Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle 1 (आशा भोसले) (born September 8, 1933) is a popular Indian singer. She is best known as a Bollywood playback singer, although she has a wider repertoire. Her career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over 825 Bollyowood movies [2]. Asha is very popular across South Asia and among the worldwide Indian community, and has sold millions3 of records. She is the sister of another popular Indian playback singer, Lata Mangeshkar.
Asha is considered as one of the most versatile of South Asian singers — her range of songs includes film music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian Classical music, folk songs, qawwalis, and Rabindra Sangeet. She has sung over 12,0004 songs in 14 languages, including Hindi, Marathi (her mother tongue), English, Russian and Malay), Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil and Telugu.
She has provided the singing voice for almost all popular Bollywood actresses from the 1950s to date, including Madhubala, Waheeda Rehman, Rekha, Aishwarya Rai, Tabu, Karisma Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Tabu, Gracy Singh, Amisha Patel and others. She has sung duets with almost every notable Indian playback singer including Manna Dey, Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, Yesudas, S P Balasubramaniam, Udit Narayan and Abhijeet.
Brief biography
Asha was born in the small hamlet of Goar in Sangli, Maharashtra into the musical family of Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar. Her father owned a drama company and later he forayed into films. When she was just nine years old, her father passed away. The family moved from Pune to Kolhapur and then to Bombay. Asha and her elder sister Lata started singing and acting in films to earn money for their family. Asha sang her first film song Chala Chala Nav Bala for the Marathi movie Majha Bal (1943). The music for the film was composed by Datta Dawjekar. She made her Hindi film debut when she sang the song Saawan aaya for Hansraj Bahl's Chunariya (1948), .
When she was 16, Asha eloped with her 31-year old lover, Ganpatrao Bhosle, and married him against her family's wishes. The marriage failed miserably. Her in-laws ill-treated her. Her husband battered her and forced her to sing in films for money. After few years of marriage, young Asha returned to her maternal home with her two children and pregnant with her third child, Anand. Asha continued to sing in films to earn money.
At that time, prominent playback singers like Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum and Lata Mangeshkar (her sister) were very popular in Bollywood. Asha used to get songs that were picturized on side-heroines or vamps. In 1950s, Asha sang more number of songs than any other playback singer in Bollywood, but most of these songs were in B or C-grade films with no distinction. She went through financial and emotional struggles early in her career. Initially, Asha's singing style was heavily influenced by that of Geeta Dutt, but later she made her distinct mark.
Asha first tasted success with the songs of B R Choptra's Naya Daur (1957), composed by O P Nayyar. Asha soon became O P Nayyar's favorite singer and the duo followed the success of Naya Daur with the movie Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957). The same year, one of the most popular composers in Bollywood, Sachin Dev Burman fell out with his favorite singer Lata Mangeshkar. His second favorite singer, Geeta Dutt, was going through a troubled marriage. This promopted him to adopt Asha Bhosle as his lead female singer. In 1958, Asha's songs from the movies Howrah Bridge (1958) and Chalti ka Naam Ghadi (1958) became very popular. Although O.P. Nayyar and S D Burman gave patronage to Asha, she remained second choice with all other major Bollywood composers of 1950s, who preferred Lata to her.
In the 1960s too, Asha had to play second fiddle to Lata, but later she made her mark as the leading female playback singer in Bollywood. In 1966, the duets from music director R D Burman's first successful movie, Teesri Manzil made Asha very popular. In 1960s and 1970s, Asha became the voice of Bollywood's most famous dancer, Helen. It is said that Helen would attend Asha's recording sessions so that she could understand the song better and plan dance steps accordingly. Some of the most popular Asha-Helen numbers are Piya tu ab to aaja (Caravan), O Haseena Zulfon Wali (Teesri Manzil), and Yeh Mera Dil (Don).
O P Nayyar and Asha split in the 1970s. This brought closer to R D Burman (she later married him). She gave many hits with R D Burman in 1970s. By 1980s, she had been typecast in mainly sensual songs based on Western music. This changed with Umrao Jaan (1981), in which she sang beautiful ghazals. This was followed by more subtle songs from movies like Ijazat (1987).
