Veteran actor Asha Parekh, who is a trained classical dancer, has said in a new interview that Bollywood no longer portrays Indian culture, especially when it comes to dancing. Although she feels people have forgotten their Indian roots these days, she cites filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali as an exception. She also shared her frustration with the remix of her songs.

She recently received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. She said, “The time when this award has come… it feels great. It feels as if all my desires are now fulfilled… Initially, when they (the government) told me I will be receiving this award, I could not believe that I am getting it.”

During an event in Boston, Asha said, “We have forgotten our dance traditions, and we’re trying to copy Western dance. I think you will agree when I say this, but the kind of dance that we’re seeing these days is not our style. This is not our culture. And we have such a rich tradition of dance, every state has a dance of its own. And what are we doing? We’re trying to copy Western dance styles. Sometimes it feels like we’re doing aerobics, we’re not dancing. It hurts my heart to see this.”

She further added, “Sanjay Leela Bhansali is an exception. He’s bound by it, you see. You can see the respect for Indian culture in his work. She said that the remixes of her songs are “awful.” “The sweetness of the original songs is drowned out by loud drums and beats in the remixes. The words are lost,” said she.