Rohit Kumar
NEW DELHI, Apr 12: One of the most successful, popular, and prolific singers of Indian cinema, Legendary Asha Bhosle, died in the Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon at the age of 92.
The news was confirmed by her son, Anand Bhosle. The funeral will be held on Monday at 4 PM at Shivaji Park.
Considered to be one of the greatest vocalists in modern Indian music, Asha Bhosle was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after she experienced cardiac and respiratory issues. Sources said the singer had not been keeping well for the last few months and was brought to the hospital in a critical state. She was admitted to the ICU on Saturday night.
One of the undisputed queens of the Hindi film songs, Asha Bhosle’s stature was rivaled only by her elder sister, the late Lata Mangeshkar. Born in 1933 into the musical Mangeshkar family, Asha began singing professionally at the age of 9. She recorded her first film song in 1943 and by the 50s, had carved a niche for herself in Bollywood. Over the next three decades, she was among the most sought-after performers by most composers.
While initially, she was typecast into singing just cabaret numbers or dances that today would be called item songs, Asha diversified, singing even ghazals sublimely in Umrao Jaan. She was a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Singer Award and a two-time winner of the National Film Award- for Dil Cheez Kya Hai from Umrao Jaan and Mera Kuch Saamaan from Ijaazat.
The younger sister of melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle was a trailblazer in her own right, forever grateful to have her ‘Didi’ by her side, but always wanted to have her own identity. Stories of their rivalry are as old as time, but neither ever confirmed them outright.
“People did carry tales and try to create trouble, but blood is thicker than water. I remember, sometimes both of us would be at a function and some industry types would ignore me and interact only with her, as if to prove their loyalty. Later, Didi and I would have a good laugh,” Asha Bhosle once said in an interview.
Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle’s youngest sister is singer Usha Mangeshkar. The Mangeshkar sisters were born into the legendary Mangeshkar family, to Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar and Shevanti Mangeshkar. The couple had five children together: Lata, Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridaynath.
In her eight-decade career, Asha Bhosle sang for several actresses, right from Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh, Rekha, Urmila Matondkar, Karisma Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, to Shamita Shetty.
The legendary singer had led a topsy-turvy private life. At the age of 16, against her family’s wishes, Asha eloped with 31-year-old Ganpatrao Bhosle and married him. Ganpatrao was her personal secretary. However, Asha broke off the marriage when her in-laws reportedly mistreated her. They separated in 1960 after three kids together. Asha Bhosle lost two of her children. While her daughter Varsha died by suicide in 2012, her elder son Hemant died of cancer in 2015. Her youngest child, Anand is the only surviving child of the three.
In 1980, she married composer Rahul Dev Barman, six years her junior, after a long romance. This marriage saw opposition from the Burman family, particularly RD’s mother. Rahul was the son of legendary composer Sachin Dev Burman. He died in 1994. Asha’s granddaughter, Zanai Bhosle, is a singer and was the veteran singer’s constant companion in her final years.
Asha Bhosle, best known for chartbusters such as Piya tu aba to aaja, kajra mohabbat wala, rangeela re,and What is heart cheese?would have turned 93 on September 8 this year. Her death has sent shockwaves through generations of music lovers who grew up listening to her songs.
Asha Bhosle was just 10 when she sang her first film song, Chala Chala Nav Balafor the 1943 Marathi film Majha Bal. Initially stereotyped for singing dance numbers such as O Haseena ZulfonwaliBhosle later proved her depth with ghazals such as What is heart cheese? and classical pieces like Tora Man Darpan Kehlaye.
Asha had recently shown her detest for the contemporary film songs. She had told some of her interviewers recently that she did not like listening to the contemporary film songs. She said, “Main sach bolu toh main aaj ke gaane sunti hi nahi hoon” (To tell you the truth, I don’t listen to today’s songs). “If I have to listen to songs, I hear (late vocalist) Bhimsen Joshi’s songs, classical songs and ghazals as I get to learn and simultaneously, polish and practice my songs better through that. Because of this, my ability of singing gets better, and I improvise and sing better,” she had said adding, “I don’t really find songs with excellent lyrics today, but I listen to them occasionally and sometimes, I come across good songs by (singers) Rahat Fateh Ali (Khan), Sunidhi (Chauhan) so yes, I do find some of them good, but I rarely listen to music, then I listen to the old songs.”
Yet she kept abreast with the modern musical landscape. In 2023, Bhosle marked her 90th birthday with flair, jetting off to Dubai for a live concert instead of a quiet family gathering. “At 90, standing on stage for three hours to sing fills me with joy-I’m grateful for this vitality. Humari saans nahin hoti hai toh aadmi mar jaata hai. Mere liye music meri saans hai (People die when they stop breathing. For me, music is my breath). I’ve devoted my life to it, emerging stronger from hardships,” she had told PTI ahead of the event.
The following year, she stunned fans by performing Karan Aujla’s viral track Tauba Tauba at her Dubai show, even nailing the signature dance move of the song from Bad Newz, featuring Vicky Kaushal and Triptii Dimri.
Even in the changing times, Asha Bhosle’s
Asha Bhosle won her first National Award for Umrao Jaan in 1981, and her second for Ijaazat in 1988. She received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honor in Indian cinema, in 2000, and the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honor, in 2008.
Her last recorded Hindi film song is Rut Bheege Tan from 2022’s Life’s Good, starring Jackie Shroff. At the age of 91, she released a single Saiyaan Bina, dedicated to her late husband and frequent collaborator, music composer RD Burman.
Just last year, Asha Bhosle went to the Bombay High Court to protect her personality rights and was granted ad-interim protection in a landmark ruling.
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