1994 saw her making a "comeback" with Rangeela.
In 2005, 72-year old Asha's number for the Tamil film Chandramukhi and Lucky Lips for Salman Khan-starrer Lucky were chartbusters.
Career Milestones
Asha's singing career can be considered having four milestones - Naya Daur (1957), Teesri Manzil (1966), Umrao Jaan (1981) and Rangeela (1995).
Naya Daur, 1957
Asha's first big break was B R Chopra's Naya Daur ("The New Age", 1957). The songs like Maang ke saath tumhara, Saathi haath badhana and Uden jab jab zulfein teri, penned by Sahir Ludhianvi and composed by O P Nayyar, brought Asha in the limelight. Asha and O P Nayyar had worked earlier as well. But it was the first time that Asha had got to sing all the songs for the lead actress. B R Chopra, the producer of Naya Daur recognized Asha's talent and got her to sing in many of his later films including Waqt and Gumraah.
Teesri Manzil, 1966
Asha became a pop crooner with Rahul Dev Burman's first hit album Teesri Manzil (1966). When Asha first listened to the tune of the song Aaja Aaja, she felt that she would not be able to sing the Western dance number. R D Burman offered to change the music. Asha was offended a bit and took it as a challenge to sing the song. After rehearsing for 10 days, when Asha finally sang the song, an impressed R D Burman handed her a 100-rupee note. Aaja Aaja and other songs of the film, O Haseena Zulfonwali and O Mere Sona Re (all three duets with Mohammad Rafi, another popular Bollywood singer), became rage of the day. Shammi Kapoor, the actor of the movie, once said – "If I did not have Mohammad Rafi to sing for me, I would have got Asha Bhosle to do the job".
By 1980s, Asha had been stereotyped as a "cabaret singer" and a "pop crooner". In Rekha-starrer Umrao Jaan, she sang ghazals like Dil cheez kya hai, In aankhon ki masti ke, Ye kya jagah hai doston and Justju jiski thi. The songs proved her versatility and established her talent. The music director Khayyam, had lowered her pitch by half a note. Asha herself was surprised that she could sing so differently. The ghazals won Asha the first National Award of her career. Even the most ruthless of Asha's critics had to accept her as one of the Bollywood's best and most versatile singers.
In 1995, a 62 year old Asha did playback for young actress Urmila Matondkar in the movie Rangeela. She pleasantly surprised her fans with superhit songs like Tanha Tanha and Rangeela Re. The songs was composed by A R Rahman, who went on to record many more songs with Asha. Particularly notable was Asha's first song with A R Rahman, Tanha Tanha, an oomph-oozing number.
Partnership with music directors
Music director O P Nayyar's association with Asha Bhosle is part of the Bollywood lore. When her talent was not recognized by anybody in Bollywood, O P Nayyar recognized her potential and gave patronage to her. He was the composer who first gave Asha her own distinct identity. Many people speculate about a romantic relationship between the two.
O P Nayyar first met Asha Bhosle in 1952, at the music recording of Chham Chhama Chham. [5]. He first called her for a film called Mangu (1954)). He gave her a big break in CID (1956). However, it was the success of Naya Daur (1957), that made the duo very popular. After 1959, Asha was emotionally and professionally involved with O P Nayyar.
The team of O P Nayyar and Asha Bhosle is best remembered for their breezy and sometimes sirenish songs. Some good examples of their sensuous numbers are Aaiye meherbaan picturized on Madhubala (Howrah Bridge, 1958) and Yeh hai reshmi zulfon ka andhera picturized on Mumtaz (Mere Sanam, 1965).
