Bollywood singer Asha Bhosle’s stage debut in South Africa was a performance to remember for fans.
The 83-year-old singer said it was her dream to perform in the country and she felt blessed that it got fulfilled around Gandhi Jayanti (October 2).
“It was the birthday of Gandhi ji, who meant so much to both South Africa and India, the Navratri festival is upon us, and today is also the beginning of Muharram, the Muslim new year.
“What better blessings could I have asked for for my first tour to South Africa that I have wanted to do for the past 26 years?” Bhonsle told more than 3,000 fans who flew in from all over the country and the African continent on Sunday night.
A day before, Bhosle performed to a packed house in Durban, home to more than half of the country’s 1.4 million Indian-origin citizens.
Bhosle was joined by rising singer Javed Ali.
“I have wanted to come here for so many years, hearing about this wonderful country and seeing photographs, but it was not God’s will.
“Now, his blessings and yours have brought me here,” Bhonsle said to thundering applause and a standing ovation, even before singing a single line.
Singing a wide range of tracks from the thousands of songs she has recorded in her career, Bhosle also regaled the audience with snippets about her life and the inspirations behind some of those songs.
For promoter Rakesh Maharaj, Bhosle’s tour was the fulfilment of his own dream, which started when he brought the first major Bollywood show to South Africa in 1984.
“Since then, I have done so many other shows and assisted with so many Bollywood productions, but there was still always the dream of bringing out the last singing legend from the great group of Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar [Bhosle’s older sister who has toured South Africa] and Asha Bhosle,” Maharaj said.
