/> Remember Zeenat Aman warbling her career's signature-tune Chura liya hai tumne in Asha Bhosle's voice Yaadon Ki Baraat?

Now it's Shabana Azmi, a fine kya-baat-hai-room singer in her own right, singing Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko in Manish Acharya's The Loins Of Punjab Presents.....

Speaking from New York Shabana explains, "I've sung only two lines in this film. But I wanted Kavita Krishnamurthy to sing for me."

Kavita has always been Shabana's favourite voice. When the extraordinary actress played an Asha Bhosle-inspired character in Sai Paranjpye's Saaz, Kavita did all the vocals for Shabana.

"Yes, I do think Kavita's voices matches mine," concedes Shabana. "So I asked for her in Loins Of Punjab.... But the director Manisha Acharya whom I consider as talented as my son Farhan Akhtar, insisted that I do the needful for athenticity.

You see, the situation demanded my voice. I play this socialite taking part in a singing contest, Desi Idol. My character wants to win so she can donate the money to charity and she's ruthlessly competitive, determined to emerge above the other contestants."

Decades ago Shabana sang a whole soundtrack for the composing stalwart Khayyam in Muzaffar Ali's Anjuman. "That was terrifying," she shivers.

"I also sang Main kitti bar bola in Shyam Benegal's Mandi. It was a ditty that I learnt from Mummy (Shaukat Azmi ) as a child. Actually my whole family loves to sing. Singing Chura liya in Loins Of Punjab Presents was a lot easier. The idea here was to have fun."

Shabana was recently in New York for a global summit. "It was a conference on whether global peace is possible. And what possible role art and cinema can play to bring about this peace. Then I proceeded to Cornell University to take classes on cinema and social injustice."

Shabana returned home on 2 September.