In the last two decades, Shreya Ghoshal has gone on to become one of the most-loved singers in our country. While she is known for some unforgettable, soulful melodies like Bairi Piya, Manwa Laage, Silsila Ye Chahat Ka, Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai, Wada Raha, Piyu Bole, Rasiya, she has also given music lovers foot-tapping numbers like Chikni Chameli, Param Sundari, Ooh La La and more.

In the recent past, Shreya did not get a chance to do a live concert in Mumbai, and finally, last weekend, after almost four years, she was back on stage to enthral her fans. Talking to Bombay Times, a few days prior tothe concert, she had said, “I feel Mumbai needs more live concerts. There is so much scope for our city to grow when it comes to live events as the energy of the audience here is amazing. I feel that Mumbai does not have as many concerts as other cities. There is a lot of potential here and as an artiste I do feel the lack of it.”

The singer feels strongly for the city which she says is her karma bhoomi. “Mumbai is very cosmopolitan, a huge mixed pot,” she said.

Shreya said, “We have so many different kinds of people living in the city, so, doing a concert in Mumbai feels very wholesome. As an artiste, my songs belong to various genres and I sing in different languages. Mumbai represents that multicultural part of my journey.”

The fact that Shreya has sung in over 17 languages ensures that whenever she is at a concert, across India, she sings a few of her songs in the local language. She recently sang some Marathi songs for composer Ajay-Atul. “After a long time, I sang something in Marathi — a song called Chandra (Chandramukhi). A lot of non-Maharashtrians also enjoyed this song. In Mumbai concerts, I like to sing Marathi songs,” she added.

At the concert that happened over the weekend, Shreya walked on to the stage singing the hit song Deewani Mastani from Bajirao Mastani. On an emotional note, she shared with the audience what working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali meant to her. The singer completed 20 years in the music industry, and while talking about it, she also recalled her first collaboration with Bhansali.

She said, “None of this would have happened if I didn’t get that phone call, ‘Main Sanjay Leela Bhansali bol raha hoon’. That call changed my life in every sense. And the song from Devdas, Bairi Piya, is the first song I ever recorded.”