Evergreen Asha
By adapting to the changing tastes and constantly reinventing her music and her image, Asha Bhosle, even at 73, has successfully endeared herself to the new generation, writes
M. L. Dhawan

Asha Bhosle has widened her horizon by coming out with albums in Indipop; (left) for Umrao Jaan, she crooned soulful ghazals |
Reputed
singers like Noor
Jehan, Shamshad Begum, Amirbai Karnataki, Zohrabai Ambalewali,
etc sang in a voice best suited for ghazals. Asha Bhosle
introduced a spontaneous, free-flowing style of singing with her
debut song Sawan aaya re jagey more bhag sakhi ree... in Chunaria
under the baton of Hansraj Behl in 1948. The sensuous appeal in
her voice and the ease with which she went western was apparent
in Mr John ya baba Khan ya lala Roshandan (Baarish,
1957). With Aaiye meharbaan (Howrah Bridge), she
became an ideal choice for seductive numbers.
In Jiyo aur
jeeney do in Taxi Driver, she was coquettish,
sensual, breezy and passionate—all at the same time. Asha had
no rival in singing cabaret songs, including Geeta Dutt and
Lata. With the popularity these numbers gained, an impression
gained ground in the industry that Asha’s voice was good for
vamps, nautch girls and naughty nymphets. Her ability to convey
eroticism in her songs led to Asha getting somewhat typecast.
Initially
Asha did sound influenced by Geeta Dutt’s style but post-1957
she came into her own and by the end of the decade she was next
only to Lata on the playback scene.
O. P. Nayyar
trained Asha to lend an emotional quality to her songs. He
moulded her voice and gave her a new identity. Under Nayyar’s
baton, Asha developed into a singer who could belt out sultry,
exuberant, teasing or tragic songs. Nayyar exploited her amazing
tonal quality in Beimaan baalma gayee jaan zaalima, Lekey
pehla pehla pyaar (with Rafi, Shamshad Begum), Jaaeeye
aap kahan jayenge, Yeh hai reshmee zulfon ka andhera,
etc. In fact with each of Nayyar’s songs, Asha scaled new
heights.
Versatility may
well be Asha’s second nature. No song has been beyond her
range. R.D. Burman’s music gave a hip and happening voice to
Asha. He offered her a stimulating challenge in songs like Piya
tu ab to aaja. In Mera kuchh samaan tumhare pass pada hai
(Ijazat), Asha exuded the pathos of unrequited love.
The young generation of the 1970s rocked to Dum maro dum.
No matter how
conventional the lyrics, Asha imparts a magical touch with
inimitable flourishes. Her sense of rhythm is unparalleled. Her
capacity to be both sensual and sensitive gives her voice an
ethereal quality. Though Asha has been associated with sensual
numbers, the fact is that she has given voice to all categories
of songs. Like a vocal magician, she conveys every emotion.
She is childlike
in Bhanwara bada nadaan haaye, her voice undulates, dips
and soars in Ai Dushman-e-jaan chal diya kahaan. In Baithey
hain rahguzar pe dil ka diya jalaye, she expresses the agony
of loss and longing. Tang aa chukey hain
kash-m-kashe-e-zindagi sey hum she voices the turmoils of a
life lived alone. In Gaa merey man gaa, Sach huye
sapne terey, jhoom ley O man merey, Koi aaya
dhadkan kehti hai, etc, Asha conveys with abandon the joys
of being young and alive. While Asha can belt out playful
numbers like Paan khaye saiyyan hamar, Khat likh de
sanwariya ke naam babu, Parde mein rehne do, etc, can
charm you with soulful songs like Kis jagaha jayen kis ko
dikhlayen.
Voice modulation
helps Asha reinvent herself ever so often. She moulds her voice
to suit the scene, situation and character. To match Rekha’s
bass, Asha recorded, Yeh kya jagha hai dosto, Justjoo
jis ki thi usko to na paya humne, Dil cheez kya hai aap
meri jaan leejeeye, etc in Umrao Jaan, an
octave lower than her normal pitch and crooned ghazals that even
Lata found hard to rival.
By adapting
herself to the changing times, Asha has proved that legends
never fade away but reinvent themselves. She worked hard to
revive R.D. Burman’s music for the younger generation with
albums like Rahul and I. Her collaboration with Kronos
Quartet, You Have Stolen My Heart, was nominated for the
Grammy Awards. She also released the album Janam Samjha Karo and
collaborated with international artistes Code Red, Boy George
and Michael Stipe.
Asha has widened
her horizon by coming out with albums in Indipop and beating
Indian pop artistes on their own turf. While mastering rap and
remixis, she is still able to sing the compositions of Ustad Ali
Akbar Khan. She has made waves by bringing new patterns in her
songs by singing in the company of singers like Adnan Sami,
Shaan, etc.
At 73, Asha is
young at heart and her youthfulness shows in Lamha lamha
zindagi hai in the recently released Corporate. Time
and age have not affected her voice, which is still
scintillating. Her never-say-die attitude drives Asha to scale
new heights even now. While most of her colleagues have ceased
to be musically active on the film scene, Asha stays tuned with
times and enchants with a voice that refuses to fade away.
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