MUMBAI: Legendary singer Asha Bhosle turns 87-year-old today on September 8. The iconic singer is the recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Vibhushan.
She also holds the Guinness Book of World Record for most recorded artist in the music history. Asha has sung in more than 20 languages. Her works includes film music, ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian classical music, folk songs, qawwalis and Rabindra Sangeet.
In 2013, she made her debut as an actress in a film titled Mai. The Hindi film featured renowned actors like Ram Kapoor, Anupam Kher and Padmini Kolhapure. The movie also marked Mahesh Kodiyal’s directorial debut.
As the legendary singer turns 87 today, here is a look at some of her iconic songs:
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Tu, Tu Hai Vahi
The song is a part of 1982 film Yeh Vaada Raha starring Rishi Kapoor, Poonam Dhillon and Tina Munim in lead roles. The song is a duet, and Kishore Kumar has sung the other part of the track. The evergreen track’s music director is RD Burman.
Zara Sa Jhoom Loon
The track is a part of Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. The song too features the leading couple. The lyrics of the groovy number have been written by Anand Bakshi while the music has been given by Jatin and Lalit Pandit. The male voice in the track is of Abhijeet Bhattacharya.
Dum Maro Dum
The track is a part of 1971 film Haré Rama Haré Krishna. The track till date is quite popular. Asha Bhosle also won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer.
Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko
The evergreen track has also been voiced by two of the most iconic male singers including Mohammed Rafi and RD Burman. The lyrics of the romantic track have been written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and Pancham.
Kahin Aag Lage
The song is a part of a film titled Taal that stars Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Akshaye Khanna, Amrish Puri, Alok Nath and Saurabh Shukla. The music composer of the track is AR Rahman. Apart from the birthday girl, Aditya Narayan and Richa Sharma too have lent their voice for the track
Further, Asha Bhosle’s non-film recordings also give a glimpse into her impact on popular culture beyond Bollywood. Since the 1980s, Bhosle has recorded ghazals and pop songs, among which the 15-track album Dil Padosi Hai (1987), with music by RD Burman and lyrics by Gulzar, is a standout.
In the 1990s, her collaborations with Western artists led to interesting results. Sometimes, the experiments did not work, as was the case of her fresh renditions of overcooked RD Burman hits in the 1996 album Rahul And I. But when they did, magic happened.
Log Kehte Hain, Aabshar-e-Ghazal (1985)
Among Bhosle’s best non-film ghazals. Hariharan has composed the song written by Urdu poet Bashir Badr.
Rishte Bante Hai, Dil Padosi Hai (1987)
Gulzar bemoans the premature end of a relationship, comparing it with the leaves on a twig that don’t get to grow old. In the same mould as Burman’s tunes for Gulzar’s film Ijaazat, Rishte Bante Hai is a melancholic affair in an album filled with hidden gems.
Boy George’s Bow Down Mister (1991)
The song’s only asset is Asha Bhosle. The silly video aside, Boy George’s hippyish lyrics (“All the Hindus know the score / If you wanna live some more / Hare, hare, hare”) seem like the work of a 12-year-old. When Bhosle’s voice finally appears near the end over the synthetic bassline, it’s a relief.
Jaanam Samjha Karo (1997)
Lesle Lewis’s update of RD Burman tunes for Rahul and I, featuring Asha Bhosle, was a dud at the level of execution simply because it’s tough to reimagine music that’s already perfect on the conceptual level. But his original tune Jaanam Samjha Karo, which was released soon after, is quite a treat.
Mera Kuch Saaman from Ijaazat, featuring Kronos Quartet (2005)
The Grammy-nominated 2005 Kronos Quartet album You’ve Stolen My Heart features rearranged versions of RD Burman-Bhosle hits with fresh vocals by the singer. Not all tracks improve upon the original. But the version of Mera Kuch Saaman here is a bit slower and feels slightly more poignant, with the string sections in tow.
Kabhi To Nazar Milao (2000)
The song that announced Adnan Sami’s arrival to the Indipop scene, Kabhi Toh Nazar Milao is a delightful ghazal sung and composed by Sami, with Bhosle providing strong support to the singer-composer.