They recorded songs for many hit movies like Naya Daur (1957), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957), Howrah Bridge (1958), Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962), Kashmir ki Kali (1964), etc. Some of their most popular songs include Aao huzur tumko (Kismat), Jaaiye aap kahan (Mere Sanam) etc. O P Nayyar used Asha Bhosle-Mohammad Rafi duo for his most popular duets. me of these songs include Ude jab jab zulfein teri (Naya Daur). Main pyaar ka rahi hoon (Ek Musafir Ek Haseena), Deewana Hua Baadal, Ishaaron hi isharon mein (Kashmir Ki Kali) etc.
Asha recorded her last song for O P Nayyar in the movie Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974). The solo number Chain se got many awards, but it wasn't included in the movie.
They split on August 5, 1972. It is not clear what made them part their ways. On being asked the reason for their parting, O P Nayyar once said, "I know astrology very well. I knew that one day I had to part with her. Something also happened, that upset me, so I left her." Nevertheless, he also said "...now that I am seventy-six, I can say that the most important person in my life was Asha Bhosle. She was the best person I ever met." [5]. The Asha-O P Nayyar parting was bitter, and probably therefore she has hesitated to give Nayyar his due. While talking about O P Nayyar in an interview with The Times of India, she once remaked - "Whichever composer gave me work, it was because my voice was suited to his music at that point. No one musician did me any favor by asking me to sing for him." She gives the credit for her first big break to B R Chopra.
Another music director who recognized Asha's talent early was Khayyam. His partnership with Asha dates back to his first movie Biwi (1948). They recorded many more songs for movies like Dard. But the team is chiefly remembered for the songs of Rekha-starrer movie Umrao Jaan, which established Asha as the most versatile singer in Bollywood.
Music composer Ravi considered Asha as one of her favorite singers. Asha sang for his first movie Vachan (1955). The melodious lullaby from the movie, Chandamama door ke became an overnight hit among young mothers in India. Ravi got her to sing bhajans for the movies Grihasti and Kajal, at a time when most of the composers remembered Asha only when they needed to record B-grade songs picturized on the vamps or the side-heroines. The bhajan Tora man darpan (Kajal) is considered one of Asha's best songs.
Ravi and Asha recorded a variety of songs, including the popular funny duet with Kishore Kumar - C A T...Cat maane billi (Dilli Ka Thug). They also recorded songs for many popular movies like Waqt, Chaudahanvi Ka Chaand, Gumraah, Bahu Beti, China Town and Kajal with her.
One of the Bollywood's most famous composers, Sachin Dev Burman and his favorite singer, Lata Mangeshkar were not on good terms from 1957 to 1962. During this period, S D Burman used Asha as his lead female voice. They recorded many songs together after 1962 as well. Most famous of these songs were Asha's duets with Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar. Some of the famous Rafi-Asha duets with S D Burman are Achchha ji main haari (Kala Paani), Gunguna rahe hain bhanwre (Aradhana, 1969) etc. Some of the Kishore-Asha duets include Haal kaisa hai janaab ka? (Chalti ka naam gaadi), Chhod do aanchal (Nau Do Gyarah) etc. Asha also rendered many solo hits under S D Burman's baton - Raat Akeli Hai (Jewel Thief, 1967), Kali ghata chhaye (Sujata), Koi aaya dhadkan kehti hai (Laajwanti), Sach hue sapne (Kaala Baazar) etc.
Rahul Dev Burman (Pancham)
Asha first met Pancham (R D Burman's nickname) when she was a mother of two and he was in 10th grade having dropped out to pursue music. Asha scolded him and asked him to not give up on studies. He told me later he was a bit irritated with me because he felt he would be wasting his time in school when music was his passion.
Asha and Pancham's team was first noticed in Teesri Manzil (1966). Asha went on to record a variety of songs with him - cabarets, rock, disco, ghazals, Indian classical music and many more.
