New Delhi, Sep 8: Legendary singer Asha Bhonsle celebrated her 78th birthday dubbing for her debut Bollywood film, ‘Maaee'.
The singer who has been extremely tied-up with the shooting of the film, celebrated her birthday with her family, grand children along with the crew of the film in a recording studio.
Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar took to Twitter to wish her younger sister on her birthday.
“It is Asha's birthday today. She came to seek my blessings at midnight. World knows that Asha is a great singer. I bless her and pray to God that she achieves greater fame and a long life,” Lata tweeted.
Asha too hopes for a new phase in her career this birthday as she is looking forward to the release of her first film.
‘Maaee', directed by Mahesh Kodiyal and produced by Nitin Shankar, is a poignant tale of what happens when a woman is abandoned by her only son and then goes to live with her daughter and son-in-law.
When asked what drew her to film at this stage of her life, Asha said, “It was something that I hadn't done so far...I do whatever my heart says is good to do. And the moment this story was narrated to me I connected strongly with it as a mother and a human being even though it was so far removed from my own life and experience. I knew then and there that there was no way I could let the opportunity to essay this character pass me by.”
Actress Padmini Kolhapure will portray Asha's daughter in the movie.
Asha has sung more than 12,000 songs in a career spanning six decades. Her repertoire includes songs in Hindi Assamese, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, English, Russian, Czech, Nepali, Malay and Malayalam. Actresses from Helen, Asha Parekh and Madhubala to the new-age heroines like Urmila Matondkar and Kareena Kapoor have grooved to her songs.
Her evergreen hits include ‘Chura Liya Hai Tumne', ‘Dum Maro Dum', ‘In Ankhon Ki Masti' and ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai' among others. PTI
