When music icon Asha Bhosle turns 90 on September 8, she will have a grand celebration — with a Broadway-style live show where she will not only perform her popular songs but also shake a leg. “I like doing extraordinary things. I decided to do a spectacular concert on my 90th birthday. I doubt if anyone in the world has achieved this feat,” she said in an exclusive interview.
Making such a choice was easy for the legend. “Music has been my life. It has given me so much,” said Bhosle, who usually spends her birthdays with her family members and loved ones. She also refrains from throwing birthday parties or going out. “This birthday, however, is different. I shall be 90. I thought, what better way to turn 90 than to do a concert,” says Bhosle. Her birthday concert, called ‘Asha@90’, will be held at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena on September 8. Her social media posts offer a sneak peek into her rehearsals for the show.
During her eight-decade long career, Bhosle has not only established herself as a musical giant but also as a versatile artiste. Yet, she believes that her “connection with music has grown stronger” with age. “I no longer just sing a tune, I feel the notes surging through my veins. It’s almost like I see the music. It’s difficult to explain. One has to feel it to understand it,” says the 1933-born singer, who is the daughter of vocalist late Deenanath Mangeshkar.
Bhosle made her playback debut at the age of 10 with the Marathi film Majha Bal (1943). Five years later, she recorded her first solo Hindi film song in the 1949-movie Raat Ki Raani. That was the year her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar shot to fame with the astounding success of Aayega aane wala in Mahal (1949). Playback singers Geeta Dutt and Shamshad Begum too were at the peak of popularity then. While finding her foothold in the highly-competitive world of film music was not a cakewalk, her life too had been a roller-coaster ride. “Initially, I had to face a lot of challenges. But then, that’s life. I faced all the difficulties head on and overcame them. This made me enjoy the good times even more,” says the Padma Vibhushan recipient, who has lent her voice to over 12,000 songs.
Over the decades, she has collaborated with talented music directors of different generations, including, OP Nayyar, Shankar-Jaikishen, RD Burman, Khayyam, Bappi Lahiri and AR Rahman. She is one of the most sought-after playback singers of India because she, unfailingly, brought her versatility, vivacity and brilliance to the recording studios. This also helped Bhosle create her “own individual style”. She says: “The most difficult part of my musical journey was to consciously create my own identity. I never wanted to be a copy or clone of someone else. Today, I am pleased that my form of music is known as the Asha Bhosle style.”
Most Read
Bhosle’s signature style reflects in her stage performances which are imbued with her spunk and flamboyance. Explaining the enduring magic in her live performances, Bhosle says: “An artiste feels truly alive while performing for a lively audience. The audience gives me energy and makes those moments of performance memorable,” she says. The Dubai concert, which has been put together by a group of nearly 50 people, is designed to be an interactive one that would encourage audience participation.
Her immense fame and adulation notwithstanding the legendary singer is grateful “for the blessings” she has received from her “parents, friends, family and gurus”. However, what she considers to be the biggest blessing in her life is “the love and affection” of her listeners. “They have tolerated me for eight decades. I love them,” Bhosle says.
Talking about her long and illustrious career in the industry, Bhosle says: “All my co-singers were wonderful in their own way. But to name a few, I would say Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Ghulam Ali were probably my favourites.” When asked about the actors who best portrayed her songs on the big screen best, she named Madhubala, Helen, Hema Malini, Sridevi, Asha Parekh, Mumtaz, Zeenat Aman, Kajol, Padmini Kolhapure, Jaya Bachchan, Poonam Dhillon and Vidya Balan.
The singer, for whom music is “equivalent to breathing”, does her riyaaz every morning. And she pursues other interests as well. “I enjoy cooking a lot, reading, travelling and writing,” shares the singer, who also loves to play online games. Known for her unique fashion sense, she says: “I create my own style of dressing, jewellery and makeup.”
As she steps into a new decade in her life, Bhosle believes that her audience can look forward to “more unique presentations in music” from her. She plans to expand her hospitality business which recently created a buzz as actor Tom Cruise dropped in at her Birmingham restaurant Asha’s and tucked into Chicken Tikka Masala.
After living a life less ordinary, Bhosle has “no regrets”. She proclaims: “I shall do it all over again given the opportunity.”
#General
0 Comments