In the 1970s, Asha and Pancham's youthful, Western songs took Bollywood music by storm - the raunchy cabaret Piya tu ab to aaja (Caravan, 1971, picturized on Helen), the rebellious Dum Maro Dum (Hare Krishna Hare Rama, 1972), the sexy Duniya mein (Apna Desh, 1972), the romantic Chura liya (Yaadon Ki Baarat). Dum Maro Dum went on the became the ultimate hip-hop anthem of the day. Kishore Kumar is said to have remarked about the song - "It is powerful enough to bring a dead person to life". Pancham also recorded many hit duets with Asha and Kishore Kumar - Jaane jaan, dhoondhta phir raha (Jawani Diwani), Bhali bhali si ek soorat (Buddha Mil Gaya) etc.
In 198Os, Pancham and Asha recorded subtle numbers for films like Ijazat (1987)- Mera kuch saaman, Khaali haath shaam aayi hai, Katra Katra. They also recorded the popular duet O Maria (Sagar). Mera Kuchch saamaan, the R.D. Burman composition for Gulzar's Ijaazat won her the National Award for Best Singer.
Asha used to call R D Burman, "Bubs". She married him in 1980. Their partnership lasted until his death.
A R Rahman is given the credit for Asha's "comeback" with Rangeela (1994). Songs like Tanha Tanha and Rangeela Re were chartbusters. Asha and Rahman went on to record more hits like Mujhe Rang De (Thakshak), Radha kaise na jale (Lagaan), duet with Udit Narayan), Kahin aag lage (Taal, 1999), O Bhanware (Daud, duet with K J Yesudas). Rahman once said - "I approach Ashaji only when I compose something that would fit her stature."
Other composers
Asha has worked with many other composers too, most notably Jaidev and C Ramchandra. Asha recorded one of the Bollywood's first Rock n' Roll numbers Eeena Meena Deeka with C Ramachandra (Kishore Kumar's version is more famous though). When S D Burman's assistant, Jaidev started giving music independently, he got Asha to sing some of his best songs. They worked in Hum Dono, Mujhe Jeene Do and other movies. Whenever Kishore Kumar composed music for his films (such as Door Gagan ki chhaon mein), Asha used to be his first choice.
Asha has also worked with many other composers like Madan Mohan, Shankar-Jaikishan, and Salil Chaudhary among others, all of whom were Lata patrons. Shankar Jaikishan worked very little with Asha. However, the team produced quite a few hits including the seductive Parde mein rehne do (Shikar, 1958). Asha got her second Filmfare Award for the song. Asha also sang the song Zindagi ek safar hai suhaana (Andaz) for Shankar Jaikishan, in which she tried to yodel like Kishore Kumar, whose version of the song is more better known. Madan Mohan also recorded few songs with Asha, including the popular folk number Jhumka gira re (Mera Saaya). In Chhoti Si Baat (1975), Asha sang the popular Jaaneman Jaaneman number with K J Yesudas for Salil Chowdhury.
The South Indian maestro, Ilayaraja worked with Asha in Kamal Haasan's Hey! Ram. The film flopped, but Asha's song Janmon ki jwala went well with audience. Composer Anu Malik and Asha have recorded many hit songs together, including songs for his first movie Soni Mahiwal. Their most popular songs include Filhaal (Filhaal), Kitabein bahut si (Baazigar) among others. The four lines sung by Asha in Anu Malik's Jab dil mile (Yaadein) stood out among voices of Sukhwinder Singh, Udit Narayan and Sunidhi Chauhan. Another Asha patron is the young composer Sandeep Chowtha, who got her to sing Kambaqth ishq (Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya, 2001). The song was very popular among the Indian youngsters.
Asha has worked with Lata-patrons like Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Naushad, Ravindra Jain, N Dutta, Hemant Kumar. Once when Naushad was asked to sum up the essential difference between Lata and Asha, he said that Asha "lacks certain something which Lata, and Lata alone has". Later he accepted in an interview, "May be I said it because I then had a closed ear on Asha." [7]
Asha has also worked with other noted Bollywood composers like Jatin-Lalit, Bappi Lahiri, Kalyanji-Anandji, Usha Khanna, Chitragupta, Roshan etc
Non-Bollywood music
Private albums
In 1995, Asha underwent the ganda bandan (thread-tying) ceremony with Hindustani classical music maestro Ali Akbar Khan to learn a classical repertoire held within the Maihar gharana (stylistic school of Indian classical music), as handed down to Khan by his father Allauddin Khan (the guru of Ravi Shankar). Later, Asha and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan recorded eleven fixed compositions (or bandishes) in California for Legacy, a private album that won them a Grammy Award nomination.
