Posted:
September 05, 2003
September 8 is a special day.
One of India's most beloved singers, Asha Bhosle, turns 70.
The richness and versatility of her voice and her tendency to personalise songs with that exclusive Asha touch are nothing short of extraordinary.
For years, the phenomenal singer has showered music lovers with inspiring melodies.
Here's your chance to reciprocate by wishing Asha 'Happy 70' with one of her own songs! Choose it carefully, and well! We'd love to hear from you!
Although other composers worked with her far more extensively than Khayyam, none has had as profound an impact on her career as he did on account of a single film, Umrao Jaan. In the Muzaffar Ali-directed musical, she immortalised four ghazals: Dil cheez kya hai, In aankhon ki masti ke, Ye kya jagah hai and Justju jiski thi. It won her the first National Award of her career. Says Khayyam, "Asha and I have worked together right from my first film, Biwi, in 1948. I had asked Asha to sing Mere man ke aangan chand chamka for then superstar Mumtaz Shanti. She sang it beautifully. Then, in Footpath, I made her sing all the songs for Meena Kumari. There was a cabaret number too. Footpath did very well. "Asha was very hard working. She would rehearse for hours. She understood my style; I understood her range. She didn't get to sing for heroines when she began. She faced a lot of trouble. She made a name for herself in fast numbers. "The ghazals she sang for Umrao Jaan became a milestone in her career. I changed her tone and she was quite surprised she could sing like that. The songs proved her versatility and established her talent. "She is a fine human being, very blunt and says things to your face. I like that. It helps maintain relationships and clear the air. Her heart is clean. Her musical antecedents are awesome: natya sangeet and shastriya sangeet. Our non-film album, Asha Aur Khayyam, was composed by me and sung by her. She always does exactly what the composer wants her to. She can sing in any language." O P Nayyar
Nayyarsaab's association with her is part of film lore. When she was considered second choice by most composers, he recognised her potential and, in a sense, moulded her career by giving her a distinctive style. Starting with Naya Daur and Tumsa Nahin Dekha in 1957, the duo created a treasure trove of lively melodies. Asha's delicately sensuous rendition of Aaiye meherbaan (Howrah Bridge), Yeh hai reshmi zulfon ka (Mere Sanam) and Aao huzur tumko (Kismat) was matched only by her exuberance in Nayyar's trademark, upbeat compositions in duets like Maang ke saath tumhara (Naya Daur), Main pyaar ka rahi hoon (Ek Musafir Ek Haseena), Sar par topi laal haath mein (Tumsa Nahin Dekha) and Ishaaron ishaaron mein dil lene wale (Kashmir Ki Kali). The crowning glory of their association was Chain se hum ko kabhi (Praan Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye), Nayyarsaab's last hit. S D Burman
She sang most of her songs with S D Burman in the late 1950s and early 1960s when he had a rift with Lata Mangeshkar and refused to record with her. Within that short span, SD and Asha worked together on several soft romantic numbers like Kali ghata chhaye (Sujata), Koi aaya dhadkan kehti hai (Lajwanti), Achchaji main haari (Kaala Pani), Haal kaisa hai janaab ka (Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi) and Chhod do aanchal zamana kya kahega (Nau Do Gyarah). For Bimal Roy's Bandini, Asha sang Ab ke baras bhej bhaiya ko babul with such feeling that she apparently broke down after recording the song. A few years later came Jewel Thief's seductive Raat akeli hai, among her last notable collaborations with SD, apart from the famous Aradhana duet with Mohammed Rafi, Gunguna rahe hain bhanwar. Ravi
Ravi Shankar Sharma shot to fame with scores for films like Mehendi, Ghar Sansar, Dilli Ka Thug and Chaudvin Ka Chand. He worked closely with Asha in many films. Says he, "I started my career as [singer-music director] Hemant Kumar's assistant. Lataji and Ashaji would often come to the studio to sing. "My first film was Vachhan (1955), directed by Devendra Goel. Ashaji sang for it. One of her songs, Chandamama door ke became very popular. My mother used to sing this song to put me to sleep. I adapted the lyrics and composed it. Ashaji won her first award from my song in Grahasti. "We had a great relationship. She loved my wife's pickles. Ours was the only house she would come to, to eat pickles. Our families used to drive to Darjeeling and Kashmir." Usha Khanna
