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Veteran Bollywood singer Asha Bhosle passed away at the age of 92. Asha, known as an Indian pop and cabaret artist of the 1960-70s, has sung more than 12,000 songs in a career spanning 8 decades.
If any voice has lived every era, every genre and every emotion in the Indian music world, then it is Asha Bhosle. He has left his own mark in the music industry. From cabaret to ghazal, from disco to classical, there is nothing that has remained untouched by him. His most popular songs include ‘Ude Jab-Jab Zulfen Teri’, ‘Dum Maaro Dum’, ‘Piya Tu Ab To Aaja’, ‘Chura Liya Hai Tumne’, ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’ and ‘In Aankhon Ki Masti’.
Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle was born in a family with roots in music and theatre. Father Dinanath Mangeshkar was a Marathi stage actor and Hindustani classical singer. Mother was a housewife and there were 4 other brothers and sisters in the family. The eldest sister was Lata Mangeshkar.
Learned to sing by mimicking singers
Asha was 9 years old when her father died in a difficult situation. To survive, the family first moved from Pune to Kolhapur and then to Mumbai. Then, to take up the responsibilities of the household, elder sister Lata Mangeshkar started singing in films at the age of just 13. Soon Asha also joined them. There was no formal training in singing, but the inheritance from his father always kept him close to classical music.
In childhood, she would often listen to songs and try to sing them in her own voice. She would mimic and copy singers. Because of this, his voice got that flexibility due to which he has sung in almost every genre, from Ghazal, Pop, Cabaret, Bhajan to Folk.
Was crazy about western music and english films
Apart from Indian classical music, he was also greatly influenced by Western jazz and Latin American music. Asha was crazy about English films like ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘For Him the Bell Tolls’ since the age of 9. He liked all the films of Fred Astaire.
He especially liked the sultry voice of Portuguese-Brazilian actress and samba singer Carmen Miranda. She would often dance like Carmen Miranda at home wearing a scarf and singing ‘Mama yo quiero’. Seeing all this, her mother thought that this girl was crazy. He told all this in the documentary ‘Asha’ released in 1986.
Made singing debut in 10 years
Asha Bhosle started her singing career by singing in Marathi films at the age of just 10. Made his singing debut by singing a song in the 1943 film ‘Majha Bal’. Then in 1949, she got her first solo Hindi song in Jagdish Sethi’s film ‘Raat Ki Rani’.
In the same year, the success of the song of the film ‘Mahal’ made Lata an overnight star. In such a situation, problems increased for Asha when Lata Mangeshkar became the producers’ first choice for every song. If not Lata, Geeta Dutt or Shamshad Begum would have been his second choice. In such a situation, Asha’s name does not figure far in that list.
Asha would get songs only in B-grade or low budget films. She also kept doing whatever she got. Then in 1957 the film ‘Naya Daur’ came. He got a big break in that. She became known in every household with the song ‘Ude Jab-Jab Zulfen Teri’ from the film.
Ran away and married Ganpatrao, who was twice her age.
In 1949, at the age of 16, Asha ran away from home and married 31-year-old Ganpatrao Bhosale, against the wishes of her family. Ganpatrao Bhosale was the secretary of Lata Mangshakar. Angered by this, Asha’s family stopped talking to her.
This also created a rift between the two sisters. There was such a rift between the sisters who lived like shadows with each other that it took years to heal. He told in an interview that there was a time when their relationship became very bitter and even communication remained closed for years. Lata felt that that person was not right for Asha.
The in-laws did not like the singer daughter-in-law.
This thinking of Lata proved correct. Asha’s marriage with Ganpatrao was no less than a nightmare. She told many times in interviews that her in-laws were very orthodox and did not like a singer daughter-in-law. My husband often beat me and was suspicious. Asha started suffocating in this marriage. On one hand, personal life was getting destroyed and on the other hand, professional life was also going through a lot of ups and downs and difficulties.
Eventually, in 1960, Asha divorced her husband Ganpatrao and took her children with her. However, he removed Ganpatrao Bhosle from his life but did not change his surname. This is because by then she had become known in every Indian household with this name.
Lata became the heroine and Asha became the voice of the vamp.
Legendary musical duo Kalyanji-Anandji had told in a 2013 interview that Lata would have got such songs in her early career which were filmed on a true and good Indian woman. At the same time, Asha would get only the songs of Bachche or Vamp (Female Villain) and cabaret singers. Songs that are sensuous and sultry.
