Singer Anushka Shankar work with A. R. Rahman

From Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to Vishal-Shekhar, pop star-turned-VJ-turned-playback singer Anushka Manchanda is working with all the big composers in the industry, but she is desperate to work with one man - Oscar winning music maestro A.R. Rahman.
Anushka was a member of an all girls pop band “Viva” and ventured into playback singing in Tamil films after the band split.
In 2006, she got her first big break in Hindi films for “Golmaal”, in which music was composed by Vishal-Shekhar. This was followed by several other songs in the films like “Ugli Aur Pagli”, “Cash”, “Chak De! India” and “Chandni Chowk To China” among others.
The 24-year-old, who has big banner films, including “Luck”, “Kites” and “Aladdin” among others in her kitty, says she had initially wanted to be in the advertising field.
Anushka is critical of herself and says she was a very bad singer five years ago, but has learnt a lot since then.
So which heroine would she like to sing for in future? When asked whether formal training is a prerequisite to become a successful singer, she was quick to reply: “I don’t think so. It helps if you sing songs which are completely classical based, where I take more time, but it’s not something you can’t do without.

Kishore Kumar never had formal training but he was a great singer and hugely successful.”

Lata Mangeshkar record a song for Jail

On last Friday (5th Jun 09), Lata Mangeshkar record a track for Madhur Bhandarkar's new movie Jail at a studio in Andheri (Mumbai). The melody queen had given her nod to sing for the film starring Neil Nitin Mukesh (Grand son of Mukesh Kumar), a while back. And now she is honouring her commitment. Moreover she is singing for a Hindi film after a hiatus.
The track 'Daata Sun, Maula Sun' is being sung for the movie which takes a look at the life of prisoners in India. Buzz is that the makers want Mangeshkar's number to be akin to the 'Ae Malik Tere Bande Hum' song in V Shaantaram's movie Do 'Aankhen Barah Haath' which also dealt with prisoners on indian jails.
Says Latadidi, 'Yes', I am recording for the song. I was approached by Madhur. But it is not that I am singing for a film after a while. I have been rendering tracks for regional films as well as devotional tracks. Even after my knee operation earlier this year, I have been up and about at the recording studios.
Lata Mangeshkar had also agreed to render the track because of her old association with Neil's family. She considered his grandfather (great singer Mukesh Kumar) her brother, I used to call him Mukesh bhaiya (brother Mukesh) and I had suggested that he name his grandson Neil.'' She was was also with Mukesh during his last moments in USA.
''Yes, the other reason why I am singing for the Jail track is because of Neil,'' she adds.
In January this year(2009), the melody queen underwent knee surgery at at the 'Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital' at Pune. As she was suffering from chronic arthritis and was unable to walk properly, she got her knee caps replaced. But that is hardly something that can deter her from hitting the high notes. Incidentally, her sister Asha Bhosle had sung in Bhandarkar's earlier film, Page 3 'Kitne azeeb rishte hay yahaa par', a very real song. indian tour