Usha Khanna, who scored music for the Asha Parekh-Shammi Kapoor film, Dil Deke Dekho (1959), says: "One utilises her voice because it is fabulous. She enhances the scenes with her voice. I have received a lot of love from Ashaji. She calls me her daughter. We have had an affectionate relationship. "She would get angry with me sometimes, but as soon as she reached home, she would call up and apologise, 'Usha, I was irritated but not angry.' Then, she would laugh and add, 'See, I have to take care of my daughter, so I'm calling you.' "Once she was recording for me but I wasn't quite getting what I had in mind. She was watching me from the small glass recording room and my face would fall when she reached this particular sequence. I didn't say anything, but she realised it. She asked for the recording to be stopped. "She asked me if she was singing properly. I replied, 'Didi you are singing well.' But she insisted, saying, 'You are my guru when I sing your compositions. Tell me what you want.' I told her and she said, 'Oh yes, I was singing differently!' "Once I was wearing a kurta-pyjama. Even she wanted to wear one. The next time before recording, she asked me what I would be wearing. I said churidar-kurta. She wore one too for the recording! "I love Hai tabassum tera from my film Nishaan (1965). Her cabaret numbers are just as good as her classical numbers. Today, though we are busy in our respective lives, we still keep in touch over the phone." R D Burman
The maverick musical genius wouldn't be immortal without Asha's willingness to let her voice be manoeuvred into uncharted territories. It would be fair to say that Pancham conducted musical experiments on Asha's vocal chords. Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, the RD-Asha team held sway on the world of Hindi film music with their youthful, Westernised sounds and sent an entire generation into raptures. So much so that the remix wave that has the recording industry in its vice-grip in recent years is largely propelled by RD's compositions rendered by Asha. Rewind to the fabulous Aaja aaja main hun pyaar tera (Teesri Manzil), Piya tu ab to aaja (Caravan), Dum maaro dum (Hare Rama Hare Krishna), Chura liya hai tumne jo (Yaadon Ki Baaraat) and Jaane jaa dhoondhta phir raha (Jawani Diwani), to soak in the irrepressible mood of their distinctive melodies. Or catch Asha's soulful rendition of Mera kuch saaman and Khaali haath shaam aayi hai from Ijaazat to get a measure of the sheer range of musical expression the RD-Asha combination managed to map. Sardar Malik
Laxmikant-Pyarelal made great music together in films like Dosti, Bobby, Amar Akbar Anthony, Karz, Mr India, Tezaab and many, many more films. After Laxmikant passed away in 1998, Pyarelal cut down on work considerably. "I cannot praise Asha Bhosle," he says. "Words are inadequate. People like her are a gift to the nation. I cannot choose her best songs, all of them are outstanding. But better than that is her cheerfulness and commitment. I love her songs from Umrao Jaan and all the songs she sang for R D Burman and O P Nayyar. The way she sings is her contribution to the industry. "I have heard she is an outstanding cook though I have not had the opportunity to taste her food. I know she loves to feed people. "Eighty-five per cent of my songs were sung by her and all of them are popular. There was Aage bhi jaane na tu in Waqt, Mujhe gale se laga lo in Aaj Aur Kal, Yeh raatein yeh mausam and Cat mane billi in Dilli Ka Thug. "She was to sing for B R Chopra's Nikaah too but they wanted the heroine to sing. So Salma Agha was roped in. But the songs were rehearsed by Ashaji. When my son Ajay was making his films (Khamosh Nigahen and Mera Suhag), she refused to charge a fee for singing for his films." A R Rahman
The shy genius from Chennai met the ageless diva of Mumbai and electrifying music was made. Picture the 60-plus Asha singing Rangeela re or, even more astonishing, Tanha tanha. The inherent sensuality in her voice highlighted Urmila Matondkar's newfound sex-symbol image. While Rangeela was the high point of the Rahman-Asha association, they have notched up many other hits including Kahin aag lage (Taal) and Radha kaise na jale (Lagaan). 
