The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema.
Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking.
Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of music directors in the early 1950s, Raj Kapoor got her to sing "Mud mud ke na dekh" with Manna Dey in "Shree 420" (1955). She and Mohammad Rafi sang almost all the songs of Raj Kapoor’s "Boot Polish" (1954). Numbers like "Nanhe Munne Bachche Teri Mutthi Mein Kya Hai", "Chali Kaunse Desh Gujariya Tu Saj Dhajke", and "Tumhare Hain, Tumse Daya Mangte Hain" remain popular even today. The film became an international success, giving Asha Bhosle recognition and acceptability.
Music director O. P. Nayyar recognised her more than anyone else. He made her part of "Naya Daur" (1957), the Dilip Kumar-Vyjayanthimala starrer that became a huge hit. Songs like "Maang ke saath tumhara, maine maang liya sansaar", "Saathi haath badhana", and "Uden jab jab zulfein teri" became the rage of the nation. Frankly, her voice was extremely sensuous—a territory then dominated by Geeta Dutt. The 1963 film "Dhool Ka Phool" and later "Waqt" (1965) gave her some beautiful songs in these B. R. Chopra hits. "Dhadakne lage dil ke taaron ki duniya" and "Aage bhi jaane na doon, peechhe bhi jaane na doon" are still loved today, along with "Kaun aaya ke nigahon mein khanak jaag uthi" and "Chehre pe khushi aa jaati hai". Asha Bhosle truly flourished under S. D. Burman and O. P. Nayyar.
Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar gave us beautiful melodies in the 1950s and ‘60s. Their classics include "Chhod do aanchal, zamaana kya kahega" and "O nigahen mastana" from "Paying Guest" (1957), "Haal kaisa hai janab ka" from "Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi" (1958), "Are yaar meri tum bhi ho gazab" from "Teen Deviyan" (1965), "Aankhon mein kya ji rupahala badal" from "Nau Do Gyarah" (1957), and many more. Her duets with Mohammad Rafi—"Deewana hua baadal" and "Isharon isharon mein dil lene waale"—remain among the most romantic songs in Hindustani cinema.
Frankly, both Asha and Kishore did not get their due initially because of the era’s mood. Those were the years of ‘dard’ and pathos—K. L. Saigal, Mukesh, Talat Mehmood, Lata, and Rafi. It is not that Asha or Kishore could not sing such songs, but they experimented with something different, which on screen was portrayed by a debonair Dev Anand. Dev was comparatively less successful than contemporaries like Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, whose pain and anguish commanded the largest admirers. Among women, leading ladies were not ready to play sensuous songs, but things changed in the mid-sixties with the success of dancers like Helen. Her role was no less than that of leading actresses, and Asha ji gave those songs a new meaning—supremely different and difficult to copy.
The songs Asha sang to create her own brand were considered too ‘modern’ for the ‘docile’ and ‘loyal’ woman, where the idea of ‘Bhartiya Nari’ came from chastity and purity. Hence, Meena Kumari’s tragic roles became more popular, and the female voice was meant for longing, sadness, and ‘viraha’. Sensuousness was despised, though before Asha, Guru Dutt had used Geeta Dutt’s voice for similar purposes.
Asha’s range was far greater than any of her contemporaries, including her elder sister. Songs like "Paan khaye saiyaan hamaro", "Jhumka gira re", "Kajra mohabbat wala", "Piya tu ab to aaja", "Raat akeli hai", "Wo haseen dard de do jise main gale laga loon", "Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko", and "Aankhon se jo utari hai dil mein" or "Jaaiye aap jahaan jaayenge" or "Jab chali thandi hawa" can only be termed unique. Her voice gave longing a sweet feeling and pain a tangible presence.
In post-1970s India, the Asha-Kishore Kumar duo simply ruled Bollywood, and the trend continued through the 1980s and 1990s. It is also true that this was a period of double-meaning songs, and both Kishore and Asha could not muster the courage to refuse singing them—Lata Mangeshkar actually refused and withdrew. Yet despite singing fewer songs from the 1990s onward, Lata still gave hits. However, the Asha-Kishore jodi gave young lovers a new dynamic.
"Umrao Jaan" (1981) brought Asha Bhosle an entirely different success. "Dil cheez kya hai aap meri jaan lijiye" and "In aankhon ki masti ke, mastane hazaron hain" proved she could sing ghazals with great comfort. She also sang some of her most pensive songs with Mukesh in Raj Kapoor’s "Phir Subah Hogi" (1958)—"Phir na kijiye meri gustakh nigahon ka gila, dekhiye aapne pyaar se dekha mujhko"—and in "Kanch Ki Gudiya" (1961): "Saath ho tum aur raat jawan, neend kise ab chain kahan". The variety in Asha Bhosle was simply amazing.
Asha ji remained young till the end. She sang until the end, appearing regularly on TV programmes and live events. She was truly the last Mughal—with her has ended an era that began when India was nearing independence. Along with Mukesh, Rafi, Kishore, and Lata, she was the last of the icons who gave us a sense of the history of Indian cinema. Like legendary Dev Anand, she never rested on her laurels but was willing to experiment with new voices. Her sudden death is shocking, but she lived an inspiring life through all her hardships and struggles. Asha ji remains in our hearts through her mesmerising voice. As long as music lives, her melodies will continue to be part of our lives.
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*Human rights defender
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