Asha still reigns supreme

Indian singer Asha Bhosle has sung of sweet success since 1946


Zip, zing and zest. That's Asha Bhosle for you. The more I analyse Asha's singing career, the more amazing it seems. Rise, plateau and decline are the usual stages of any artistic career but Asha has defied that rule. If Asha's career-graph in last decade is any indication, then the lady is still climbing higher and higher on the ladder of success, giving competitors young enough to be her grand-daughters a run for their money.

Asha is reborn

It was Rahman's Rangeela in 1995 that did the trick. Before that even the seemingly ageless voice of Asha was losing its enthusiasm. She had just lost her husband and her dream composer — R.D. Burman; the quality of film music was slipping and there was nothing more to accomplish — or so it seemed. It was then, A.R. Rahman called her to render Tanha Tanha and Yaai Re Yaai Re. She went to Chennai wondering what tunes that seemingly mute man with a weird hippy hairstyle was going to conjure up but when she finished the recordings, she knew something special had happened. Asha's feisty firebrand seductive voice provided the perfect expression for Ram Gopal Verma's vision and Urmila Matondkar's oomph and the music-world was simply floored. Asha was reborn to captivate yet another generation of listeners.

No wonder, Asha is effusive when speaking about Rahman. She says, "Rahman is a world class composer. He gives me a free hand and experiments a lot. That's why we have been able
to come out with some interesting music."

The MTV-generation

It was also the time the MTV influence was invading Indian sub-continental musical sensitivities and a more hip, more happening (read: more Westernised) music was capturing the imagination of young, urban listeners. Pop and remixes were becoming by-words for success. Asha took up the challenge head on and delivered. Lezz Lewis composed Jaanam Samjha Karo and Asha did the rest. On the heel of that Indipop-success came her two remix albums — Rahul And I and Asha — Once More. The verdict: a super success.

The old diva had effortlessly adapted to new beats and new styles. If any further confirmation was needed, it was furnished by an even more successful Indipop album with Adnan Sami, Kabhie To Nazar Milao. This was not the first time the veteran singer had gone out of her way to work with a youngster, helping him establish his credentials in show-biz.

Explaining her musical philosophy, Asha says, "I am still enjoying my musical journey because I never look back, nor do I sit on past laurels. There's always some more to do, new fields to explore."

Hot Item Numbers

Yes, there were minor glitches like the lukewarm response to her ghazal album with Khayyam or her none-too-successful self composed album Aap Ki Asha, but overall, Asha albums had swamped the pop and remix music market. Film music was always her own backyard where for years she was singing all kinds of songs with minimum fuss — be it a soulful bhajan like Tora Man Darpan Kahlaye, a soft sentimental song like Kaali Ghata Chhaye, a ghazal like Dil Cheez Hai or a sizzling cabaret number like Piya Tu Ab To Aaja. But now her speciality item numbers started becoming even hotter and songs like Le Gayi Le Gayi, Kambakht Ishq and Khallas entrenched her firmly as the youngest, hottest voice in town — at the sweet little age of 70!

For connoisseurs, the only regret may be that even now she is seldom getting opportunity to show the rich sentimental side of her voice — superb songs like Radha Kaise Na Jale or Yeh Lamha Filhaal Jeelene De being exceptions. Yet Asha denies any regrets and insists, "I am happy with my work over these years. Not many singers have had the opportunity to do what I have done."

Awards galore

The semi-retirement of her illustrious elder sister and a constant competitor — Lata Mangeshkar has also had an indirect bearing on Asha's recent successes. Constantly sidelined by Lata's lofty artistic achievements, Asha had in the past always played the part of an 'also ran' for most of her career but with Lata finally giving in to age, the younger sister has enjoyed her solo run in the sun.

Awards such as the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2002) or the Indian Woman Of The Year Award (2004) have come her way in recent years. Few can grudge her success. Her talent, her versatility, have deserved all that and more.

Critically speaking, I don't think this phase of her career would ever be counted as Asha's finest artistic hour, but commercially it has certainly been her best. With a ghazal album, a classical album and plenty of film songs lined up for release, Asha is set to dazzle the world for at least a decade more. Not bad for a lady who began her musical journey way back in 1946.

Asha in concert

Asha Bhosle has been a marvel to watch in her live performances, right from the the late seventies when she appeared on the television concert show Yeh Hai Asha. Not only is she a great singer, she is a great performer, too.

On stage, she regales the audience with tales from the interesting episodes in her eventful life. She is not averse to perform a Hrithik-jig to go with the song or to mimic the style of her elder sister. Others might be lip-synching to taped songs, but this 'cheating' is not for Asha.

Tremendous effort goes into planning her concerts. The mood, the orchestration, the associated items — everything is carefully chosen to make every concert unique. All that makes for an enjoyable evening out where one experiences an all time legend.

On April 22, Asha will perform at the Dubai International Convention Centre at Dubai World Trade Centre. The show is presented by Talent Brokers. Incidentally she will be the first Asian artiste to perform there. With its comfortably cushioned and ergonomically placed chairs ready to house an audience of 3,500 and its state-of-the art V-Dos sound system, this venue is a dream venue for a discerning audience.

This concert has been a special project for Asha. She says, "I am coming back to Dubai after three years. If I was only after money I could have done a show every six months, but I want to be my best in each and every show. This particular show is targeted at a smaller and exclusive 'listening' audience. There will be all types of songs — both of my choice and audience choice. After going through thousands of requests from fans, radio stations and promoters, I have chosen the songs that everyone will like to hear."

Dubai, get ready for Asha, the wait is finally over.


A youthful, romantic voice

Playback singer Amit Kumar, son of actor-singer Kishore Kumar, will perform in Dubai with Asha Bhosle on April 22

He is his daddy's son in the truest sense. Amit Kumar was barely ten when his father — the legendary Kishore Kumar presented him as his screen-son in the film Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein.

Amit's scene-stealing role as a child who has lost his ability to speak after a horrific event and his nice folksy song in this film showed a rare multi-faceted artistic talent, similar to his gen