‘Bollywood playback doyenne’ is a fair description, but we’re not sure if Asha Bhosle herself would like to be called that. She’s more like a rockstar in the Hindi film industry, an indomitable cool figure whose music has both grooved and touched us beyond words. She turned 88 this year, despite her youthful energy.
Bhosle has been singing playback in Hindi films for nearly seven decades, earning her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for recording over 11,000 songs in 20 languages.
By any measure, those are staggering numbers, and it’s unlikely that any Bollywood singer will be able to match them in the future.
Despite this, Bhosle spent the majority of her life as the perennial ‘Number 2,’ a not-so-subtle reference to having to remain under the massive shadow of Lata Mangeshkar’s banyan tree.
ASHA JI
Asha Bhosle (born September 8, 1933) is the most recorded performer in the world. She was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most-recorded performer in music history, having sung over 12,000 songs. For the Marathi film Majha Bal, she sang her debut film song, “Chala Chala Nav Bala” (1943).
She made her Hindi film debut in Hansraj Behl’s Chunariya, singing the song “Saawan Aaya” (1948).
She began her career singing songs in low-budget B- or C-grade films. Only when renowned female singers of the day, such as Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum, and Lata Mangeshkar, refused to sing for the bad girls and vamps, or songs, did she obtain the assignments.
In Bimal Roy’s Parinnta (1953), she sang for the first time in a major banner film. The film’s theme song was “Gore gore haathon mein mehndi Racha ke,” although none of the songs included Meena Kumari, the film’s heroine.
Raj Kapoor hired her to perform “Nanhe Munne Bachche” with Mohammed Rafi in RK Films Boot Polish in 1954, which was another big banner film.
O.P. Nayyar: The Man Who Groomed Her
P. Nayyar was the one who gave Asha a break in CID (1956). In Big Banner, she sang for the first time for a heroine.
The song O Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar is mostly sung by Mohammad Rafi and Shamshad Begum, however, Asha sang for Shakeela, the film’s heroine, in the second version.
After that, O P Nayyar took her to B. R. Chopra’s Naya Daur (1957), where she performed duets with Rafi like as “Maang Ke Saath Tumhara,” “Saathi Haath Badhana,” and “Uden Jab Jab Zulfein Teri,” all written by Sahir Ludhianvi.
Asha and her Jazz Songs
With Ravi she gave hits from Gumrah (1963), Waqt (1965), Hamraaz (1965), Aadmi Aur Insaan (1966). Bhosle’s duets from one of the music directors R.D. Burman’s earliest soundtracks, for the film Teesri Manzil, earned critical acclaim in 1966.
She was reportedly afraid she wouldn’t be able to perform the Westernized dance number “Aaja Aaja” when she first heard it. Burman offered to change the music, but she declined, seeing it as a test.
After 10 days of practice, she finished the song, and “Aaja Aaja” became a hit, along with “O Haseena Zulfonwali” and “O Mere Sona Re” (all three duets with Rafi). She went on to record cabarets, rock, disco, ghazals, and classical music with him.
Thousands of South Asians flocked to her concerts in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the 1980s. She dances around, unlike other singers, such as Lata Mangeshkar, who remains stiff.
Her performances are always enthralling. With the Rekha-starrer Umrao Jaan, she achieved epochal heights in 1981. (1981). In Aankhon ki, Masti Mein and Dil Cheez, two of Khayyam’s delicate, lingering ballads, are among the best cinema songs ever composed.
By the mid-’80s, Asha had become tired of singing. Her career begins to sag as vocalists like Anuradha Paudwal and Alka Yagnik gain popularity, but she cannot be written off. RD Burman was also having trouble finding work.
With an incredible score in the 1987 Gulzar film Ijaazat, RD and Asha relaunched their careers. Asha’s passionate rendition of the achingly sorrowful tune Mera Kuch Samaan makes it even sadder.
She was at her seductive best in 2001 when a new composer, Sandeep Chowta, got her to perform the song Kambakth Ishq number in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001).
Her duet with Udit Narayan, Radha Kaise Na Jale, in the Aamir Khan-starrer Lagaan (2001), earned her even more popularity the following year. In 2001, she received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Out of 18 nominations, Asha Bhosle has won seven Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards. Following her elder sister’s example, Bhosle requested that her name not be considered for future nominations after receiving the prize in 1979. In 1996, she received a Special Award for Rangeela, and in 2001, she received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.
Asha has won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer twice:
1981: Dil Cheez Kya Hai (Umrao Jaan)
1986: Mera Kuch Samaan (Ijaazat)
She is a talented chef. Her family, friends, and industry colleagues rave about her delectable meals, particularly her prawn patties, and Paya curry.
As a result of her passion for food, Asha has opened restaurants in Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Kuwait, Birmingham, and Manchester in the United Kingdom.
The restaurants, known as Asha’s, serve specialty delicacies inspired by Asha’s childhood and RD Burman’s favorite meals, all while listening to the singer’s greatest hits.
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