In support of Thrumyeyes Entertainment
The eight day Devi Mahagauri is incarnated in the Janani Asha Bhosle, her songs are the integral part of our happiness while she was fighting against the destiny. Thus proving success and fame comes at a price.
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You know me through my voice, the voice that never failed to give you positivity, happiness and aspirations. It also made you fall in love. But while I was singing for you, I had to face many a storms. The life of glamour came with vigorous hardships and personal losses of a failed marriage, seeing the death of my two children and a career of rivalry and working relationships.
My journey began from a small village of Goar in Sangli where I was born into the musical family. My father was a well known classical singer performing in marathi theatre. And my mother a simple gujrati woman called Shevanti. At home, the music flowed through our hearts and we all siblings rehearsed the entire day. I was blessed to have 3 sisters and a brother.
My bond with my sisters was unique, I was very attached to my elder sisiter Lata tai, the legendary singer who went on to became a nightingale of Bollywood. When everything was going well, I faced a great loss, when my father died, I was only 9 years old. This situation placed my family under considerable financial hardship. Family decides to move from Pune to Kolhapur and later settled in Bombay to make a living. From early childhood Lata tai And me started singing in films. My first film song was ’Chala Chala Nav Bala’ for a marathi film Majha Bal. My singing career started when I was a teenager.
At my prime stage of career, I always remained in the shadows of Lata tai, while her career was shaping up well, I hardly had any good films for my credits. The songs not taken up by Lata tai came my way and were mostly for B and C grade films. It made me frustrated and insecure, when I had all the talent and versatility to get good work.
At 16 my personal life got into troubled shores. I fell in love with 31 year old Ganpatrao Bhosle; personal secretary to Lata tai and me. I was resolute in my decision to marry him, it was much against the wishes of my family especially Lata tai. So I went ahead And eloped with him. However my marriage to Mr. Bhosle was short lived and I had no choice but to come back to my mother’s home. I had to constantly deal with a suspicious husband and ill-treated behaviour by my in-laws. The marriage ended painfully in 1960 when I was thrown out by my husband with two young children in hand and pregnant with the third child. Anand, Hemant and Varsha are the names of my children… and then began the second innings of my life as a single parent.
My songs reflected my attitude to life. A fun-filled and a carefree outlook. My songs brought out the yearning for fulfillment in life, an unabashed celebration of love, longing and lust. Above all, my joy for life was more than evident in my singing.
Year 1956 marked a major turning point in my career. My songs from film CID started getting public attention. This was the beginning of O.P. Nayyar and my collaboration. After a number of super hit songs under O.P. Nayyar, I became one of his favourite singers and our team is best remembered for the breezy and sirenish songs. Many assumed that we were in romantic relationship but we maintained a productive relationship for several decades. Finally in August 1972 we ended our musical melody and parted our ways. After years, it was an honour to read in OP Nayar’s interview, “I can say that the most important person in my life was Asha Bhosle. She was the best person I ever met.”
Building upon the success of C.I.D, Director BR Chopra gave me ‘Naya Daur’ in 1957, this collaboration became very successful and did a long successful term together.
This caught attention of a very promising music director R.D. Burman with whom I established an even stronger collaboration. Some important work with R.D. Burman, are Dum Maro Dum, Duniya Mein, Jaane Jaan and Dhoondhta Phir Raha. In the 1970s, our youthful Western songs took Bollywood music by storm. Even tbough when I was the mother of three and Bubs ( I lovingly called RD) was 6 years younger to me, we decided to take our professional collaboration to a beautiful married relationship made for each other. We got married in 1980.and our marriage lasted until his death in 1994. After losing the love of my life from whom I learnt the versatility of music. I started keeping busy by reinventing myself and doing international concerts and music.
From early 1990’s till today in 21st century, I have not allowed my age to stand in the way of embracing new musical styles. ‘Janam Samjha Karo’ was the shining example of non filmy solo which broke the records. In my entire career I waS blessed to work with the finest Music director from OP Nayar to AR Rehman and many more.
But glamorous Bollywood there is a world which is fraught with frictions. It survives on the rumours seeded for publicity. Hence over the years rivalries and enmities arise as easily as long term collaborations. One of the most famous rivalries was within the same house, between Lata tai and me. It was a mixture of personal family misunderstandings but tabloids turned it into professional rivalry.
A distinguished career covering more than 75 years allowed me to acquire many honours but put me at my personal irreparable loss. In 1992 tragedy struck when my daughter, Varsha committed suicide at our Peddar Road home. She shot herself in the head while I was away in Singapore. My daughter was a journalist and a columnist but had a troubled life. She suffered from mood swings, which only I as a mother was able to understand, it is still shocking to digest the fact my daughter Varsha was not able to handle the pressure of being the daughter of Asha Bhosle.
If this was not enough, a second tragedy struck and in September 2015, I lost my elder son, Hemant, who died in Scotland. Hemant was battling cancer for many year.
I was a painting a picture of positivity despite being engulfed in personal tragedies. Many people asked me to write my biography to be made into a film. Although I have already finished writing an autobiography with all the true details, I will not publish it. I feel the real stories should be left for oneself to remember and not be converted into a film. Infact, till I’m alive, I will make people remember me through my music and keep spreading my love to people.
I am also known for my interests and skills outside of music. Many of my film industry friends have always asked me to cook for them. My fondness for cooking has lead me to become an entrepreneur and got me involved in several restaurants in Dubai, Kuwait & United Kingdom, not surprisingly the name of my restaurants is Asha’s.
My contribution to the world of music has given me many awards and honours, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 for her outstanding contribution to Indian cinema. The Freddie Mercury Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts. I am honoured with the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India. I am in the top 20 music icons of the past 50 years. In 2011 the Guinness Book of World Records officially acknowledged me, at The Asian Awards, as the most recorded artist in the history of music.
Today at 87, I am still very active as a entrepreneur, a writer, a vocalist and enjoy the warmth of care and love amongst my grand children. I love seeing them sing and taking my legacy forwards.
I truly believe, Life is a music make it musical.
Written by Anjusha Chaughule