Amitabh Bachchan wants to learn Hindustani classical singing

At 73, The Big B of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan never ceases to surprise us with the new things he does. On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi last week, he amazed his fans and admirers with his heartfelt and precise bhajan.

Playing down his achievement, he said, “The Siddhivinayak temple Trustees requested me to sing the Aarti and I did it. I am no singer and not trained either, but the cause was noble so I went ahead.This is not the first devotional I have sung. Many years ago, I did the Hanuman Chalisa, with Aadesh Srivastava and 20 other singers from the industry.”

Although he has been singing for 30 years, Bachchan still doesn’t consider himself as a singer. “Singing is not a career option for me, primarily because it is not my domain, nor am I accomplished enough to make it one. On various stages of my film career, one did witness that odd ditty, but nothing more,” he adds.

Big B wants to learn Hindustani classical singing. “I wish I could train for this vocation, but there is not enough time left for me to be able to do that with some sense of accomplishment,” he said. He doesn’t like any of the songs that he has sung. “They are all so non-musical and riddled with endless faults,” he admits.

Bachchan sorely misses Aadesh Shrivastava with whom he had collaborated for a number of songs. “We lost a great music mind in Aadesh Srivastava, and I have lost a dear friend. But his presence is felt every time I record at his studio, and we miss him,” says the superstar.