Asha Bhosle
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Asha Bhosle
Platinum day for a precious voice
8 Sep 2008
Asha's trek to stardom has been long and arduous. Hers was a double-decker dilemma. When she debuted in 'Chunariya ' (under Hansraj Behl's baton) in 1948, she found herself ranged against biggies such as Shamshad Begum, Rajkumari and Geeta Dutt. On the other hand, Lata Mangeshkar loomed large on filmdom's skyline.
Not quite good at formulating survival strategies, Asha nevertheless soldiered on, hopping from one recording studio to another. She and her husband travelled by suburban train and ate small meals at a modest Dadar restaurant named-what a 'filmi' coincidence!- 'Asha Lunch Home' . The couple rushed back to their Borivli home late in the evening to reunite with their two toddlers.
"It was a hard life. In the middle of a recording I would be suddenly gripped with a strong urge to go back to my children. But I would steel my nerves and concentrate on the song. Music gave me ecstasy and agony as well, she once told this correspondent.
Asha's repertoire is incredible. The sheer sensuality of her voice turns a ' mujra ' - cabaret number into a glass of champagne. With equal ease Asha can belt out ' Ab ke baras ' (' Bandini' ), 'Tora man darpan kahalaye' (' Kajal' ), 'Akeli hoon piya' (' Sambandh' ) and ' Dil cheez kya hai aap ' ('Umrao Jaan' ).
She combines style with technical virtuosity and impeccable tonal quality. She can embellish a classical number with thunderous ' taans ' and also giggle, groan and grunt while crooning an oomph number. From ' natya geet ' and ' nazm ' to rap and ' raag ', Asha's vocal cords glide along smoothly and with immaculate grace, weaving a web of fragile emotions.
Experts say S D Burman and O P Nayyar helped Asha come into her own in the 1950s and '60s. 'Paying Guest' , 'Munimji', 'Naya Daur', 'Howrah Bridge' and 'Bandini' catapulted her into the big league. Later, the R D Burman-Asha alliance transformed Hindi film music with 'Teesri Manzil', while 'Dum maro dum' became the theme song of the sizzling 1970s.
A decade later, Asha earned fresh laurels with Khayyamsaab's timeless ghazals in 'Umrao Jaan'. 'Rangeela' too was an instant hit. Then came ' Janam samjha karo ' and 'Rahul and I', the two pop chart-busters that set Gen-Next's adrenalin pumping.
In a career spanning six decades, Asha has, according to a rough estimate, recorded nearly 12,000 songs in 14 languages. Before you say 'wow', the prima donna will be ready to cut her next album. Ageless-that's Asha for you.
TIMELESS CLASSICS
'Mud Mud ke na dekh, mud mud ke' . Film: Shree 420 'Dekhne me bhola hai, dil ka salona' . Film: Bambai Ka Babu
'Nazar laagi raja tore bangale pe' . Film: Kala Pani
'Kali ghata chchaye' . Film: Sujata
'Bhanwara bada nadaan hai' . Film: Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam
'Aaiyee meherbaan' . Film: Howrah Bridge
'Ab ke baras bhejo' . Film: Bandini
'Nigaahein milaane ko jee chahata hai' . Film: Dil Hi Toh Hai
'Jhumka gira re' . Film: Mera Saaya
'Paan khaaye sainyaa hamar' . Film: Teesri Kasam
'Chaien se hum ko kabhi' . Film: Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye
'Tora man darpan kehelaaye’ . Film: Kajal
'Piya tu ab toh aaja' . Film: Teesri Manzil
'Dum maro dum' . Film: Hare Rama, Hare Krishna
'Dil cheez kya hai' . Film: Umrao Jaan
'Mera kuchch saamaan' . Film: Ijaazat
'Rangeela re ... '. Film: Rangeela
'Janam samjha karo' . Film: Janam Samjha Karo
