Farewell Asha Bhosle: Songstress who emerged from the shadow of 'Lata's little sister' to becoming melody queen

Asha Bhosle, legendary singer and one of the foremost voices of Bollywood, has died at the age of 92. Her son confirmed the news on Sunday.

The death of Asha Bhosle, one of the most celebrated singers of Indian music, marks the end of an era. Asha was the last of the original great singers of Bollywood, voices that shaped the industry and the nation’s tastes. Together with her sister Lata Mangeshkar and fellow legends Mukesh, Mohammed Rafi, and Kishore Kumar, she dominated the Hindi music scene for over half a century. And now, as the junior-most member of the elite club, she is the last to depart, truly calling curtains on an era that will never return.

Asha Bhosle was the most recorded artist in the world according to Guiness Book of World Records. (Photo by SUJIT JAISWAL / AFP) (AFP)

The little sister who grew up

Asha began her singing career at the age of 9 in 1943. By then, Lata, her older sister, was already establishing herself in the industry. By the end of the decade, Lata was the first choice of most composers. And through the 50s, Asha had to contend with being called Lata’s sister. Even though she gave chartbusters during this time, she was limited - not because of any lack of talent - to a certain kind of songs, largely dance numbers and cabarets. But as younger composers entered the fray, they bet on the younger Mangeshkar sister, too. And Asha repaid their faith.

The queen of dance numbers

Be it Piya Tu Ab To Aa Ja from Caravan, Ye Mera Dil from Don, Dum Maaro Dum from Hare Rama Hare Krishna or O Haseena Zulfowali from Teesri Manzil, Asha owned the dance number genre in Bollywood for over two decades. In the 60s or 70s, if any major film had a song picturised on Helen, Asha would be the voice behind it. She diversified into other genres too, but this became her statement, her signature.

The versatile maestro

Many had assumed by the 80s that Asha was more ‘limited’ than Lata. After all, Lata had rendered thumris and ghazals in films like Pakeezah, but Asha hadn’t given those ‘tough’ songs. But Asha dispelled all those myths with a masterful performance in Umrao Jaan. She sang ghazals with as much elan and grace as Lata, winning her first National Award in the process.

A few years later, she proved her mettle with the sensitive Mera Kuch Saamaan in Ijazat, winning several new fans and another National Award. By the 80s, Asha had proved to anyone who doubted that she was much more than ‘just’ Lata’s sister.

The pathbreaker

In her personal life, Asha again chose to walk the beaten path. When she was just 16, she went against her family’s wishes and eloped with her 31-year-old secretary, Ganpatrao Bhosle. The marriage did not last long. She returned to her maternal home a few years later with two kids and another on the way. The couple separated in 1960, but Asha never dropped the last name Bhosle. It became her identity. In 1980, when she married RD Burman, she was 47 and much older than him. Again, the families were against it, but the singer persisted.