In 1990s, Asha experimented with the remixed R D Burman songs. She was criticized by many, including Khayyam for tampering with old melodies. Nevertheless, albums like Rahul And I became quite popular. In 1997, Asha did a private Indipop album Janam Samjha Karo with Leslie Lewis. The album was hugely popular and won her many awards including the 1997 MTV Award.
Asha had been once asked by the director B R Ishaara to compose music for one of his films, but she had politely declined. In 2002, she turned music composer with the album Aap Ki Asha, an eight-song music and video album. The lyrics were written by Majrooh Sultanpuri (his last lyrics) and the music was composed by Asha herself. The album was released by Sachin Tendulkar on May 21, 2001 at a lavish party in Mumbai. Although the album was not successful, Asha's popularity as a singer remains untouched.
Asha had spotted Pakistani singer Adnan Sami's talent when he was about 10 years old. At that time was performing in London, with R D Burman. It was she who had asked him to pursue his interests in music seriously. When Adnan grew up and became a professional musician, Asha sang the title duet with him for his best-selling album Kabhi to nazar milao. The two came together again in the album Barse Badal. The album comprises of eight songs, based on Indian Classical music. She contributed the song Yun Na Thi to the recording Womad Talking Book Volume Four: An Introduction to Asia 1 on Womad Records.
Asha has sung ghazals for many albums like Meraj-E-Ghazal, Aabshar-E-Ghazal and Kashish. In 2005, Asha released a self-title album (Asha), a tribute to the four ghazal maestros - Mehdi Hasan, Ghulam Ali, Farida Khannum and Jagjit Singh. The album features eight of her favorite ghazals like Farida Khannum’s Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo, Ghulam Ali’s Chupke Chupke, Aawargi and Dil Mein Ek Lahar, Jagjit Singh’s Ahista Ahista and Mehdi Hassan’s Ranjish Hi Sahi, Rafta Rafta and Mujhe Tum Nazar Se. These classic ghazals were recreated with modern sounds by the musician Pandit Somesh Mathur. While Asha's mellowed down voice was greatly appreciated, the album was criticized for the musical arrangement by Pt. Somesh Mathur, who was accused of distoriting the classics, in the zeal to show his musical skills.
Numerous compilations of Asha's songs have been released as well. To commemorate her 60th birthday, in 1993 EMI India released three cassettes: Bala Main Bairagan Hoongi (devotional songs), The Golden Collection: Memorable Ghazals (non-film ghazals by composers such as Ghulam Ali, R D Burman and Nazar Hussain), and The Golden Collection: The Ever Versatile Asha Bhosle (44 popular film songs).
Concerts and collaborations with foreign artists
In 1980s and 1990s, Asha went globe-trotting, staging concerts in Canada, Dubai, UK, USA and many other countries. In 1989, during a world tour, she performed in 13 US cities in 20 days. Immediately after this, she had an already sold-out concert scheduled in Stockholm, Sweden. Due to the stressful schedule, Asha suffered a massive attack of colitis, together with fever, cough and weakness. In Stockholm, a pre-concert crisis meeting was called, attended by Asha's son (and manager) Anand and the sponsors. It was decided that the orchestra will play many instrumental tracks, the accompanying singers like Suresh Wadkar will shoulder the load, and Asha will make a small appearance. But Asha rejected all such "insane" proposals. Asha's sang at the concert with great difficulty, in a not-so-good voice. Her first set of six Bollywood songs didn't receive any response from the audience, which consisted mostly of Indian and Pakistani expats. Before the start of the second set of songs, a fan in the crowd requested her to sing a Marathi song. Asha obliged and sang Naach-naachuni ati mi damale ("I'm very tired of this endless dancing"). The mood took her over, and she rendered the song very beautifully. When the song ended, the auditorium erupted with claps and the encores started. After the concert, Asha was in bed for a month, recuperating from overexertion. In October 2002, she did a concert with Sudesh Bhosle and others, in London, for "Help the Aged" to help raise funds for older people in India.
