Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar... India hums for Asha Bhosle

Asha Bhosle, whose incandescent voice lit up film screens over more than seven decades, died in Mumbai on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called her “one of the most iconic and versatile voices India has ever known.” Her voice had a “timeless brilliance” that elevated soulful melodies and vibrant compositions, he said.

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan described her voice as “one of the pillars of Indian cinema” and would continue to resonate around the world for centuries. Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma said her voice gave Rangeela (1995) “an immortal soul and raw, youthful fire.” The title track Rangeela Re was a thunderclap that shook Bollywood, he said. Cricket great Sachin Tendulkar called it “a deeply sad day for India, and for music lovers across the world,” saying time itself seemed to have paused, though her eternal songs would keep her timeless forever.


Also Read: Brimful of Asha Bhosle - In her songs-and her singing-the message was always one of fun, humour and affection

Ashalata Dinanath Mangeshkar was born September 8, 1933, making her debut as a singer in the Hindi film industry in the film Chunariya in 1948 at the age of 15. Three women dominated female playback singing at the time — her sister Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt. Against this backdrop, carving out a niche was an almost insurmountable challenge. But she was undaunted, trekking from one studio to another, meeting one music director after another. She began to sing in low-budget films such as Madari (1950), Titli (1951) and Thokar (1953).

Range & Versatility

“Music directors who could not afford Lata ji's fees often went to Asha ji. This is a key reason why Asha ji sang more in Marathi than Lata ji,” said veteran music critic Rajiv Vijayakar.

It was in 1957 that the turning point came in the form Naya Daur, when music director OP Nayyar brought out the best in her on an upbeat soundtrack brimming with hits, showcasing her vocals alongside those of Mohammed Rafi. She and Nayyar would go on to collaborate on other hit musicals such as Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957), Howrah Bridge (1958), Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) and Mere Sanam (1965).

Life at this point was turbulent on other fronts as well. She married Ganpatrao Bhosale when she was 16 but that wasn’t a happy union, forcing her to become a single parent to three children. Later, she went on to marry RD Burman in 1980.

What made Asha Bhosle stand out were her sheer range and versatility, giving voice to a world of infinite possibilities. She could be the innocent, the nautch girl, the vamp, and, most memorably, the tawaif, delivering an outstanding performance on the Umrao Jaan soundtrack (1981).

Also Read: Asha Bhosle, defining voice of Hindi cinema, dies

Long Career

In a career spanning more than 78 years, she excelled in almost every emotion, sentiment, mood or genre of Hindi film music, whether it was the cabaret song Piya Tu Ab To Aaja from the film Caravan (1971), the ghazals of Umrao Jaan, or the poignant classical song Mana Anand Bhayo in Vijeta (1996). She gave her voice to actors ranging from Madhubala, Vyjayanthimala and Asha Parekh to Mumtaz, Helen, Zeenat Aman, Rekha, Urmila Matondkar, Kajol and Madhuri Dixit.

Among her international collaborations, one of the last was her appearance on the Gorillaz album, The Mountain, released earlier this year. She also collaborated with Michael Stipe of rock band R.E.M. on the 2002 track The Way You Dream and with Boy George in 1991 for Bow Down Mister. Incidentally, UK band Cornershop’s tribute, Brimful of Asha, became a hit in the late 1990s after a Fatboy Slim remix.

“The range and versatility of Ashaji’s singing is unmatchable,” said Lalit Pandit of the music director duo Jatin-Lalit. “In playback singing, there are two types of singers — one who has a melodious voice and sings what a music director has created. But an artiste like Ashaji added new dimensions and nuances to songs. In the song Zara Jhoom Loo Main (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, 1995), just listen carefully to how she sings the words ‘thandi thandi pawan.’ It is her contribution. It took the song to another level.”

This ability to add subtle detailing became a hallmark of her career. Her collaboration with music director RD Burman in films such as Teesri Manzil (1966), Caravan (1971) and Ijaazat (1987) would spawn all-time classics Aaja Aaja, Daiyya Main Kahan Aa Phasi and Mera Kuch Saaman.

These underscored not only her vocal range but her intricate understanding of music. In fact, the initial inspiration for the composition of the song Mera Kuch Saaman from Ijaazat came from her own humming of the lyrics written by Gulzar.

Music composer Anu Malik, who had a long association with Bhosle, recalled how helpful she was to a newcomer.

“I was only a 17-year-old teenager when Ashaji helped me,” Malik said. “She was at the peak of her career in the 1970s, working with all great directors. But she made time and met me. She sang my first song in the film Hunterwaali (1977). She gave me so much love and affection like her son. This shows her greatness as an artiste who had empathy and care for people around her.

Beyond film music, Bhosle was known for her ghazal collaborations with the legendary Ghulam Ali as well as with Hariharan.

Contemporary Voice

She even recreated her songs with RD Burman on Rahul and I.

“One of the best qualities in Ashaji was that she always kept with the times,” shares veteran playback singer Udit Narayan. “There are singers whose voice quality deteriorates as they age or reach the last leg of their career. But Ashaji’s voice was always contemporary. This is the mark of a great artiste who represented not just music but the history of Indian cinema.”

Comparisons between the two Mangeshkar sisters were natural but weren’t really justified.

“I think comparison between Lata ji and Ashaji is stupid. If you leave aside pop songs, Lata ji and Asha ji have sung all moods and genres of songs equally well. Both are equally talented and versatile. The important thing is both are irreplaceable,” said veteran music critic Rajiv Vijayakar.

“Both sisters must not be compared. Both represent history in different ways. In every field there are comparisons between two great people, whether it is Sachin Tendulkar or Sunil Gavaskar, or singers Pankaj Mullick and KL Saigal,” said Gujarati novelist and former music critic Anil Rawal. “Both are great and provide a long and sumptuous thali of exquisite and diverse emotions to listeners.”

Bhosle sang more than 12,000 songs for more than 1,000 Hindi films. In addition to this, she sang in 20 Indian and foreign languages. She was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2008. Besides this, she won six Filmfare Awards for singing and two National Awards. She received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000.