Encore! Asha Bhosle sings again for Bengali films

In the mid-70s to 90s, Bhosle, 81, regularly sang in Bengali films to tunes set by famous music directors like Sudhin Dasgupta, Nachiketa and Hemanta Mukherjee. R D Burman-Asha Puja albums were also much-awaited by their fans.

Legendary singer

HT Image

Asha Bhosle

has lent her voice in a Bengali movie after eight long years, for a situational song in Sanjay Nag's Parapar.

In the mid-70s to 90s, Bhosle, 81, regularly sang in Bengali films to tunes set by famous music directors like Sudhin Dasgupta, Nachiketa and Hemanta Mukherjee. R D Burman-Asha Puja albums were also much-awaited by their fans.

"We sent the scratch to Asha ji and she called back the next day. Once she crooned the lines, I had goosebumps. I wanted some changes here and there, but couldn't utter a word," Sourendro of the Sourendro-Soumyajit duo, who are the music directors of Parapar, said.

"She sensed and asked what I wanted. When explained, she then rendered it exactly the way I wanted," he said.

Soumyajit said the song retained the typical Asha Bhosle touch as in R D Burman's Ekta Deshlai Kathi Jalao or Sandhyebelay tumi ami bose achhi of the 80s.

"It took nearly a month to complete the recording and she never failed a date," he said.

Director Sanjoy Nag, who earlier directed Memories In March starring Deepti Naval, said the husky, dulcet pitch required for the song was not possible by anybody other than Bhosle.

Besides Bhosle, popular Bollywood singer Papon lent his voice to a song Mukhomukhi featuring Martin Kuebert and Achim Fink.

"It is anytime a privilege to be part of a film having Asha ji on board," popular Bollywwood singer Papon who has sang for films like Barfi, Madras Cafe and Special 26, said.

Nag said his film Parapar was an eclectic mix where musicians of different genres and of different places, from Asha Bhosle to Papon, Kaushiki to Chandrani Banerjee, have sung eight tracks.