In the mid-1980s, Asha sang with Boy George and Stephen Lauscombe. In 1997, she sang a love song with the boy band Code Red, at the age of 64. She also recorded the song The Way you Dream (One Great Leap, [1]) with Michael Stipe that was used in the English movie, The Bullet Proof Monk.
In 1997, the British band Cornershop paid tribute to Asha with their song Brimful of Asha, an international hit which was later remixed by Fatboy Slim. In 2005, American band Kronos Quartet re recorded the R D Burman compositions like Chura liya, Piya tu, Mera Kuchh Saaman among others and got Asha to sing them. Despite her age (she had crossed 70), she recorded three to four songs in a day, leaving the band members stupefied. On August 23, 2005, You've stolen my heart - Songs From R D Burman's Bollywood was released in US. In 1990s, a friend had introduced David Harrington of Kronos Quartet to the song Aaj ki raat. Harrington was mesmerised, and the song ended up on the album Kronos Caravan. Also in 2005, the Black Eyed Peas sampled her song "Aye Naujawan Hai Sab Kuchchyahan" in their hit single "Don't Phunk With My Heart".
Awards
Asha Bhosle has won seven Filmfare awards. She won the award in 1967 and 1968, when Lata Mangeshkar still used to accept the award (Lata asked not to be considered for the award after 1969 to promote new talent). After receiving the award in 1977, Asha emulated her elder sister and requested that her name not be considered for the awards hereafter. In 1995, she was awarded a special trophy, at the insistence of the public, for Rangeela. She was later given the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. Following is the list of her Filmfare Awards:
- 1967 – Garibon ki suno (Dus Lakh, 1966)
- 1968 – Parde mein rahne do (Shikar, 1968)
- 1971 – Piya Tu Ab To Aaja (Caravan, 1971)
- 1972 – Dum Maro Dum (Hare Rama Hare Krishna, 1971)
- 1973 – Hone Lagi Hain Raat (Naina, 1973)
- 1974 – Chain se Humko Kabhi (Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye, 1974)
- 1977 – Yeh Mera Dil (Don, 1978)
Asha has won two Indian National Awards:
In 1997, she became the first Indian singer to be nominated for the Grammy Award, for Legacy, an album with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. She has recieved fourteen Maharashtra State Awards. She received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2001 for her outstanding contribution to the Indian cinema.
Asha has won numerous other awards, some of which include:
- 1987 – Nightingale Of Asia Award (from the Indo–Pak Association, UK)
- 1989 – Lata Mangeshkar Award (Government of Madhya Pradesh)
- 1997 – Screen Videocon Award (for the album Jaanam Samajha Karo)
- 1997 – MTV Award (for the album Jaanam Samajha Karo)
- 1997 – Channel V Award (for the album Jaanam Samjha Karo)
- 1999 – Lata Mangeshar Award (Government of Maharashtra)
- 2000 – Singer Of the Millennium (Dubai)
- 2000 – Zee Gold Bollywood Award (for Mujhe rang de from Thakshak)
- 2001 – MTV Award (for Kambakht Ishq)
- 2002 – BBC Lifetime Achievement Award (presented by the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair)
- 2002 – Zee Cine Award (for Radha kaise na jale from Lagaan)
- 2002 – Zee Cine - Hall Of Fame
- 2002 – Screen Videocon Award (for Radha kaise na jale from Lagaan)
- 2002 – Sansui Movie Award (for Radha kaise na jale from Lagaan)
Asha also holds Honorary Doctrates from the University of Amravati and University of Jalgaon in Literature. She has also recieved the The Freddie Mercury Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts.
The Birmingham Film Festival paid her a special tribute in November, 2002.
