Asha Bhosle: The Many Moods of a Matchless Voice

Asha Bhosle (Pic courtesy: Internet)

Asha Bhosle – the name conjures up such a mesmerising medley of songs, spanning genres and styles that you are left wondering what to pick from her awe-inspiring repertoire.

From classical songs to ghazals, from devotional to pop, from melancholic to comic, from club songs to pathos-laden songs – Asha Bhosle traversed the gamut of Hindi film music with élan. Each song she rendered carried her indelible stamp – the texture, the tone, the verve and the pathos, so uniquely hers. One could immediately recognise that it was an Asha song and yet, it was never out of place with the situation or the actress on whom it was filmed.

Today, the legendary singer has left for her eternal abode, leaving behind her enduring aura and an unmatched legacy. We remember her with a hand-picked selection of songs, that display, to some extent, her massive range.

Ambar ki ik paak surahi

Written by Amrita Pritam, this is poetry woven into a beautiful melody by the renowned sitarist Ustad Vilayat Khan. The film Kadambari, was one of those middle-of-the-road films that created an offbeat genre of films in the 70s, bringing middle class realities to the screen. Starring Shabana Azmi and Vijay Arora, the film came and went but left behind this soft, melodious song that one can hum in solitude. The song is replete with striking imagery. Asha begins the song with a heavenly alaap.

kaise iskaa karz chukaayen
maang ke apni maut ke haathon
umar ki choli see hai hamne,
baat kufr ki ki hai hamne
ambar ki ik paak suraahi,
baadal kaa ik jaam uthaa kar

Ambar ki paak surahi (Kadambari, 1975) Ustad Vilayat Khan / Amrita Pritam / Asha Bhosle

Re man sur mein gaa

Love Triangle or Love Square, call it what you will, Lal Patthar with its four-cornered love story stands out not only for its powerful performances and unusual storyline but also for its unforgettable semi-classical music by Shankar-Jaikishan.

Based on a story ‘Lal Paathor’ by eminent Bengali writer Prashanto Choudhury, this FC Mehra film starring Raaj Kumar, Hema Malini, Rakhee and Vinod Mehra is a remake of the 1964 Uttam Kumar-Supriya Choudhury starrer Lal Patthar, which was directed by Sushil Majumdar and was equally known for its music.

A story of intense passion, jealousy, love and rage that consumes everything and everyone around – Lal Patthar is unlike the usual run-of-the-mill masala films.

Re man sur mein gaa is a song that transcends time. Gopaldas Neeraj writes a song celebrating music – music is the rhythm of life, the highs and lows of it are like madhyam and pancham.

Jeevan hai sukh-dukh ka sangam
Madhyam ke sang jaise pancham
Donon ko ek bana

The heart beats in tune with the rhythm of time, so just let yourself flow.

Dil jo dhadake taal baje re
Taal taal mein samay chale re
Samay ke sang ho ja

Music is the universe, where tune is the king and melody the queen. Be the instrument which plays along.

Jag hai geeton ki rajdhaani
Sur hai raaja, lay hai raani
saaz-roop ban ja

Profound and so deep, isn’t it? One wonders, if only, one can look at life as music – melodious and rhythmic in every note.

Amazing aalaps and murkis by Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle, and a fascinating use of instruments by Shankar-Jaikishan. Well, you don’t have too many songs like this one. A class apart!

Re man sur mein ga (Lal Patthar, 1975) Shankar-Jaikishan / Neeraj / Asha Bhosle and Manna Dey

Kaali ghata chhaye mora jiya tarsaaye

Aise mein kahin koi mil jaaye – that’s how the song begins with humming and an alaap (not with the first line Kaali ghata chhaye). It is Sujata’s secret wish, singing all to herself. The looming clouds are her audience. And we are too.

Nutan looks exquisitely beautiful with Bimal Roy capturing her most photogenic profiles. It’s a song synonymous with the onset of rains – not pouring rains. It’s the first song that comes to mind as soon as the sky darkens.

Sujata quietly closes the door before singing – so it’s just us who hear her song. Majrooh Sahab does what he loves doing – writing from a woman’s point of view. Burman Dada uses his favourite flutes. There are two flutes – one low-scale wind flute in the prelude and the other a high-scale flute. The sitar and tabla are soft, rippling like flowing rainwater. “The taal is an 8 matra Keharva, which is so very well designed as if raindrops are falling.”

