A crisp, crystal clear voice emanates from the other side urging me to speak up. "Zara uncha boliye to...aapki awaaz kam aa rahi hai". The 84 year-old Asha Bhosle's hearing faculties are as sharp as ever, it was just that my not-so-old phone's audio was having some issues.
For me and for several others, there were singers and there was Asha Bhosle. So many years on and one, at times, is overwhelmed by the urge to hum - “Oh mere sona re sona re” ( Teesri Manzil ), “Raat Akeli hai” ( Jewel Thief ); “Dil Cheez kya hai” ( Umrao Jaan ), “Mera kuch saaman” ( Ijaazat ) and many many more.
Her fans in the city could catch her singing any of these or any of their favourites at her live concert. Yes, Asha Bhosle is doing a live concert in Bengaluru on June 9. The veteran singer will perform at Phoenix Marketcity in Mahadevapura and the concert also features Javed Ali. Excerpts from the interview with the veteran singer.
Earlier in the film music industry, every actor had one voice. For instance, Manoj Kumar and Mohammad Rafi, Raj Kapoor- Mukesh. But you sang for different heroines, vamps and character artistes. Was it challenging?
Do you remember Navrang ? Mr.C Ramchandra and Bharat Vyas had done the music and V Shantaram ji had made the film. There was a song picturised on the nautch girl and I sang the whole song with a twisted mouth “Aa dil se dil milale, oh rasiya”. I also sang the song picturised on the heroine. So, at that time, I had to do these things. If you are not singing for the heroine but for someone else, you had to work on the required expressions and it used to be difficult.
Was it a conscious decision?
Yes, It was by choice
Some of your best songs came from your work with the legendary musician OP Nayyar like “Aao huzoor tumko”, “Jaiye aap kahan jayenge” “Haule haule chalo”. What was the understanding between you?
His first film was Cham Chama Cham (1952) and at that time I think I was either in Filmistan or Bombay Talkies. His second film was Aar Paar (1954). Both these films were being worked on simultaneously. When he made me sing for Mangu (1954), he felt that I can sing his style of songs. Whatever new he wanted to do, he felt, could be done with my voice. Geeta ji (Geeta Dutt) used to sing, Shamshaad ji (Shamshaad Begum) used to sing but their style was different. I used to sing in different styles which is why I think I got to sing for him more. When it comes to your profession, nobody gives you work because of your relationship but on your merit.
You sang around 324 songs for him.
Yes 324 with Nayyar Saahab and 13,000 songs in total. There is also the Guinness World Record for the maximum single studio recordings
Umrao Jaan was a landmark film in every aspect. It was a milestone in your career as well. Do you think you ever got to sing those kind of ghazals again in your career?
Nobody makes those kind of songs. It was a different film. Rekha ji was part of it. Khayyam sahab who composed its music was a fine musician. Its lyrics were extraordinary, the story, the direction...and when all these things came together, it just worked out very well. Umrao Jaan had all the songs by me. Had Khayyam sahab wanted, he could have chosen someone else to sing other songs but he didn't because he wanted one voice for the heroine through the film. Today, there are no songs for the heroine. It's usually dance songs and duets. But yes, there came a film called Begum Jaan in which there was a song like that but the film didn't do well so the song also didn't do well.
You have done so many collaborations with Leslie Lewis, Code Red, Michael Stipe, the Kronos Quartet. What led you to cross over to new genres and make new experiments?
I always wanted to do new things. If you don't try out new things then you will be left behind. I collaborated. My son Anand Bhonsle has always supported me in these things. Had he not supported me, I wouldn't have been able to do such work. He is always there. Even on social media platforms like Twitter, he guides me.
You also learnt music from Ustad Akbar Ali Khan.
Yes, I had also learnt music from him. He had composed for the film Aandhiyan (1952) and I had sung for it. I got to know him during this time and started learning music from him but he didn't have much time, nor did I, so I couldn't learn much. Working on this album, people told him 'Why are you getting a playback singer to sing classical music', to which he said ‘only she can sing this and nobody else’. He trusted me.
Another seminal collaboration was with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan on the album "Legacy: 16th-18th century music from India", which was also nominated for the Grammy in 1997.
Working with Ali Akbar Khan sahab was particularly challenging. To sing such highly classical songs of his gharana was tough. It had a difficult laya and taal (tempo and rhythm) and there were so many ragas and difficult ones like Sankarabharanam.
Back then you created lot of independent music but the genre is non-existent today.
Non-filmy is difficult today because people don't bring out CDs, records are gone. People are selling old stuff today.
