Swinging in her seventies

Asha Bhonsle turned 74 recently. Tracing her musical journey
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Living legend Asha Bhonsle


There are some artistes about whom you can write repeatedly and still have something to say. You never tire of reading about them. One such is Asha Bhonsle. The legend, who began her 75th year on September 8, still rocks. Her voice has not lost the f reshness it had when she sang her first song, a Marathi one, in 1943 or her first Hindi song “Saawan Aaya” in 1948.

Asha’s middle name is versatility. The Asha who hits that right romantic note with “Yeh reshami zulfon ka”, “Isharon isharon me”, the Westernised “Raat baki, baat baki” or “Kambakth ishq” can make a shayar swoon with her classical “Dil cheez kya hai”. Who can forget the voice that lent cult status to “Chura liya” and “Dum maro dum” or had everybody hum “Gunguna rahe hai bhawraen”? What about “Tanha tanha” picturised on the sultry Urmila Matondkar? And Asha was in her sixties when she sang that! The same voice could take people to great spiritual realms with bhajans in Marathi, be it “Kanadavo Vittala”, a saint Dyaneshwar poem or Marathi natya sangeet composed by her father Dinanath Mangeshkar.

Asha first tasted big success with “Naya Daur”, but her ability to sing Westernised tunes came to the fore with R.D. Burman’s work for the 1966 hit, “Teesri Manzil” (“O mere sona re”). In fact, the film’s hero Shammi Kapoor is believed to have said, “If I did not have Mohammad Rafi to sing for me, I would have got Asha Bhosle to do the job.”

Asha has reinvented herself at every stage. She refreshed her knowledge of intricate Hindustani bols and raags with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and went on to do the album “Legacy” with him, which got her a Grammy nomination. She was game to work with international artistes such as Boy Zone, Michael Stripe, Code Red and even cricket’s poster boy-turned-singer Brett Lee. Of course, ghazals are second nature to her. She has sung in over 14 languages, including Tamil. What’s more, she even tried out the remix genre with “Rahul and I”. Starring in music videos, her classic saris, huge pearls and a 100-watt smile in place, this was a glamorous Asha keeping step with youngsters, and enjoying every moment of it.

Well, clichéd as it may sound, here’s an artiste who is as comfortable with ragas as she’s with riffs. Asha Bhonsle truly the original diva is still young at 74!