Asha BhosleThe diva, chanteuse and one of India’s most beloved artistes died in Mumbai on Sunday, ending her illustrious career spanning over seven decades in which she sang over 12,000 songs in 20 languages. She was 92 years old.
Bhosle was the last of the generation of great singers who took Hindi film music to its peak. The longevity of his career, his brilliant cut-glass voice, and his open-mindedness to diverse musical inspirations meant that he influenced generations of musicians and fans.
Tributes poured in from around the world hours after his death following a brief illness. “His unique musical journey spanning decades has enriched our cultural heritage,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on his social media.
Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali told HT, “The voices have faded, but their voices have gone into the deep chambers of memory, where it will continue to resonate for those who have known longing through song.” Asha Bhosle won the National Award for Ali’s Umrao Jaan in 1981, the song being one of the most memorable songs in her vast oeuvre.
Born on September 8, 1933, in Sangli, Maharashtra, into a family of musicians with roots in Goa, she was just nine years old when she lost her father, the famous Marathi actor-singer, Master Dinanath Mangeshkar. Lata MangeshkarThe eldest of five siblings, he joined a film studio in Kolhapur to support the family. A year later, young Asha also started making moves, singing her first song in the 1943 Marathi film ‘Majhe Bal’ (My Child).
Although she is often compared to her great sister Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle has carved her own career path with her versatility, immense talent and perseverance. Especially in the 1960s and 70s, the two sisters reigned supreme in the Hindi film music industry, often sparking debate among experts as to who among the two was the goat.
Raj Thackeray who knew both the Mangeshkar sisters, compared him to leonardo da vinci and michelangelo Of Indian film music. “When you look at Da Vinci’s work, you keep feeling in it a perfection, an exquisite precision, an overwhelming peace and a spiritual experience that suddenly comes over you. All this is felt in Didi’s (Lata Mangeshkar) singing…Again, in Michelangelo’s work, there is humility, passion, playfulness and rebellion too. Sometimes it seems as if his sculptures are impatient to be freed from the stone. So too with Asha Tai’s songs. There was longing, mischief, fearlessness and inherent human recklessness in his singing, a strong desire to throw caution to the wind…” he wrote in a social media post.
This exact desire also affected Asha’s personal life when at the age of 16 she eloped with a transport operator, Ganpatrao Bhosle, leading to strained relations with her family. This was also the year their first child was born and the couple was struggling to make ends meet.
In later years, Bhosle would often reminisce about her apprenticeship years. “I used to do morning chores at my home in Borivali before going to work – fetching water, cooking and washing clothes. Those were tough times. I used to travel by tram or train, going from one studio to another in search of songs. Novice chorus singers were paid ₹100 in those days,” he once reminded this writer.
By the 1950s, Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt and Shamshad Begum were in the top echelon of singers, collaborating with well-known music directors such as Anil Biswas, Naushad, C. Ramachandra, SD Burman, Madan Mohan, Shankar-Jaikishan and Sajjad Hussain.
Bhosle had to compromise with talented, but lesser-known musicians like Hansraj Bahl, Sardul Kwatra and Lachchiram, who would sing a mujra number here or a club song there.
But it was the so-called B-grade songs, meant to attract bleacher seats, that helped Bhosle cement his position in the highly competitive world of Hindi film music.
Writer and artist Prakash Bal Joshi says, “By giving voice to vampiric, ‘fallen’ women, Bhosle offered oomph as a counter-point to Hindi cinema’s female protagonist, who was condemned for upholding conservative values. This was long before women’s empowerment came into public discussion.” “Asha Tai made seduction respectable.”
Her elder sister’s disagreements with two top music directors, OP Nayyar and SD Burman, created a rift, which Asha Bhosle accepted with readiness and gratitude.
His association with SD Burman led to memorable songs, such as: ‘Accha ji main hari chalo’ (‘Kala Paani’), ‘Chhod do aanchal zamana kya kahega’ (‘Paying guest’), ‘Haal kaisa hai janab ka’ and ‘Paanch rupaiya bara aana’ (from both ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi’), ‘The night is lonely, the lamps have been extinguished’ (“Jewel Thief”) to name just a few. It also introduced him to Burman’s younger son Rahul Dev who became a central figure in his life and later career.
But it was his association with OP Nayyar that propelled him to the top tier of singers. Nayyar not only gave her the opportunity to sing for leading ladies of the 1950s and 1960s like Madhubala, Vyjayanti Mala, Sadhna, Asha Parekh, Mala Sinha and Sharmila Tagore, but also helped her hone a style that was distinct from her illustrious sister.
