of Holi”), a colorful explosion set during the Hindu spring festival, is both a celebratory respite between violent action scenes and a romantic tête-à-tête between the roguish Veeru (Dharmendra), whose singing is voiced by Kishore Kumar, and the feisty Basanti (Hema Malini), voiced by Mangeshkar. Basanti struck a chord with audiences not only for her fast-talking bravado, but also for a memorable act of sacrifice: To save Veeru from a callous bandit, she agrees, in an act of heroism distinct to the Indian musical, to dance on broken glass in “Haa Jab Tak Hai Jaan” (“As Long As I Live”), which Mangeshkar sings lovingly and fearlessly.

‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ (1995)

Stream it on Amazon Prime; buy or rent it on Apple TV, Google Play or YouTube.

With a Broadway adaptation in the works and statues of its lead characters set to be unveiled in Leicester Square in London, “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” is still lauded for making Bollywood a worldwide phenomenon. It became the highest grossing Indian film in foreign markets, courting diaspora audiences with its story of Indians abroad who maintain a nostalgic longing for their culture — a trend that quickly caught on, with Europe and North America appearing as backdrops more frequently.

The film also helped the rise of the modern megastars Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan, who play the star-crossed Londoners Simran and Raj. The seeds for their globe-trotting romance are planted during Simran’s mischievous early number “Mere Khwabo Mein” (“In My Dreams”), in which Mangeshkar, then 66, exudes youthful energy. Even in the film’s more traditional scenes — like the wedding song “Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna” (“Put Your Henna On”) — she maintains a dazzling vitality.

‘Lagaan’ (2001)

Stream it on Netflix.

Ashutosh Gowariker’s Oscar-nominated period drama “Lagaan” combines two stirring subjects for Indian viewers: cricket and anticolonial struggle. It follows a group of destitute farmers seeking liberation from crushing taxes, a relief contingent upon them defeating British officers on the cricket field.

Upon its release, the film’s climactic scenes were met with the kind of rapturous applause usually reserved for sporting arenas. This rousing impact, though, rests on preceding moments of despair, during which the villagers congregate to sing “O Paalanhaare” (“O Nurturer”), a desperate prayer. A.R. Rahman’s usually bombastic music in the film takes a back seat to Mangeshkar’s spiritual lament. The result is a soul-touching performance that exemplifies her talent: her voice echoes as if from an otherworldly realm, but the emotions it carries are deeply human and familiar.