Veteran actress Hema Malini, who has also mesmerised many with her classical dance performances on stage, believes that item dance songs will not save India or its culture.

"Nritya was my puja. To save our culture we will need to return to classical dance forms and music. Item numbers will neither save India nor our culture. In Bollywood, nobody these days asks new actors whether they know or understand the nuances of classical music," Hema told reporters here.

She created a spiritual ambience through her dance-drama Ramayan, which was presented late Friday evening at the Pushpanjali grounds near Taj Mahal here.

Produced by Natya Vihar of Mumbai and directed by Hema herself, the drama had music by Ravindra Jain while Suresh Wadekar lent his voice to create a religious euphoria. The programme was organised by Sri Hari Satsang Samiti.