Mumbai: Legendary singer Asha Bhosle has received the fifth Yash Chopra Memorial Award.
Bhosle
was honoured here last night by yesteryear diva Rekha and the actor
credited the legendary singer and Chopra for making her a big star in
Hindi film industry.
"I am here because of two people Yashji and
Asha Bhosle. She is part of my life. She is beautiful inside out. I have
learnt a lot from the Mangeshkar family. Lataji and Ashaji.
"Initially
I used to be afraid of her, as on her own songs, I had to perform
on-screen and express it all through my eyes. What I have learnt from
her is to keep smiling all the time. May you live long," Rekha said,
before presenting the award to Bhosle.
The previous recipients of the award are Lata Mangeshkar, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, and superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
"It
feels good to get the award, it is a special award. I am happy to get
award in his name but I am sad that he is not alive today. I always
wonder what if he was alive
today. I have got no answer," Bhosle said.
Remembering her first meeting with Chopra, Bhosle, said, she was introduced to the director by B R Chopra.
"He
was like a brother to me. We used to joke around a lot. He used to sit
for recording. I had worked in a film called 'Mai', I was blackmailed to
do the film, he (Chopra) did the clapping for me, I was initially
scared as he had directed 22 films but it all turned out to be good at
the end," she added.
The event was also attended by Maharashtra
Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, Alka Yagnik, Jackie Shroff, Parineeti Chopra,
Poonam Dhillon, Jaya Prada among others.
The Award has been
instituted by the TSR Foundation of T Subbarami Reddy in memory of
producer-director Yash Chopra, who died in 2012.
PTI