Asha sings from her soul – just notice the delicate velvet-like expressions (so different from the masti-laden Asha).

hoon main kitni akeli wo yeh jaante
mere berang jeewan ko pehchaante
mere haathon ko thaame hanse aur hansaaye
mera dukh bhulaaye kisi ka kya jaaye

Bimal Roy makes this song and scene the world of the lonely Sujata. She has the clouds and the flowers and the plants as her friends. And wishes someone would just come and hold her hand, make her laugh and forget her sorrow.

Simple girl, simple wishes.
Simple lyrics, simple music.
When they come together – they create a masterpiece. And it is Asha, bringing it to us.

Kaali ghata chhaye (Sujata, 1975) SD Burman / Majrooh Sultanpuri / Asha Bhosle 

Piya, piya, piya mera jiya pukaare

We can have a full article on just Asha’s humming and alaaps.  SD Burman wrote in his autobiography Sargamer Nikhad, “Lata’s sister Asha is also a very high calibre artist. She has that youthful vigour in her. With the two sisters, it was worth experimenting as they went merry with all types of songs. Asha, also has the rare quality of singing all kinds of songs, from the husky type to the soft ones. This is a great quality in a singer.”¹ Dada’s innovative spirit flashed brightly in O nigahein mastana, where he made Kishore sing the song and interspersed his lines with Asha’s delectable humming and an aalap in the last interlude.

While on humming, we can think of the ultimate tonga song – the prankster Kishore Kumar and the pigtailed Chand Usmani. What more do you need to start bobbing wherever you are. The song is packed with exuberance and energy. It’s a romance with love and with life, with an irrepressible urge to celebrate the joy of living. And yes, Asha’s alaap – that famous interrupted one with Kishore Kumar on screen putting up his hand to stop Chand Usmani’s “aaaa”.

Enjoy the tug-bug-tug-bug song… 😊

Piya, piya, piya mera jiya pukaare (Baap re Baap, 1955) O P Nayyar / Jaan Nisar Akhtar / Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle

Sa sa sa sa re

When Kishore and Asha are at the microphone for a fun song, they turn on the humour valve fully. There are umpteen examples of their comic songs together. But since we are talking about aalap, here’s one that’s a pure tongue-in-cheek take on classical music.

So we have Kishore Kumar singing “classical” music, vigorously shaking with every note he sings. The more he shakes, the more classical it gets!! And the tabalchi and Mama ji strumming the tanpura start shaking too. Mama ji is initially a bit suspicious at Kishore’s antics but gets totally lost in the music with his eyes closed. So much so that Kishore winds his arm around the tanpura and starts strumming it ulta! So you have two people strumming one tanpura!

Hindi films have stretched dramatic irony beyond every possible limit and this is no exception. So we all know what’s going on between the two lovebirds who sing about ‘marega Mama’ but Mama is in a trance.

Shailendra cooks up a rapid “classical” exchange between Kishore and Asha in verse right under the nose of Mamaji. SD Burman brings out his naughtiest side to create a hilarious piece that has generous doses of Kishore Kumar’s madcapism, with Asha following the cue brilliantly.  The pièce de resistance is Kishore breaking into a rapid-fire sargam – ‘vasco da ga ma’ with teen taal on the tabalchi’s head. Can’t stop giggling when this one is on – a solid mood uplifter.

Sa sa sa sa re (Naughty Boy, 1962) SD Burman / Shailendra / Asha Bhosle and  Kishore Kumar and

Sa sa sa sa re ga ga ga ga re

Aanki chali, baanki chali

Asha Bhosle, RD Burman and Gulzar made a team that found a delicious joy in breaking the set norms of music. From the blank verse of Mera kuchh saaman to the semi-classical Piya bawri and a whole album of exceptional songs in Dil Padosi Hai, the trio came up with immortal songs. One such unforgettable album was Namkeen, where Asha’s voice was used in a range of songs – from the melancholic Phir se aayo badra bidesi, and the mujra Badi der se megha barsa to the sing-song folk-styled Aanki chali baanke chali.

Trust Gulzar to come up with these lines which only one who knows about Bengal’s food culture can relate to. Why he put them in is anybody’s guess but they sure are a teaser! For those who don’t know the meaning of the lines – Paanta bhaate taatka baigun poRRa  – this is actually a simple meal of boiled rice with its water retained, topped with a freshly roasted eggplant – it is a sufficiently filling and nutritious meal for people who cannot afford the regular dal-chawal-subzi-bhaaji-chutney meal.

Asha Bhosle supported by Alka Yagnik excels in this beauty of a creation. RD Burman uses the beat of the huge mortar to lend a lively note to the giggling sisters singing as they work.

