As the trumpeter played the starting notes of the song, Bachna Ae Hasseeno , Asha Bhosle remembers walking into the room after her practice sessions with an old diary of songs and lyrics. But the Padma Vibhushan awardee, who started singing at the age of 13, admits she has largely stayed away from Bollywood in the last few years owing to the poor quality of music and lyrics.

“I recently worked on a Marathi project. I can’t sing songs with lyrics like ‘Meri jhopadi jall gayi’ and all. I also feel the songs that are made these days are not worth my effort. Women hardly have lines in the songs,” says Bhosle, who has been a part of the industry for over six decades.

The 86-year-old has hit songs such as O Mere Sona Re, Leke Pehla Pehla Pyaar and In Aankhon Ki Masti , among others, to her credit and is considered a legend along with her elder sister, singer Lata Mangeshkar, in the playback music scene. Recently, the family had quite a difficult time as Mangeshkar was hospitalised. Ask her about Mangeshkar, and, she smiles, “Lata didi is fully fit and fine now.”

Ask how she has stayed relevant over the years, and Bhosle says, “I consider the whole film industry as my guru. People in the industry taught me so many things. What do we singers have? We only have the voice and we have only trained it. I have worked hard throughout and I always wanted to learn, which is why I am still singing now. Even now, I can’t think of spending a day without riyaaz. I am nervous even today before going on stage to perform. Awaaz pe bharossa nahi kar sakte, isliye usko maska marrke rakhna chahiye”.

Bhosle, who says she will sing only if she gets good songs, goes on to share, “People today don’t have the time to think. Even if they have the time, they spend it on their phones. These days, no one sits to compose and write good songs.