Guess who is all praise for the singing prowess of Amitabh Bachchan? Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, who says he is "110 percent a perfect artiste".

"Do people really say we are the two icons of this country? No, no. First Bachchan, I come after him," the septuagenarian Lata told IANS.

"Bachchan saab sings quite well. I don't know if he can sing every type of song. But whatever he sings, it is in sur. His songs 'Holi khele' and 'Tu kahan main yahan' in 'Baghban' are an example of this," she says.

The playback singer whose melodious voice rules Bollywood even after decades cannot stop marvelling at the qualities of Bachchan's "god gifted voice".

"When it comes to Bachchan saab, I don't know where to start. He made me cry in 'Baghban'. I recently saw 'Black' and I can't get over his performance. I haven't seen anything like this!"

"What an amazing man Bachchan saab is, and what an amazing comeback! After a dizzying spell of superstardom, his luck gave way so badly that his fans and admirers would be in tears at his plummeting fortunes. And then look how he climbed back to stardom.

"Mere dil mein unke liye khaas jagah hai (I have a special place for him in my heart)," says Lata.

She feels that Bachchan is "110 percent a perfect artiste. Give him any role, and he slips into it effortlessly. I've never seen him repeat himself. If he was an emperor as a young man, today he plays older men with the same majesty."

Lata fondly remembers her recent meeting with Bachchan when he was given the Deenanath Mangeshkar award at her father's death anniversary.

"He arrived right on time, and was his usual charming self. He always talks with charm and restraint. I came to know that he had shootings throughout the previous night. His energy level surprises me."

Lata in fact started her singing career by reading Hindi litterateurs, including Premchand, Mahadevi Varma, Jaishankar Prasad and Harivanshrai Bachchan - Amitabh Bachchan's father.

"I loved reading them. I wanted to improve my Hindi. So all my free time was spent reading Harivanshrai Bachchan's books."

"Coincidentally, Manna Dey also got the Deenanath Mangeshkar award along with Amitabh Bachchan. If I remember correctly, Mannada has sung Bachchan saab's father's 'Madhushala'."