Asha Bhosle laid to rest with full state honours; son Anand Bhosle performs last rites as loved ones, fans gather

The final rites of Asha Bhosle were held with full state honours on Monday at the Shivaji Park Crematorium in Mumbai. Her loved ones paid their last respects.

Legendary singer Asha Bhosle was cremated with full state honours in Mumbai on Monday. Her last rites took place at the Shivaji Park Crematorium and were performed by her son, Anand Bhosle. A large number of fans and loved ones gathered to send her off and pay their final respects.

Asha Bhosle was laid to rest with full state honours in Mumbai on Monday. (PTI/Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

Asha Bhosle laid to rest with full state honours

On Monday afternoon, Asha’s loved ones were allowed to visit her home in Lower Parel to pay their respects. Numerous celebrities, including Tabu, Sachin Tendulkar, Ranveer Singh, Riteish Deshmukh and others, were seen getting emotional as they consoled her granddaughter, Zanai Bhosle. Her casket was adorned with white lilies and wrapped in tricolour at her home, and given a gun salute by the Mumbai police at the crematorium.

Towards the evening, a van adorned with flowers took ‘Asha tai’ as she was fondly known to the crematorium. Fans climbed balconies and terraces in buildings along the way and showered her with flowers as they bid adieu. Her family and a few loved ones accompanied the van to the final resting place. Fans, political leaders and many from the film industry gave her a send-off. Her son, Anand, performed the last rites. Singers like Shaan and Sudesh Bhosale gave her a musical tribute before her cremation, while others like Shreya Ghoshal remembered her at concerts.

Vicky Kaushal, Aamir Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Padmini Kolapuri and Jackie Shroff were among those seen at Shivaji Park, along with political leaders like Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Rashmi Thackeray, and Aaditya Thackeray.

Uttam Singh on Asha Bhosle

Asha died at the age of 92 on Sunday. Music composer Uttam Singh spoke to ANI and remembered her as not just a great artist but as a warm-hearted human being. Recalling an old memory, he shared how she once cooked food for his team late at night after a recording session. “It was around 1:30 at night. As we were about to leave, she saw us and asked us to wait. Within minutes, she went inside, cooked chicken and rice herself, and insisted we eat before leaving. She was that kind of person,” he said.

After news broke of Asha’s death on Sunday, tributes poured in from across the country. Shah Rukh Khan wrote, “It's truly sad to learn about Asha Tai's passing. Her voice has been one of the pillars of Indian cinema and will continue to resonate across the world for centuries to come.” Several others, such as Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan, also paid tribute to her.