At 71, she is fifty years younger in mindset. Asha Bhosle, the evergreen voice, keeps pushing the envelope, swinging nonchalantly from A.R.Rahman to Khaiyyaam, from Code Red and Kronos Quartet to Ali Akbar Khan and from Rahul Dev Burman remixes to her own interpretation of time-tested ghazals.

Nothing new can be really said about Asha’s huge resume of film and non-film music. The most-recorded voice in India simply takes every day in her youthful stride, juggling recordings, domestic duties as well as her Indian speciality restaurant in Dubai and even shows with the agile dexterity of a young businesswoman.

In the past ten years, she has convincingly vocalized songs for actresses young enough to be her granddaughters, like Kajol, Karisma Kapoor, Urmila, Tabu, Sushmita Sen, Mahima Chaudhury, Aishwarya Rai, Shilpa Shetty, Amisha Patel, Gracy Singh, Shamita Shetty and Kareena Kapoor, and music makers young enough to be grandsons, like A.R.Rehman, Vishal, Sandeep Chowta, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Jatin-Lalit, Anand Raaj Anand, Adnan Sami, Sanjeev-Darshan and Shameer Tandon. This year, her songs from Page 3, Lucky - No Time For Love and Bewafaa have made waves.

Asha Bhosle’s latest enterprise is her reinterpretation of vintage ghazals (by the likes of Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh and Farida Khanum) in a modern way in the Saregama self-titled album Asha. Dipping her exquisite vocal timbre in such exotica, the ageless Asha comes up trumps as she tributes several legends in their lifetime without either being intimidated or trying to be one-up on them. This is no remix and no cover version - this is simply Asha Bhosle at work, giving her own special tenor to these creations much in the way she would add her own tangy touch to one of her famous biryanis.

Excerpts from the Interview:

What was your rationale for taking up such a challenge as Asha?

I thought that these beautiful ghazals should be made appealing to the youngsters too. I think that Indian music should be made simple and reserved in contemporary fashion to today’s youngsters. What made me take up the project was that these were all songs that I had myself liked for decades: it’s not often nowadays that you get good lyrics and music as a package. I admit that when Somesh Mathur first approached me I was not very attentive. I was busy at the time, but more importantly, such albums need good exposure so a good music company was of prime importance. You can go terribly wrong here, because one major company recently let me down and is sitting on four good albums of mine without releasing them! So it was when Saregama came into the picture I decided to go ahead.

What was your approach to these much-loved and almost venerated ghazals, especially to avoid a ’remix’ or any irreverent kind of feel?

Obviously, the audience should not miss the original flavour of the songs. Within that, I have tried to put in my own stamp.Ghazals are essentially a soft blend of poetry and music so I had to rein myself in all the time, not only because I was so enamoured by and so enthusiastic about them but also because it was vital that I do not showcase my singing skills at the expense of the core of the song, or give the impression that I was trying to be one-up on the masters who have rendered them.

When can we expect an original new album of Asha Bhosle?

Hopefully, as soon as I get someone who can compose fresh, new and original compositions which are also appealing to the masses.Aaj acche music ka abhaav hai(There is a paucity of good music today). Nothing new or pathbreaking is coming. So songs do not endure.

At the same time, doing Asha was a challenge. Singing original songs is quite easy, but I was walking the tightrope here, because it would have been so easy to go wrong. It’s satisfying that my three year-old granddaughter too loves my version of ‘Aaj jaane ki zid na karo...’.

With all your experience, what do you think is the most important criterion for a song to last - the music, lyrics or the vocals?

That’s very simple. It is the lyrics, the words, which are most important. Acche bol honge to hi gaana yaad rahega (good lyrics alone will make you remember a song).Next comes the tune, the music, because only when the tune is good will you hum the song. Finally comes the singer’s contribution. If the voice is good,gaana dil mein baith jaayega.

Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle have images that are almost poles apart in the matter of music, as well as otherwise. Why is that?

