Could not use father's lessons for Bollywood numbers: Asha

Singing legend Asha Bhonsle has said she could not put to use the music lessons she received from her father for her Bollywood numbers.

"I have crooned thousands of songs for Hindi films, but what I was taught by my father and what I have been singing in movies are totally different," the Padma Vibhushan recipient said at a programme here yesterday, after volunteering to sing a Marathi classical number composed by her father Deenanath Mangeshkar.

Bhonsle, who made her Hindi film debut with 'Saawan Aaya' for 1948 film 'Chunariya', said she has rendered songs in over 20 Indian and foreign languages.

"My father used to compose lyrics and add music to them in a very different manner. I got to learn a lot from him as a child," the 84-year-old maestro said, adding that she was very young when her father passed away.

The singer also said that that she appreciated the music sense of the Bengalis.

"Unlike other places, I am not flooded with requests for humming popular playback tracks here. The audiences here are receptive to all kinds of songs. I appreciate that," Bhonsle, who was here to receive the PC Chandra Puraskaar (award), explained.

The legendary singer rendered her first Bengali song in 1958 and recorded a Durga Puja album the following year.

"I came to know about the people here and their culture from Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novels. I have sung numerous Bengali songs and Rabindra Sangeet and will always cherish that experience. Unfortunately, I don't remember the language anymore," Bhonsle, who was nominated for the Grammy Award for her album 'Legacy', said, adding that she had first visited the city in 1952.

The maestro also said that that she finds Bengali women "extremely beautiful".

She complimented veteran actor Sharmila Tagore, who was present at the programme, as an "epitome of beauty and elegance."