In times when nostalgia is increasingly becoming redundant, there is something infectious about Asha Bhosle that makes us return to her songs and her struggle over and over again. Now even as we celebrate her birthday next week, noted musicologist Raju Bharatan has come up with a musical biography (Hay House) of Bhosle, which puts her sterling career in perspective. As always, Raju Bharatan ensures that the biography doesn’t devolve into a hagiography.
He has analysed Asha’s growth over the decades as she emerged from the shadows of her sister and the tag of a just a sensuous voice. Though his favourite is Lata Mangeshkar, Bharatan, who is the last among the breed of music crtics who were there on the scene when the songs were composed in what is called the Golden Age of Hindi film music, says he has been fair in his analysis. “I wrote the biography of Lata Mangeshkar in 1995. I felt sufficient time should lapse for me to write about Asha. I believe over the years she has grown in stature. Though my favourite has always been Lata, I found there was a whole generation that tuned with Asha. So it will be only proper for me to examine her entire career where she literally struggled her way up. This generation might find it little difficult to believe that she ranked 4th among female playback singers in early ‘50s. When Lata came Shamshad Begum was on top followed by Geeta Roy. By 1954-55, Lata displaced both and Asha had to find her way between the three stools.”
But if you talk of number of songs, Bharatan says, Asha sang the most. “Even more than Rafi. Perhaps, she needed to,” says Bharatan referring to her struggle on the personal front.
Over the years, many have agreed to believe that Asha was the most versatile of the lot. “I had put this point to Lata and she gave me examples where she tried. She said that it was not as though she could not sing in that style, It is just that she considered them as a lesser challenge. She wanted to sing something weighty. Even in the ambit of light songs, she wanted something which had substance,” says Bharatan.
This generation might not agree but Bharatan says that Asha emerged as phenomenon much later. For a long time she remained the second best except for the recording studios of O.P. Nayyar and R.D. Burman and, of course, for a period of four years (1958-62) with S.D. Burman when he parted ways with Lata. “What Nayyar did was that he made her believe that she has a very strong low register. His talent was in making her stand up to Lata Mangeshkar. So his compositions remained in the lower register but very impressive. It gave Asha an identity all her own, which she admitted at that time.”
Nayyar threw a challenge that in five years time he would make Asha at par with Lata. “That is open to question. But he formatted her. S.D. Burman, the clever composer that he was, took advantage of that. In the higher registry though, Asha could not equal Lata during that period.”
When one reminds him that years later she excelled with ghazals in “Umrao Jaan”, Bharatan counters that if you listen closely Khayyam also utilised her strength with lower notes in the compositions.
However, Bharatan goes on to stick his neck out when he says that Lata is not as comfortable with lower range as she is with higher notes. “Nobody looks at that. Everybody looks at high notes that Lata is capable of striking. Asha was better in lower notes and some people take lower notes literally not realising that lower notes are as difficult to achieve as higher one. With lower notes you have to hold it there.”
It changed when R.D. Burman came into her life. “The person who coalesced her voice into a trend was R.D. Burman by 1971. Otherwise, she might have kept on singing one highlight song.”
But it has more to do than just the personal tuning between the two. Bharatan gives it to Vijay Anand, who changed the course with “Teesri Manzil”. “Also, a singer’s range grows by her own efforts and experience. She worked with over 300 composers. Of course, like Nayyar, R.D. allowed her to experiment and its high point is ‘Mera Kuchh Samaan Tumhare Paas Pada Hai’. Don’t forget that by that time she was almost a composer herself. There were arguments between Pancham and Asha because Asha knew so much.”
However, her sensuous songs did create an image, which was hard to break. “The image was indeed a factor. I asked Pandit Ravi Shankar when he was composing for ‘Meera’ and Vani Jairam was singing that when he didn’t get Lata, why did he not consider Asha. It was a mischievous question and he said, ‘the image didn’t fit.’"
Bharatan dislodges the rumours that she used composers to her advantage and moved on when their stars faded. “She is not that kind of personality. With Nayyar, her relationship lasted 12 years. When a bond lasts for so long, something goes out of it after a point of time.”
As for working with Bappi Lahiri, when the chips were down for R.D., Bharatan says she was a professional. “She was going to record from R.D.’s home. And you can’t deny Bappi Lahiri’s role in her career.”
Having known both Asha and Lata closely, Bharatan says Asha is the most open person you can meet. “There is no pretence about her. Her strength lies in grasping new things quickly and her ability to offer alternatives to the composer. Lata would never offer an advice to the composer on her own, but Asha being a free bird would always come up with ‘isko aise kartein hain…Aap suniyo to.’ She is very informal and that reflects in her singing.” Bharatan reminds how easily she faced the Runa Laila challenge.
“Asha was far quicker to adapt than Lata. She realised early that times are changing. The whole episode of singing with Boy George, I don’t think Lata could do it. The schedule was so tight that unless you get it right the first time, you are gone. And as far as singing live on stage is concerned, she is the best.”
So it was a healthy rivalry, one suggests. “Rivalry is never healthy, and there was indeed a keen, sharp one between the two sisters. One sister knew that she was on top and she could care less that O.P. Nayyar didn’t call her to sing. She would care even less that S.D. Burman went away from her. She was phenomenally gifted. And the other sister was trying to catch up all the time. It took her number of years but the important thing is that she did it,” sums up Bharatan.
The best of Asha
Raju Bharatan picks six songs which he thinks define Asha’s repertoire.
"Mera Kuch Samaan Tumhare Paas Pada Hai" from "Ijaazat". Composed by R.D. Burman, it showed the phenomenal range that she had achieved by the late 80s. Normally, it should have gone to Lata because it is in higher range. She demonstrated that she could take it in her vocal stride and do it in a style, all her own.
"Ab Ke Baras Bhaiyya Ko Bhej Babul" in "Bandini" because her comparison in the film is with Lata. Lata ccame back to S. D. Burman with this film.
"Aiye Meherbaan" in "Howarh Bridge". Composed by O.P. Nayyar, it is remembered for the climbs she has effortlessly achieved in it. Interestingly, when the film released "Mera Naam Chun Chun Choo", which Nayyar half- heartedly composed for Geeta Dutt was a bigger hit. You can never foresee public response and at that time Geeta Dutt was known for such numbers but soon Asha replaced her
"Raat Akeli Hai" in "Jewel Thief" Dada Burman gave a speech in an HMV function where he said that the breath control that she has achieved in this song is something amazing. And you know that Dada was not generous with praise.
"Geet Kitne Gaa Chuki Hoon Is Sukhi Jag Ke Liye, Aaj Rone do Mujhe Pal Ek Apne Bhi Liye" : This is a tune by Nikhil Ghosh and written by Bharat Vyas. It was recorded for a private album and came at a time when Asha was at her lowest ebb in the early 50s. O. P. Nayyar was all praise for this number. He said that very early in her career she showed that she could equal the best.
"Kaali Ghata Chhayi” in "Sujata" again with S. D. Burman. It is in raag Pilu and it makes it because of the sheer sweetness she has achieved here. It is an answer to those who say only Lata could achieve such sweetness.