Rivalry with Lata Mangeshkar
Asha's sibling rivalry with her sister Lata Mangeshkar is often talked about, inspite of their insistence that these are just tales. As young children, they were very closes. As a child Lata used to carry Asha all the time. Once she fell down the stairs carrying Asha and there is a scar on her forehead that is very visible in pictures. They were so inseparable that when Lata went to school she would take Asha with her, but one day the teacher protested and said that they cannot have two students on one fee. Lata refused to return to school without Asha and quit her studies. [6]
Lata considered Asha's act of eloping with her lover as irresponsible, leaving her alone to sing and earn for the family. This led to tensions among them. Asha herself accepted in an interview[6] - "It was a love marriage and Lata didi (elder sister) did not speak to me for a long time. She disapproved of the alliance." It is a well-known fact that at one time, their relationship was very adversarial and there have been periods of non-communication.
In her initial days in the industry, Asha always played scond fiddle to her elder sister. Some say that Lata had once said something politically incorrect about Asha's relationship with O P Nayyar. This widened rift between the two sisters and O P Nayyar also decided that he would never work with Lata. O.P. Nayyar had once revealed - "Asha and Lata staying in opposite flats at Bombay's Pedder Road, shared a common maidservant. Now this maidservent had merely to come and tell the younger sister that Lata had just recorded something wonderful for Asha to lose her vocal poise. Such was her Lata phobia that it took me some months to convince Asha that she had a voice individualistic enough to evolve a singing style all of her own." [7]. Asha once said that she has worked for years to create a voice and a style that was different from her Lata, so that she could carve her own niche and not be banished to live her shadow.[6]
Asha and Lata have sung many songs together. Their first duet was for the film Daman (1951). [6]. Some of these include Man Bhawan Ke Ghar aye (Chori Chori, 1956), Sun ri sun papiha bole (Miss Mary, 1957), O chaand jahaan woh jaaye (Sharada, 1957), Mere Mehboob Mein Kya Nahi (Mere Mehboob, 1963), Ai kash kisi deewane ko (Aaye Din Bahar Ke, 1966), Main Chali Main Chali (Padosan, 1968), Chhap tilak sab (Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, 1978), and Man kyun behka (Utsav, 1984). While singing, Lata used to hold her notebook in her right hand, while Asha held her notebook in her left hend. This meant Lata had her face away from Asha, making it difficult for them to "anticipate" each other. [6]
The movie "Saaz", was supposedly based on Lata and Asha's rivalry. Asha said about the movie — "To have two women in long plaits, take a couple of incidents and exaggerate them into a 3-hour film is such a waste of time." [6] In last few years, Asha and Lata have often been seen in public, enjoying each other's company. In an interview with Times of India, Asha once said - "I remember, sometimes both of us would be at a function and some industry types would ignore me and interact only with her, as if to prove their loyalty. Later, didi (elder sister) and I would have a good laugh!"
The famous Bollywood lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar once said – "Asha was like Neil Armstrong's companion in the space rocket that touched the moon. After Lataji touched down on the moon, Ashaji could only be the second one to get there."
Personal Life
Asha's house is situated in Peddar Road area of Mumbai. She has three children and five grandchildren. The eldest of her three children is Hemant Bhosle (named after Hemant Kumar), who initially dabbled in music direction but then quit to become a pilot. Asha's daughter Varsha, who is younger than Hemant, works as a columnist for The Times of India and Rediff. The youngest child is Anand Bhosle, who has studied business and film direction. He manages Asha's career. Her grandson, Chaitanya (Chintu) Bhosle (Hemant's son) also ventured in the world of music, as a member of a successful boy band, "Band of Boys". Her sisters Lata and Usha Mangeshkar are playback singers. The other two siblings, sister Meena Mangeshkar and brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar are music directors.
