Asha Bhosle on turning 88: I want to resume live shows
On her 88th birthday, veteran singer Asha Bhosle says she just wants to lend her voice to good songs
Every year, veteran singer Asha Bhosle opts for a quiet family time over big celebrations for her birthday, and that’s exactly the plan for her 88th birthday on September 8. “I haven’t celebrated my birthday for many years. Ghar mein simple sa hota hai mahul, aur bacche cake kaat lete hain. Party ya zyada kuch nahi hota. Birthday is not a special day for me. Hum toh buddhe hote hai us din. It is something that kids celebrate,” confesses Bhosle, adding, “I celebrated my birthday once when I turned 75. We invited every singer I’ve worked with and share a close bond with. Uske baad, I asked my family to refrain from (throwing) a party. This year, I will be in Lonavala with my daughter-in-law and grand-daughter.”
Walking down the memory lane, Bhosle shares, “Earlier, I would spend my birthday in the recording studio. I remember many people from the industry, including Shankar–Jaikishan and RD Burman, would keep a recording on my birthday, phir sab milkar dhol, tashe, tabla bajate the.”
The Chura Liya Hai, Piya Tu Ab Toh Aa Ja and Dum Maro Dum singer has been rendering songs for almost eight decades and one thing that has travelled with her in all these years is her passion for work, which is intact, as she spends her days doing riyaaz for classical music even now. “But when it comes to the professional sphere, I want to just sing songs that are really good. Recently, one producer called me, saying, ‘Suna hai ab aap gaati nahin ho.’ I told him aisa kuch nahin hai. I recently worked on a song for a Marathi film,” she shares.
Ask her if the thought of retirement has crossed her mind, and the singer says no. “Just before the pandemic, I did three live shows. It was because of the Covid-19 crisis that many of my shows got cancelled. Pandemic mein toh puri duniya hi baith gai. I’m just waiting for things to get normal, so that I can resume my live shows,” admits Bhosle.
