The last time this writer met Usha Uthup, the artiste was on a stage at a Dehradun school, which was the venue for a festival. While the organisers tried to close the show by 9 pm, Uthup, ever the rebel, asked the gathered bunch of raucous kids, “You don’t want to go to bed early, do you?” before singing Maria Pitache. It typified the mischief, magic, and style that defined her.

This weekend, the 78-year-old will return to the city for a unique Disco mehfil by IBTIDA-Ek Mehfil at Lower Parel. Ahead of her performance, we speak to the Padma Bhushan-awardee on bringing Disco back.