Rekha honours Asha Bhosle with Yash Chopra Memorial Award

Legendary singer Asha Bhosle has received the fifth Yash Chopra Memorial Award. Bhosle was honoured here on Friday 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.