Golden voice
Ahead of her concert in Dubai on Friday, iconic Indian singer Asha Bhosle tells tabloid! how she got her big break and what she thinks of the smartphone generation
“It has not been a cakewalk. I have reached this point in my life with so many difficulties.”
Ahead of her much anticipated Dubai visit on Friday, where she will perform in a concert along with singer Javed Ali, iconic Indian singer Asha Bhosle told tabloid! that she is excited about her forthcoming tour.
“I am very eager to come and perform in Dubai. It is a place I have come to like over the years but that is not what works me up right now. You know I turned 84 last month and I have been thinking over these past few weeks about mortality and how so many of my peers, from [Mohammad] Rafi saheb to Kishore [Kumar] da, are no more. I have this feeling that this could well be my final show overseas,” she said.
Born in Sangli (in Maharashtra, India) on September 8, 1933, Bhosle is among the most prolific singers of the Indian film industry. She has sung more than 12,000 songs in 20 languages for as many as 850 films, a feat that few other artists have been able to accomplish. Known for an oeuvre that encompasses a carefree lilt and an experiential quality, the songstress has regaled music lovers over the years.
Talking about her journey, Bhosle quipped: “It has not been a cake-walk. I have reached this point in my life with so many difficulties both at home and outside that it almost beggars belief. I’ve suffered a great deal of pain and anguish in the six decades that I have been in the film industry but somehow I managed to take it all in my stride.”
A recipient of several prestigious awards for her contribution to art, both in India and abroad, Bhosle has allowed none of the accolades to confound her love for music. “One has to keep looking
beyond appreciation. A time comes in our lives where you begin to think that you didn’t come this far to only come this far. Had it not been my devotion for music, I wouldn’t have got this far. You will be surprised to know that four generations of music lovers listen to my songs. Presently I find myself faced with the iPhone generation who I’m told live-stream my music. What more appreciation can one seek?” the singer asks.
Bhosle started her musical career in the second half of the ‘50s when some of the biggest names in Hindi music such as SD Burman, Khayyam and Ravi ruled the roost.
Looking back at the glorious years of film music, she reminisces: “My first big break came sometime in 1957. OP Nayyar, who had a sterling reputation, asked me to sing in Naya Daur. Ever since I sang ‘maang ke sath tumhara maine maang liya
sansar’, I have never literally looked back again. In my inflection and style, Nayyar saheb perhaps found what he was looking for. I went on to work with other luminaries like SD Burman, RD Burman [her future husband] and Ravi right up to AR Rahman. From the current lot I like the work of Shankar Mahadevan, and the musical trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.”
Calling the widespread piracy of music highly lamentable, Bhosle sees the future of music in ‘smart’ devices.
“We cannot shy away from the fact that the world has moved on and we got to move along with it. Online music piracy has dealt a death blow to record sales, but that apart, the advent of technology means that very few people will buy a record, cassette or CD anymore. People, especially youngsters, are only going to tune into their iPhones and iPods and that’s how music shall survive. It is a part of the evolution of things and one must
embrace it,” she adds very matter-offactly.
Asked if she misses the immersive experience of playback singing, Bhosle nods along in agreement. “Ours,” she says, “was an era where the overall quality of music was wholesome.”
“I don’t quite enjoy music nowadays. It is ‘bits-and-pieces’ compositions they make over a period of time which is then stitched together digitally. Ours was a much more authentic style that required singing the complete song and perfecting the rendition with a certain kind of passion that infused life to the melody. Call me old fashioned, if you may, but the beauty of a creative rendition is enhanced only if it is thorough,” Bhosle says.
While Bhosle has been a consummate artist, with a distinct style and fan following of her own, throughout her life she has had to face comparisons with her elder sister, the legendary Lata Mangeshkar. Drawing a distinction between herself and Mangeshkar, Bhosle candidly notes: “All my life I have been compared to my elder sister, which is not fair. I never
tried to sing like Lata didi. I have always had my own style and manner, and I find all comparisons with my more illustrious sibling rather unfair. We are different individuals with varied personalities. Frankly I don’t read too much into any analogies that people attribute to us.”
Bhosle’s legions of fans acknowledge the joy of youth and unabashed celebration of life that her music evokes. Acknowledging her magnificent range and versatility, Madame Tussauds recently launched Bhosle’s wax statute. The life-like wax figure will tour several cities in India and around the world before it is permanently put on display in London.
“It is God’s blessings and love of the people that I have come this far. Looking forward I am happy to be in Dubai to interact with my fans. It will give me joy to see them come together for me,” she trails off not before recapping a memorable line from one of her evergreen songs. “Like the poet says, aaiye meherbaan, baithhie jaane jaan, shauk se lijiye ji ishk ke imtihaan [come my beloved, sit down my darling. Then if you please, take the test of love].”