Asha is an excellant cook and cooking is her favorite hobby. She often gets flooded with requests by Bollywood celebrities for kadai ghosht and biryani and has rarely turned down a request. In fact, her paya curry, Goan fish curry and dal are very popular with the Kapoor family of Bollywood. Once, when asked in a Times of India interview, what if her singing career hadn't taken off, she said "I'd have become a cook. I would have cooked in four houses and made money."
Asha is a successful restaurateur and runs a restaurant in Dubai, called Asha's. Asha's offers traditional north-western Indian cuisine. It has a presence in the Wafi City development in Dubai and in Kuwait. Asha Bhosle has a 20 per cent stake in the business. Asha is not be involved in day-to-day running of the restaurant, which is looked after by the Wafi Group. She takes care of the kitchen and the decor. She personally trained the chefs for almost six months. According to a December 2004 report in the Menu Magazine ([8]), Russell Scott, a former head of Harry Ramsden's (the fish and chips chain), secured the UK rights to the Asha's brand and planned to open up to 40 restaurants over the next five years.
Asha's fashion statement is white sarees with sparkling embroidery, pearls around her neck and diamonds. Harrington of Kronos Quartet said "The first time I met Ashaji she was dresssed in the most beautiful sari with diamonds and looked very regal. Then I looked down and saw that the Queen of Bollywood was wearing tennis shoes! I thought I love this woman."
Asha is a good mimicry artist as well. At a concert at World Trade Center Duabi, on April 22 2004, she mimicked the song Kabhi To Nazar Milaao in the voices of Noorjehan, Lata Mangeshkar and Ghulam Ali. [9]
Nowadays, apart from singing and her restaurant, Asha is also working on her autobiography.
Footnotes and References
[1] Asha Bhosle has been credit variously as Asha, Asha Bhosle, Asha Bhonsale, Asha Bhonsle, Asha Bhonsley, Asha Bhosale and Asha Bhosley (See her IMDB entry for details). She is often referred to as Ashaji - the Hindi suffix ji denotes respect.
[2] IMDB entry. Some of the movies like Taal and Pyaar tune kya kiya are missing from her IMDB entry.
[3] Asha has been singing since 1950s, and until now, record sales in India were never subjected to the sort of meticulous scrutiny and audit that occurs in the America and Europe. So, it is very difficult to say precisely how many of Asha's records have been sold (ignoring how much has been pirated). Rough estimates put the figure at about 40 million. See List of best-selling music artists.
[4] Many fans of Asha Bhosle say that she has song over 20,000 songs. In an interview [Asha Bhosle: Sa Re Ga Ma... http://www.vashi2panvel.com/Navi-Mumbai-News/item/196/catid/26], Asha Bhosle was asked "You must have sung around 25,000 songs till date...". She replied, "...no singer in the entire world can humanly sing 25,000 songs. In fact I would like to state humbly that I am the only singer who has sung the maximum number of songs - 12, 000. If you sing one song a day, you can humanly sing 365 songs a year and 3650 songs in ten years. In around 60 years of my career I could sing 12,000 songs because there were times I had sung even four songs day."
[5] 'Asha Bhosle was the best person I ever met', An interview with O P Nayyar
[6] Kavita Chhibber's interview with Asha Bhosle
[7] Articles on Asha Bhosle — A voice for all seasons: Taken from Girija Rajendran's article for the Hindu
[8] Yet Another 'First' National Chain Planned
External Links
- IMDB entry
- Kashmiri songs by Asha Bhosle (Real Player format)
- Asha Bhosle's songs (mp3)
- Songs of Asha Bhosle
- Indian Melody
- http://www.mag4you.com/music/Asha_bhosle.asp
- http://www.geocities.com/pspal2k/songs/asha.htm (Bengali Songs Vol I)
- http://www.calcuttaweb.com/gaan/asha_beng.htm (Bengali Songs Vol II)
- http://ww.smashits.com/associates/bollywoodmusic/index.cfm?Page=Audio&SubPage=ShowTracks&AlbumID=1480
- http://ww.smashits.com/associates/bollywoodmusic/index.cfm?Page=Audio&SubPage=ShowTracks&AlbumID=28