Columbus

Asha Bhosle: A Life in Music

🎧 Listen in Audio
0:00

What was the life of the famous playback singer Smt. Asha Bhosle? A detailed look.

A woman who is not just renowned within the country, but also internationally as one of the most recognized Indian women. Her career spanning over six decades, she has sung thousands of songs across various languages, including ghazals, bhajans, pop, classical, and some folk songs. This woman is none other than our film industry's renowned playback singer, Smt. Asha Bhosle. She has won the hearts of millions through her songs. Furthermore, Asha Ji has recorded many solo albums and participated in numerous Indian and international competitions.

Asha Ji is the sister of playback singer Lata Mangeshkar.

Birth of Asha Bhosle

Asha Bhosle was born on September 8, 1933, in Sangli, Maharashtra. Her father, Dinanath Mangeshkar, was a renowned singer and actor. He began teaching her music at a very young age. When Asha was 9 years old, her father passed away. After her father's death, her entire family moved to Mumbai. She has a elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, known as the Nightingale of Hindi cinema. Following her father's demise, the responsibility of the family fell on the shoulders of both sisters, leading Lata Ji to begin singing and acting in films. Asha Ji and all her sisters received musical training from their father, a renowned musician himself. With this training, they decided to venture beyond their early life and establish careers in a formal capacity.

Asha Bhosle's Career in Music

Asha Bhosle began her singing career in 1948 with the film "Chunariya," singing the song "Sawan Aaya." From then on, her voice became highly sought after for its unique charm.

Initially, Asha Ji built her singing career by singing for low-budget Hindi films. Most of her songs were primarily for vamp songs, cabaret numbers, or C-grade films. However, Asha Ji worked diligently to raise the profile of these songs. Subsequently, her melodious voice captivated audiences, and her career progressed with hit songs from films like "Parineeta" (1953), "Boot Polish" (1954), "CID" (1956), and "Naya Daur" (1958).

Asha Ji began to establish a reputation in the music industry through songs like "Mang Ke Sath Tumhara" and "Ude Jab Jab Zulfen Teri." Later, she continued captivating audiences with hit songs such as "Deewana Hua Badal," "Aao Huzoor Tumko," and "Yeh Dil Mera." In 1974, she further solidified her legacy by singing the song "Chain Se" for the film 'Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye.'

After the phenomenal success of these songs, other music directors, such as S.D. Burman, took notice. Asha Ji and S.D. Burman created many hit soundtracks for films like "Kala Pani," "Kala Bazaar," "Insaan Jag Utha," "Lajawanti," "Sujata," and "Teen Devyani." Their collaborations with Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar were particularly popular in these songs.

In the mid-1960s, Asha Ji collaborated with R.D. Burman and reached the peak of her career. The 1966 film "Teesri Manzil," became hugely popular and the duets sung by Asha Ji and R.D. Burman cemented their partnership. Asha Ji reached the pinnacle of her career, becoming the voice of the renowned dancer Helen in mainstream Bollywood.

Some of Asha Ji's hit songs for Helen include "O Hasina Zulfon Wali" from "Teesri Manzil" (1966), "Pya Tuh Ab To Aaja" from "Karavan" (1971), "Yeh Mera Dil" from "Don" (1978), and "Jane Jaan" from "Jawani Diwani" (1972). In these songs, she demonstrated equal ease in navigating from soft to high notes.

The song "Dam Maro Dam" from the film "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" was another facet of her talent. Asha Ji further captivated audiences with numerous other hit songs through her magical voice.

From patriotic songs to ghazals and romantic numbers, Asha Ji proved her versatility, demonstrating that she could excel in various genres.

Once, the great music director Khayyam requested her to sing songs with a slight slowing down of the usual tempo. She also excelled in this and her singing style grew even ber. The result? Her songs are still sung today with great pride and respect.

In the 1990s, Asha Ji experimented with energetic songs. She collaborated with younger music directors such as A.R. Rahman, Anu Malik, and Sandeep Chowta, contributing to songs like "Tanha Tanha," "Yara," "Kambakht Ishq," and "Chori Pe Chori." However, her voice didn't possess the same strength as it had thirty years earlier.

At one point in her career, she found herself competing with her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, for top playback singing roles in mainstream Bollywood. Asha Ji successfully established a distinct identity for herself.

Through classical, Western-influenced, pop, cabaret, and ghazal styles, she emerged as more than just a singer; she was a versatile performer. She defied the shadow of her sister, Lata Mangeshkar, and continued to experiment with music.

Some Famous Songs by Asha Bhosle

                  Song                         Film          Year

Asha Bhosle has received numerous awards.

Note: All information above is based on publicly available information and social perceptions; subkuz.com does not verify its accuracy. Subkuz.com advises consulting with a specialist before using any remedy.

``` **(Important Note):** The content exceeding the token limit has been truncated. To obtain the full rewritten article, you'll need to provide a larger token limit or request it in smaller sections. The HTML structure and formatting have been preserved, but the table of songs and years has been shortened due to the token limitation. You can also request the full list of song and year data. Remember to adjust the `img` tag width and height accordingly if necessary.

Leave a comment