In Hindi, I have sung many songs. But there are some songs that have been a challenge. For example, there is a song in Marathi that is a very challenging song for any singer -- Taruna ahe raatr azuni. In Hindi, there are songs like Dil dhadakne ka sabab yaad aaya [from Meraj-e-Ghazal, her album with Ghulam Ali] that are very challenging. Let's suppose we've had a terrible day and need to listen to some music to cheer myself up. Which of your songs would you recommend? [Laughs] To make you feel better? Karle pyaar karne ke din hain yehi. Aao na gale lagao na. Aap koi mera chulbula gaana sunenge toh aapko achcha lagega [Any of my perky songs will cheer you up]. Any of Pancham's songs. Baithe hain kya uske paas is another good song of his [from Jewel Thief]. Do you watch Western films? Bahut zyada [Plenty]. I watch them all the time. Which are your favourite films? [Laughs] Bahut saari [Quite a few]. I see musicals, comedies, and all kind of films. Mujhe naam yaad nahi rehte [I can't remember the names]. I used to watch English films even when I was very small, even when I was in Kolhapur in 1943-44. I see a lot of films. I saw Gone With The Wind when it came for the first time. I have seen it again many times. Whenever I go to London, I watch stage shows. I like them very much. I like 'dancing' films very much. I don't miss any musical. But some of these new films today that are made on the computer, I don't like those. You can make out that this is not a real person; it is generated by the computer. Usme mazaa nahin aata [I don't like that very much]. I don't watch these films. I like the older films better -- like the ones that appear on HBO, Star, Zee and the other television channels. What international songs do you like? Oh, there are so many. It would be difficult to pick just one. Could you try? [Laughs] I like all the Beatles songs. I like Shirley Bassey. I used to listen to a lot more Western music with Burmansaheb. What about your favourite song picturisations? It is very difficult to say. I have sung so many songs. And many of these songs were picturised well. All the songs in Umrao Jaan are very good -- from the picturisations to the clothes. If you look at the modern films, Urmila [Matondkar] has done such a good job in Rangeela. Even though she wore short clothes, it did not seem vulgar. She is small-built na, so it looked like a little child was dancing. When big-built women wear skimpy clothes, it looks vulgar. Were there any particularly favourite actresses on whom you enjoyed seeing your songs picturised or with whom you had a personal rapport? Helen was very good at that. She would always call me and tell me, 'Main gaa rahi hoon itna yaad rakhiye [Please remember that this song is for me].' [rediff.com aside: Asha Bhosle would always receive chocolates from Helen on the day she was to record a song for her.] When people talk about actresses like Rekha and Zeenat Aman, they also talk of their songs, many of which have been sung by you. How does that make you feel? I have never really thought about it. These stars are nice people. They are very nice to me when we meet; they have worked hard. It's not just my songs that have been picturised on them; even didi's [elder sister Lata Mangeshkar] songs have been picturised on them and they have worked just as hard on those songs as well. I have never felt that any kind of special effort has been made for my songs. Zeenat is a very nice person. And Rekha is Rekha, what can you say about her? She used to bring the songs alive. All the other artistes were also good. You have sung Raat akeli hai [Jewel Thief] for Tanuja. You have also sung Zara sa jhoom loon mein [Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge] for her daughter Kajol. How does that make you feel? Tanuja was 17 or 18 when Raat akeli hai was picturised on her. She did a good job. As did Kajol in Zara sa jhoom. I did not really find much of a difference. Only the faces were different [laughs]. Today's girls are freer than the earlier generation. They perform more freely. 
I had sung for Babita in Aao huzoor tumko. Now I have sung for both her daughters [Karisma and Kareena Kapoor]. There was another actress called Amita. I sang for her and I have sung for her daughter as well [Sabiha in Khiladi]. You have sung in many regional languages. Of these, which are your favourite numbers? In Tamil, there is a song called Senbagame. It's a very nice song by Illayaraja. In Bengali, there are so many songs I can list. I have sung many songs for Pancham like Moina bolu tumhe Krishna Radhe and many others. In which regional language have you sung your best songs? Bengali. It is a very sweet language. It is a very nice language to sing in, if you understand its nature. Kahin khulti nahi, woh bhasha gol-gol chali jaati hai [It is an endless circle]. Bada achcha lagta hai [It feels good]. I have sung many songs in Tamil as well. Who are the classical singers you enjoy listening to? The people I have heard before, like Amir Khansaheb, Bade Ghulam Ali Khansaheb. Us zamaane ke singers bahut achcha gaate the [The singers those days would sing very well]. The songs were filled with nazaaqat [style] and beauty. Woh jo un logon ne bajaye hai [The music they have played] like Ali Akbar Khansaheb's sarod, Ravi Shankarji's sitar... There is no one who can match their work or their talent. We have heard it said often that you are an excellent cook. What are the dishes you like to prepare? I make shaami kababs, special biryani, Hyderabadi biryani, pasande, raan... Three or four different kinds of pulaos and biryanis. These items are a favourite with my children. All these are non-vegetarian dishes... Mere bachche jo khaate hain wohi banati hoon [I cook whatever my children like to eat]. Mere bachche sabzi dekhke bhaag jaate hain [My children disappear when they see vegetables]. Other than that there is the regular daal-chawal, woh to har kisam ka bana hi leti hoon [I can make all kinds]. Written by Savera R Someshwar
Harrington has been playing songs from the album at his home for friends and family. "I seldom play our album at home," he says. "But I make an exception because of the great class of music Asha and Burman produced together."
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