Nayyar once told this correspondent during an interview at his apartment on Marine Drive, “My songs needed a focused voice. Despite being a great singer, Mangeshkar’s voice was a bit delicate for my kind of compositions, whereas Ashaji’s voice exuded a certain raw energy.”
The Nayyar-Bhosle partnership, which lasted for 18 years, produced a rich crop of tunes: ‘Maang ke saath tumhara’ (‘Naya Daur’), ’Zara haule haule chalo mor sajna’ (‘Saavan ki Ghata’), ‘Yahi woh jaghan hai’ (‘Yeh raat phir na aayegi’), ‘Jaiye kahan jaenge’ (‘Mere Sanam’) And ‘Koi kahe-kehde jamane se jaake’ (‘Springs will come again’) among many others.
The couple separated in 1972. Older people remember how the musician fought back tears during recording ‘Chain Aye Humko Kabhi’ (‘Life may go but words may not go’). That soulful tune was the swan song of the Nayyar-Bhosle partnership.
His collaboration with Rahul Dev Burman in 1965 ‘Third Floor’ Revitalized Hindi film music, bringing in modern pop sensibilities. She created a series of memorable cabaret numbers in other films ‘Piya tu ab to aaja’ (Caravan), ‘Duniya mein logo ko…’ (‘Apna Desh’). RD modified old tunes, combining them with new musical phrases and influences: Arabic, Mediterranean, blues and bossa nova, combining strong African melodies with traditional drumming. Bhosle quickly upgraded his singing skills to keep pace with changing times and technology. In 1980, after being divorced for a long time, she married RD Burman.
This new Bhosle-Burman collaboration brought a breath of fresh air into the smoke-filled recording studios, creating new beats for the youth of India inspired by the power of flowers. ‘Sita Aur Geeta’, ‘Bombay to Goa’, ‘Caravan’, ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’, ‘Jawaani Deewani’ And ‘Hare Ram Hare Krishna’ These were some of the films for which he composed memorable music. This new phase is best represented by two songs ‘Dum Maaro Dum’ (‘Hare Ram Hare Krishna’) And ‘Chura liya hai tum ne jo dil ko’ (‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’) Which are popular even today.
By now, at the peak of her skills, she expanded the range of her art and singing. While purists swear by his old numbers like ‘Tang aa chuke hain kashm-e-kash-e-zindagi se hum’ (‘Light House’) and ‘Ab ke baras bhej bhai ko babul’ (‘Bandini’), He upped his game to suit the post-liberalisation generation with songs like ‘Yai re, yai re, dance harder’ From ‘Rangeela‘, reinventing himself for the more tech-centric wunderkind AR Rahman.
But his biggest triumph came between these two stages when he sang for ‘Umrao Jaan’. According to the story, Khayyam requested Bhosle to lower his voice by a note or two to enhance the effect. ‘Umrao Jaan’ ghazals after ‘Umrao Jaan’ He did not look back.
He conducted concerts in the US, Canada, UK and Dubai. In the early 1990s, he teamed up with Boy George and Stephen Loscombe of the synth pop band Blankmanage; And was nominated for a Grammy. British band Cornershop’s tribute to the famous singer, ‘Brimful of Hope’ became an international hit.
Bhosle also worked with sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for a personal album ‘Legacy’, which earned him a Grammy nomination. She also became an entrepreneur and founded ‘Asha’, a chain of restaurants in Dubai, Kuwait, Doha, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. Over the years he was awarded several awards: Padma Vibhushan; Dadasaheb Phalke Award; Lata Mangeshkar Award of Madhya Pradesh Government; Maharashtra Bhushan Award and BBC Lifetime Award among many other awards.
But despite the accolades, she often jokes about her number two status in Hindi cinema compared to her sister. “The world remembers Neil Armstrong as the first man to walk on the Moon. Buzz Aldrin was with him!”. She once spoke with tongue in cheek at a public event.
In her personal life too, she brought the same vivacity that can be found in her singing. There are many people who vouch for his sensational cooking skills. Close family friend Prasad Mahadkar revealed, “Asha tai made wonderful ‘paya’ soup and macchi biryani.” “Many of the fisherwomen from the Grant Road market were her very good friends.”
Adversity and personal bereavement failed to dampen his great passion for life and music. Mahadkar says, “Asha Tai knew that life is unpredictable and fame is fleeting. She took each day as it came and moved forward bravely – always ahead of her time.”
