Asha Bhosle unveils her philanthropic side

Asha Bhosle is truly a legend. This blessed lady who can soothe souls with her enchanting voice will turn 80 this Saturday (8 September). In television space she just finished her stint in Sony Entertainment Television’s Indian Idol season 6 and will be seen as a judge in Sur-KShetra (Sahara One and Colors). Now this lovely woman has decided to give back a little to the industry which has showered her with all the love and adulation over the years. The legendary singer is launching Mission Mai to extend a hand of support to 80 elderly people from the industry. The beneficiaries will all be artistes and technicians from the film fraternity and from all over India. The producers of Ashaji's Hindi debut film Mai have put together an event where singers like Sukhwinder Singh, Amit Kumar, Shankar Mahadevan, Annu Malik, Shaan, Suresh Wadkar,Salim Merchant, Sapna Mukherjee, Sajjid- Wajid among several others will pay their tribute to one of India's greatest singers. Ashaji and the producers will be speaking about their initiative Mission Mai at the event where they will be donating a generous amount towards the cause. “All these years I have only received love and respect from the industry and truly they have all been my family. With Mission Mai I am trying to do a little bit for them. The elderly people in the industry do not always get the financial support to see them through the last years of their lives. This is an effort to put things right, “shares Asha with Tellychakkar.com. The producers of Mai - Subhash Dawar (Alliance Entertainment) and Nitin Shankar (Rhythm Divine Entertainment Pvt Ltd) - are equally gung-ho about the initiative. “It’s an honour and privilege to be associated with something as beautiful and noble as Mission Mai. That we could extend the film into a cause like this is truly a blessing for us.” Also the first look of Mai, directed by Mahesh Kodiyal was unveiled at an event held on 5 September. Mai is a touching story of a present day mother-daughter relationship, with Ashaji making her Hindi acting debut in the role of the mother and Padmini Kolhapure making her comeback to the big screen as the daughter. Ram Kapoor has been cast to play Kolhapure’s husband, Navin Kaushik will play Ashaji’s son and Cadbury's girl Shivani Joshiwill play her granddaughter. AMG worldwide is the co-producer of the film. Mai-the Hindi feature film will release on 23 November 2012.