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Asha Bhosle, the most versatile singer of Indian music, has passed away at the age of 92. He ruled the film industry for seven decades with his voice. But Asha Tai, who started her career after losing her father at the age of 9, had to struggle a lot in the initial stages.
In 1947, a recordist rejected him as he had a ‘bad throat’, but he did not give up. On the basis of his hard work, he sang more than 12,000 songs in 20 languages and got his name registered in the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’.
The biggest challenge for Asha ji was to prove herself amidst the ‘ideal’ image of her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar. He cleverly incorporated western touch and modulation into his voice, which made him different from others. When people thought that she could only sing cabaret, then she proved her singing ability by singing the ghazals of ‘Umrao Jaan’.
Asha Bhosle proved her mastery in every genre from classical music to cabaret, pop and ghazal.
Late singer Asha Bhosle.
Born in Sangli, Maharashtra, father was a classical singer
Asha Bhosle was born on 8 September 1933 in Sangli, Maharashtra. She was the daughter of renowned classical singer and theater artist Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar. There was a musical atmosphere in the house from the very beginning. His siblings Lata Mangeshkar, Meena Khadikar, Usha Mangeshkar and Hridaynath Mangeshkar were also associated with the world of music.
When Asha was just 9 years old, her father Dinanath Mangeshkar died in 1942. After the father’s departure, the family faced a financial crisis. To support the family, Lata and Asha started singing and playing small roles in films at a very young age.
Journey from Marathi film to Bollywood
Asha Bhosle started her singing career in 1943 with the song ‘Chala Chala Nav Bada’ from a Marathi film ‘Majha Bal’. He got his first opportunity in Hindi cinema in 1948 with the song ‘Sawan Aaya’ from the film ‘Chunariya’.
In the initial phase, Asha used to get the songs which were left out by leading singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum or Geeta Dutt. At that time he was often called to sing for villains, dancers or side characters in films.
Said the voice was bad, got rejection from the studio
The voice which is recognized across the world today was once rejected. In 1947, when Asha was in the early stages of her career, she went to the famous studio with Kishore Kumar to record a song for the film ‘Jaan Pehchaan’ (composer: Khemchand Prakash). The recordist there, Robin Chatterjee, after hearing his voice, said, “This voice will not work, his throat is bad, call someone else.”
At that time Asha was thrown out of the studio saying that her voice was not good. Kishore Kumar was very saddened by this incident. It was 2 o’clock in the night and both of them were sitting sad at Mahalaxmi railway station.
Then it was Asha who consoled Kishore Da and said that no one can stop his voice. This rejection did not break hope, but inspired me to become better.
RD Burman was a big turning point in his career.
Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt dominated Bollywood in the 50s and 60s. Shamshad Begum was famous for her tinkling voice and Geeta Dutt for her sad and western style songs.
When Geeta Dutt started staying away from recording due to problems in her personal life, O.P. Nayyar and S.D. Musicians like Burman turned to Asha Bhosle.
In the 1950s, Nair recognized the sound of hope. Their collaboration, which started with the film ‘Mangu’ in 1954, proved to be a blockbuster by the time it reached ‘CID’ (1956) and ‘Naya Daur’ (1957). The new era songs ‘Maang Ke Saath Tumhara’ and ‘Ude Jab Jab Zulfen Tumhara’ included her among the top mainstream singers.
Subsequently, in the 1960s and 70s, his pairing with composer RD Burman (Pancham Da) changed the definition of music. Pancham Da made Asha sing western and jazz style songs like ‘Dum Maaro Dum’ (Hare Rama Hare Krishna) and ‘Piya Tu Ab To Aaja’ (Caravan), which made Asha the ‘Queen of Indiapop’.
When Asha came out from the shadow of Lata
The biggest challenge for Asha Bhosle was to compete with her own sister Lata Mangeshkar. At that time, Lata ji’s voice was considered ‘ideal’. Asha cleverly experimented with her voice. She realized that if she adopted the same style as Lata, she would never be able to create her own identity.
He added western touch and modulation to his voice, which no other singer had at that time. She gave tough competition to singers like Geeta Dutt and Shamshad Begum in her own era and later became an inspiration for generations like Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Sunidhi Chauhan.
When people thought that she could only sing cabaret, the film ‘Umrao Jaan’ came in 1981. Under the direction of music composer Khayyam, Asha cemented her place in classical singing at par with Lata Mangeshkar by singing excellent ghazals like ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’ and ‘In Aankhon Ki Masti Ke’.
Asha Bhosle’s first big honor and world record
- First Filmfare Award: She received her first Filmfare Best Playback Singer Award in 1968 for the song ‘Garibon Ki Suno’ from the film ‘Dus Lakh’.
- Total Filmfare Awards: He won this award a total of 7 times. After this he distanced himself from the nomination so that new talents could get a chance. In 2001, he was awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.
- National Awards: He received the National Film Award twice for the films ‘Umrao Jaan’ (1981) and ‘Ijaazat’ (1987).
- Padma Vibhushan: In the year 2000, the Government of India honored him with cinema’s highest honor ‘Dada Saheb Phalke Award’ and in 2008, he was honored with ‘Padma Vibhushan’.
- Guinness Book of World Records: In 2011, the Guinness Book officially recognized her as the artist with the most studio recordings (most songs) in music history. Asha had sung more than 12 thousand songs in 20 languages.
Most hit songs of Asha Bhosle’s career
- Naya Daur (1957): Ude Jab Jab Zulfen Tumhari
- Howrah Bridge (1958): Let’s be kind
- Waqt (1965): Aadhar Bhi Jaane Na Tu
- Teesri Manzil (1966): O Hasina Zulfon Wali, O Mere Sona Re
- Jewel Thief (1967): The Night is Lonely
- Caravan (1971): Piya Tu Ab To Aaja
- Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971): Dum Maaro Dum
- Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973): Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko
- Umrao Jaan (1981): In Aankhon Ki Masti, Dil Cheez Kya Hai
- Rangeela (1995): Tanha Tanha, Rangeela Re
Apart from singing, cooking and successful restaurant business
Asha Bhosle was not only a great singer but also a brilliant cook. She often said that if she had not been a singer, she would have been a cook. His handmade ‘Kadhai Gosht’ and ‘Biryani’ had admirers ranging from Raj Kapoor to Rishi Kapoor.
He converted this hobby into business. He started a global chain of restaurants named ‘Asha’s’. His first restaurant opened in Dubai, after which it expanded to cities like Kuwait, Birmingham, Manchester and Abu Dhabi. She herself trained the chefs of her restaurant.
Last song sung with British band
Asha Bhosle’s voice was not limited to Bollywood only, but she was equally respected in the international music world too. His song is included in the ninth album ‘The Mountain’ of the famous British virtual band ‘Gorillaz’, released in March 2026.
The track, titled “The Shadowy Light”, is now seen as the final chapter of his illustrious career. In this he worked with British artist Gruff Rice and sarod maestro Aman-Ayaan Ali Bangash.
In the poster of this album, Asha is seen standing in a green saree.
Damon Albarn, who created the band Gorillaz, is actually a big fan of 70s Bollywood music and RD Burman. In many interviews, he had described Asha Bhosle’s voice as ‘psychedelic’ and ‘experimental’. This was the reason why he recorded his new album in India. Apart from Asha Tai, Anushka Shankar has also worked together in this album.
In her last years, Asha remained active as a judge in music reality shows and in live concerts. Even in 2023, he performed in Dubai on his 90th birthday. The freshness in his voice that was there in 1950 remained intact till the age of 92.