I guess I am the one who has gone on my father, while she has inherited more traits of my mother (laughs)! I have always been what is known in Marathi as a bandakhor - I think that the English word for it is ‘rebel’! As a kid, I would shock my poor mother by blasphemous statements like "Show me where God is! If there is a God, why are we suffering so much?" It was always a habit with me to try out or explore new things, to imitate all kinds of singers and watch a lot of English films. I wasn’t even very serious initially about taking up singing as a career. My attitude was, "Majboori se gaana padta hai...". It was after a bad marriage that I became serious because I had to support my kids and myself.

You have a lot of liking for Western music. Is there any specific taste for the music of a particular country?

I love South American and Latino music. I am a great fan of their compositional structures, the way a song is delivered, and the rhythm, which is very different. But there is this impression that I am not very fond of traditional Indian music. That is wrong. Classical music is inseparable from me - it’s like my religion and I don’t have to flaunt it since it’s a part of my being. And nothing can touch Indian classical music, and I am not saying this because mera hai to accha hai.

Yet another image of Ashabai is that of a devoted homemaker.

I am a homemaker even now. At the best phase of my singing career, however busy I was, I would ensure that my kids never ate outside food, or anything cooked by domestic help. I think that if you have the intention, nothing is difficult. In those days, I would get up at seven, my cooking would be ready within an hour and I would leave home by nine. My servants would only ensure that the right things were packed in my kids’ lunch and snack boxes. After returning home too, I would often put on my apron and go to the kitchen to whip up some snacks if one of my children hinted at wanting something nice to eat!

You are known to be quite a gourmet and a terrific cook. Could you name just a couple of your best recipes?

Fish Biryani and Muscat Gosht.

What about international cuisine?

As far as food is concerned, I only cook and eat Indian food.

Does your restaurant in Dubai have your own recipes?

Yes, a major chunk of them are my own recipes.

Why was it necessary to open your own restaurant as far as Dubai instead of in Mumbai or somewhere in India?

The usual reason - getting a big place in a suitable location at an affordable budget! My restaurant is a spacious 200-seater, prominently situated in a huge restaurant complex there.

Coming back to music, would you say that there were some actresses who enhanced your songs with the way they enacted them or danced to them?

Frankly, I do not think any artiste on screen can enhance a song for us. It is we singers, working under the composer, who set the tone for them. It is we who first act in the song, and give the fine expressions and touches that allow them to enact a song in a way that it is liked visually. It is not possible for any artiste to boost a flat or a badly rendered song. Yes, because of her special talents, Helen did add her own distinctive bit to my songs. But if you look back at my career, you can see that I have sung the first songs or hits of so many actresses, like Madhubala, Asha Parekh, Tanuja, Mumtaz, Sharmila Tagore, Rekha and Zeenat Aman.

How much of a generation gap do you find with young music directors today?

There isn’t any problem from my side. But there are obviously some reasons why today’s music directors prefer younger singers. There is a little bit of darr there, about telling us if we are not giving what they want in a song, plus the ego of a music director, which cnnot be satisfied by senior singers the way younger artistes can flatter them.

You always had a high regard for Rehman. Who else among the younger lot has promise?

I think that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are good. Vishal Bhardwaj should take up more work - he is a good composer. Adnan Sami has done a great job, especially in Kabhi To Nazar Milao.

Much is made about the personal and professional rivalry between Lata Mangeshkar and you. A neglected aspect is the matter of the 75-odd songs that you have recorded together. Can you mention some of them that are particularly close to your heart?

There are actually so many - Shankar Jaikishan made us sing a lot together. But on the top of my mind are ‘Sakhi ri...’ from Miss Mary, ‘Man kyoon behkaa...’ from Utsav, ‘Mere mehboob mein kya nahin...’ from Mere Mehboob and ‘Chhap tilak sab chhini...’ from Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki.

Shankar Jaikishen, Hemant Kumar, Naushadsaab and Laxmikant-Pyarelal - the music directors of the songs that you mentioned were all heavily oriented towards your sister. Is this why you specifically recall these songs, maybe because you put in an extra-special effort in them?

My main aim in my songs with Didi was to make sure that I do not pull down the song that she had raised with her calibre.Par haan, main bahadur aurat hoon, aur main darti nahin hoon!

What is the secret of your extraordinary innings in a nutshell?

I talk straight and I am frank with everyone. And people love me!