Babul Supriyo woos Hema Malini to sing in Bengali

Having captivated millions with her enchanting beauty, Bollywood 'dreamgirl' Hema Malini is all set to conquer the hearts of music lovers with "Mon Piyasi", a music album in which she has rendered Bengali songs.

A brainchild of singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo the album, to be released on Valentine's Day this year, will see BJP MP Hema Malini recreate her two Bengali songs that she had rendered in 1973 under the aegis of the legendary Kishore Kumar.

The songs "Kande re mon piyasi" and "Goon goon goon kore je mon", that were originally set to tune by Kishore Kumar with lyrics from Mukul Dutta, have been recreated with contemporary musical arrangements. Besides that, the album will also have a 'Hema-Babul' duet, composed by Indradip Dasgupta.

"It all happened when Babul and I were going for a poll campaign to Jharkhand, and I told him about the two songs. He immediately liked the songs which I played on my mobile and he did manage to cajole me to sing once again," Hema, the lok Sabha member from Mathura, said here.

"Much like Kishore-da used to guide me at every step during the recording of the original songs, Babul has been doing the same. I am grateful to him for helping me to relive those cherished memories," said the actor.

Admitting that singing was surely a challenge for her, Hema asserted she was not afraid of taking up challenges. Efficiently juggling the role of a homemaker, politician and actor, the internationally acclaimed Bharatnatyam dancer said she is working on a dance ballet, bringing the Ganges river and the issues surrounding it onstage.

Supriyo, also the union minister of state for urban development, is ecstatic at being able to work with the actress whom he described as the perfect dreamgirl.

"They way she handled Gabbar Singh and the guns in 'Sholay', I was very confident that she will handle the gaan (song) with similar elan. And she has already proved it. We have finished recording the first song," said Supriyo, who would be heard wooing the dreamgirl in the duet.

Saregama India Chairman Sanjiv Goenka said there are plans to launch the album in Hindi also. Meanwhile, Supriyo also revealed that he was planning to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch the album.

"There is no harm in dreaming big and I have this dream to see Modiji launching this album," added Supriyo.