‘I faced difficulties but when I look back, it all looks mazedar’
Music, like an ever-flowing river, never ends, said Asha Bhosle. As she turned 90 on September 8 with a live concert in Dubai, India’s singer for all times and ages could well be describing her career that started an incredible eight decades ago.
“At the age of 90, I have to stand for three hours on stage and sing songs. I’m happy I can do this at this age,” Bhosle told PTI in an interview before the show happened.
She sang her first film song, ‘Chala Chala Nav Bala’, for the Marathi film ‘Majha Bal’ in 1943. Eighty years and some 12,000 songs later, Bhosle was ready to hold the stage again, as she showed no signs of slowing down.
She said simply that music is like breathing. And it wasn’t always easy, said the singer, whose voice has emoted every nuance and every mood for actors down the generations, right from Meena Kumari to Kajol and hundreds of others in between.
“For me, music is my breath. I have spent my life with this thought. I have given a lot to music. I feel good that I’ve come out of difficult times. Many times, I felt I would not be able to survive, but I did,” Bhosle said.
From peppy numbers such as ‘Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja’ and ‘O Haseena Zulfon Wali’ to soulful ghazals like ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’ and the classical ‘Tora Man Darpan Kehlaye’, Asha Bhosle has been the voice millions of Indians have tuned into day and night.
Versatile could well be her middle name. Ever ready to experiment, her music has found popularity with international bands too. ‘Black Eyed Peas’ used the music of some of her songs. She also collaborated with Boy George and Stephen Lauscombe, as well as with international cricketer Brett Lee. In 2020, she marked her ‘YouTube’ debut with the single ‘Main Hoon’, dedicated to spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
“Music never ends, as it’s like a river. If anyone says, ‘I feel complete’, then this is wrong to say because no one is complete. It is always about how you can change or evolve with time,” she said.
“I’ve sung songs for the main artist and the dancers as well. I believe I could fit in well with anyone. But I wish I had sung more songs in different languages. I wish I could have done more classical singing,” Bhosle added.
