Asha Bhosle at 89 is forever young, sharp, stylish & continues to be one of the versatile singers of the country
Asha Bhosle at 89 is forever young, sharp, stylish & continues to be one of the versatile singers of the country
Were it not for her sister the Goddess Of Melody Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle (AB) would indisputably qualify as the best female vocalist of Hindi cinema. While functioning under a banyan tree that was her sister, AB’s contribution is incredible. Before composers O P Nayyar and R D Burman came into her life, all the songs filmed on the leading ladies went to Didi Lata, while Asha was given the leftovers: the songs lip-synced by the supporting actresses, and of course the cabaret songs, largely filmed on Helen.
O P Nayyar changed the rules of the game. More than R D Burman (who gave the crème de le crème to Lataji) Nayyar made Asha the voice of the heroine Vyjayanthimala in Naya Daur and Madhubala in Mr & Mrs 55, Howrah Bridge, was followed by Sharmila Tagore (Kashmir Ki Kali, Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi, Sawan Ki Ghata), Asha Parekh ( Mere Sanam, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon).
Nayyar who turned her career around also became the bane of AB’s existence. Years ago when I met Asha Bhosle—back then she lived on Peddar Road, South Mumbai in a flat adjacent to her sister Lataji—she had confided in me, “The song Chayan se humko aapne jeene na diya which Nayyar Saab composed for me was the song of my life with him.”
After her failed marriage to Ganpatroa Bhosle (a man twice her age with whom she eloped in spite of Lataji’s vehement protests), her relationship with O P Nayyar was her second abusive relationship. In spite of crippling personal tragedies–she lost her daughter and her son –She is still singing with a diva’s self assurance. In addition, she’s a proud restaurateur owning a worldwide chain of eateries where Ashaji’s own home recipes are on the menu.
Ashaji is far from satisfied with her vast achievements. She likes to see herself as a simple person. Which is not really what she is. The rivalry that she felt with her sister was not media-imagined. She did indeed resent the fact that a Madan Mohan gave all his gems to Lataji even though she, Asha Bhosle, had given Jhumka gira re the biggest hit of Madan Mohan’s career .
When I told AB once what Lataji had to say about AB’s versatility, AB replied, “It feels good to hear her say she can’t sing what I can. But I disagree with her. I feel if she wanted to sing my kind of songs she would have. But she didn’t want to. She didn’t have to. She got to sing all the songs for the heroines, so she didn’t have to sing for the other female characters in a film. I got those songs. And I made the best of them.”
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