'I dictate terms': Asha Bhonsle

The singing sensation spells out her philosophy of life in this interview

The last time Asha Bhonsle made Bret Lee, Urmila Matondkar and Sanjay Dutt sing with her, she emerged a winner. That was Asha And Friends and there is no stopping her from extending her friendship. This time she ropes in a few more names to sing with her. Asha Bhosle is simply unstoppable even at 75. She shares her musical journey with Trans World Features' Bollywood correspondent.

Where do you get so much energy from even at this age?

(Laughs) Probably that's how I want to be till I die. It is all about making oneself feel young at heart. I enjoy life and will do so till the last day.

You mean singing?

Yes, what else. I am always there for music. I will live with it and die with it.

Is that why you thought of Asha and Friends?

Yes, that was a lovely experience... especially with Bret Lee and Sanjay Dutt. Sanjay is such a humble human being and they all love me. In fact I am ready for Asha and Friends 3.

Wow!! That sounds great...

Yes, it just a matter of time. Mithun Chakraborty has already recorded his version and so has Anil Kapoor.

They must also be very excited.

They are and both have done a wonderful job. Both of them are good singers.

How do you decide whom to rope in, or do they come and approach you?

I get to know who is a good singer. We (musicians) have to know. To date no one has the courage to approach me. They respect me a lot. So, I find out who is a good singer and then go in for a recording.

Tell us when do we get to hear this album?

A lot is still pending because I am yet to record my version. And there's a lot more post-production that needs to be done. I am not sure when it will be out but it will certainly be out.

So who do you think is a better singer - Mithun Chakraborty or Anil Kapoor?

Both are or I wouldn't have sung with them. Even Boman Irani is a great singer. I knew from a long time that Anil is a good singer because I heard him singing once or twice earlier. Mithun is still full of energy and I was very surprised to see his enthusiasm when I asked him to sing.

Don't you think it would have been great had you come up with this project much earlier?

Yes I wish I had. I miss a lot of them. Most of them are not there today. During our times there were actors who were great singers.

Do you mean Kishore Kumar?

He was a genius and a great friend. But even Ashok Kumar, Raj and Shammi Kapoor were good singers. I even did playback with Shammi Kapoor in a film called Jeevan Jyoti. Those were the days.

You have always lived for good music. You still keep doing so but have you never lamented that your children never came into this profession?

(Pauses) I always asked them not to accompany me to the recording studio or to the film sets because I never wanted fame to turn their head at such a young age. And it actually never did.

Are you slowly moving away from the playback scene?

Who says so?

You don't sing much...

That's because I work on my own terms.

And you still do a lot of live shows...

Yes , both in India and abroad. My working style has always been different. So has it been with Latadidi. And that is probably why we have a place in the industry today. When I do live shows I dictate terms. I don't like confusion on the stage. Since it's my show I know I have to present an entertaining thing to the public. And my musicians too follow my instructions. No one interferes in my shows because I don't give anyone this room to interfere in my work.

http://www.buzz18.com/interviews/music/i-dictate-terms-asha- bhonsle/68531/2