Aanki chali baanki chali (Namkeen, 1982)  RD Burman / Gulzar / Asha Bhosle and Alka Yagnik

Deewana mastana hua dil

Bombai Ka Babu was a story way ahead of its times and a stellar star cast of Dev Anand and Bengal’s queen of hearts Suchitra Sen. The film gave Majrooh Sultanpuri and Burman Dada the scope to create a necklace of sparkling songs of myriad hues.

Asha and Rafi ruled in this musical. Think of the vivacious Suchitra Sen with her magnetic screen presence making a million hearts turn with Dekhne mein bhola hai dil ka salona and Aise mein kachu kaha nahin jaye (both sung by Asha). Or her effervescent, verve-laden celebration of spring with Dev Anand in Deewana mastana hua dil. Asha’s heavenly alaap and sargam flags off a fun Rafi-Asha duet where Majrooh’s lyrics celebrate nature, beauty, love and longing, buoyed by Burman Dada’s youthful music. Another Rafi-Asha duet Pawan chale to utthe was equally frolic-laden.²

In a BBC interview, Asha Bhosle spoke about how Dada Burman taught her the art of playback singing. The interviewer asked: “Yeh bataiye, kisi ek music director ne aapko jazbaati taur par khencha hai zyaada?”

Asha replied, “Jee haan. Jinhone mujhe playback singing kya hai woh sikhaya. Aur bahut zyada, apni ladki jaisa pyar karte thhe. Aur yeh batate thhe ki artist bolta kaise hai, dikhta kaise hai, uski figure kaisi hai — yeh sab cheez ko dekhke gaana gao. Aur yeh unhone sikhaya jinka naam hai SD Burman. Dada kehte thhe hum.”

I loved the way Monica Kar explained this inexplicable X-factor when Asha sang under Dada Burman’s music direction. She wrote, “SD Burman’s songs expressed a different facet of her personality. Something deeper, more resilient, a voice with a soul. Dada Burman explored her voice, not just for its range, but for its depth.”

As spring gives way to summer now, let’s listen to Deewana mastana hua dil once more to bid adieu to the season and the singer.

Deewana mastana hua dil (Bombai Ka Babu, 1960) SD Burman / Majrooh Sultanpuri / Asha Bhosle and Mohd Rafi

Naina hai pyaase mere

Talking of emoting, one cannot help but think of how these singers made every embellishment sound so natural in the song. Asha’s happy giggle at the end of the deeply introspective song Naina hain pyaase mere adds a dimension to the song, taking it to another level. Composed by the under rated Kanu Roy, this is a gem in the pearl-studded album of Aavishkar.

Naina hai pyaase mere (Aavishkar, 1973) Kanu Roy / Kapil Kumar / Asha Bhosle

Kal ke apne na jaane kyun, ho gaye aaj paraye

Asha Bhosle’s versatility extended across genres, styles and also languages. She sang songs in various languages, including English. Apart from an enviable body of work in Hindi and her native Marathi, she had a rich repertoire in Bengali too. She could speak Bangla with ease, if not with expertise; not surprisingly, music directors from Bengal chose her for their film songs, Rabindra Sangeet and non-film (adhunik) songs. When singer-composer Shyamal Mitra forayed into Hindi music, he picked Asha to sing the pensive Kal ke apne na jaane kyun, ho gaye aaj paraye in Amanush.

Asha’s forte of getting into the heart of the character she would sing for is evident in this gem, picturised on Sharmila Tagore and Uttam Kumar. The pain bursts forth in every word, with the singer emoting the song as much as the actress on screen.

Kal ke apne na jaane kyun ( Amanush, 1975) Shyamal Mitra / Indeevar / Asha Bhosle

Kon shey aalor swapno niye

The one song that takes me away, far away in an instant, is this ethereal beauty from Pratham Kadam Phool. Music director Sudhin Dasgupta exploits the pitch of Asha’s voice so beautifully, making it rise and fall to create a dreamy song about taking flight into the unknown. The song is picturised on a gorgeous Tanuja singing by the riverside, almost to herself, although Soumitra Chatterjee (playing her husband) and Shubhendu Chatterjee look on in admiration. Even if you don’t understand the lyrics, simply immerse yourself in the melody. You will find yourself spreading your wings into the azure sky as Asha scales up with Chhaya neel shimaanaye…

Kon shey aalor swapno niye (Pratham Kadam Phool, 1969) Sudhin Dasgupta / Pulak Bandyopadhyay / Asha Bhosle

References:

1. 1. Chowdhury, H. Q. (2018). Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman. Blue Pencil.
   2. Premchand, Manek (2021). Majrooh Sultanpuri: The Poet For All Reasons. Blue Pencil

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