Along with this, at that time Lata would get around Rs 500 for singing a song, while Asha would get Rs 100. Lata had so much work to choose from, but Asha had to sing whatever she got.
wanted to get ahead of sister
In such a situation, a feeling of competition with Lata arose in Asha’s mind. Asha decided that she would prove herself. She was desperate to move forward when Asha met OP Nayyar. OP Nayyar gave him a big break in his singing career.
Asha got some fame in 1953 with the songs of Bimal Roy’s film Parineeta, Raj Kapoor’s Boot Polish and SD Burman’s Paying Guest. Then BR Chopra’s film Naya Daur released in 1957 gave further height to his new fame. In this, OP Nayyar gave songs like ‘Ude Jab Jab Zulfen Teri’ and ‘Maang Ke Saath Tumhara’ to Asha. After this, the success of the song ‘Aaiye Meherbaan’ from the film Howrah Bridge in 1958 took Asha to a level of success from where she never looked back. With this, she transformed from a vamp to the voice of heroines.
OP Nayyar and SD Burman opened new paths to success
On one hand, OP Nayyar started thinking that he can give superhit songs even without Lata, while on the other hand, SD Burman had rift with Lata. For both of them, Asha opened new paths to success for herself by singing.
Asha becomes cabaret queen
In the 60-70s, when cabaret songs were making their mark in Bollywood, his voice gave a different style to these songs. Her naughty, bold and sensuous style is clearly visible in songs like ‘Piya Tu Ab To Aaja’, ‘Yeh Mera Dil’ and ‘Aao Huzoor Tumko’. Her voice gave life to the acting of a dancer like Helen on screen.
The most interesting thing is that he never confined himself to the realm of ‘image’. Rather, he made it his strength and added a new color to every song. He has sung romantic, flirtatious and fun-filled sensuous songs, pop and jazz songs and has also sung ghazals and thumri.
Pancham’s mother had said – the marriage will take place on my dead body only.
RD Burman met Asha in 1966 during the film Teesri Manzil. While working together, a deep friendship developed between the two, which gradually turned into love. Seeing the right opportunity, RD Burman proposed marriage to Asha. Asha immediately agreed. But her mother did not approve of this relationship, because Asha was older than her and was the mother of three children. His mother had clearly said – the marriage will take place on my dead body.
Due to mother’s opposition, both of them did not get married at that time. But later after the death of SD Burman, Asha and Burman got married in 1980.
Won the first National Film Award for Umrao Jaan in 1981
Another turn came in his life. The same turning point that transformed her from just a singer to a legend. At that time, Lata Mangeshkar had a monopoly on ghazal. But the makers wanted a different, new ghazal voice, which could create its own identity by moving away from the legacy of Pakeezah. Khayyam chose Asha for the film Umrao Jaan, the condition was that she should leave her bubbly style and adopt steady singing. Singing in lower notes was new to her, but after rigorous practice, ghazals like ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’ and ‘In Aankhon Ki Masti’ brought out the serious singer within her. Asha and Khayyam also received the National Award for this film.
Passionate cook, learned to make momos from Mala Sinha
Asha Bhosle is very fond of cooking. She was a passionate cook due to which she opened Asha’s restaurant in Wafi City Mall, Dubai in 2002. Actually, he had opened this restaurant for his son Anand Bhosle living in Dubai. She used to come here many times and cook herself. He had also told in an interview that he feels very happy just wearing the chef’s court. Apart from Dubai, he currently has restaurants in London, Kuwait, Manchester, Birmingham, Bahrain and Qatar.
He was so fond of cooking that he learned Lucknowi food from Begum of Majrooh Sultanpuri and momo making from actress Mala Sinha. Wherever she went, she would definitely learn some recipe or the other.
He was more fond of feeding people than eating. She used to cook food herself and feed everyone at every feast. She used to sing Hemant Kumar songs and Ghulam Ali’s ghazals while cooking.
When he was thrown out of the recording studio by calling it a useless voice
It was 1947 when Kishore Kumar and Asha went together for the first time for playback singing audition. Both Raj Kapoor and Nargis had gone to the famous studio to record a song for the starrer film ‘Jaan Pehchan’. Then his voice was considered bad and he was thrown out of the recording studio. Also said that he cannot become a playback singer. Kishore Kumar once got scared by this incident and asked Asha – What will we do now? On this Asha clearly said that your voice is good, no one can stop you. Asha never had such doubts about her abilities. She always believed in herself that she would definitely achieve something.
Story – Sonali Rai
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