Setbacks, Singing and Success

Two singers hailing from the same family are not so rare, but the two singers from the same house becoming world-renowned legends is quite a rare feat. Born in Maharashtra as the children of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle started singing to support their family after their father's death. The elder sister Lata, was thirteen years old, and the younger sister Asha, was nine years old when they entered singing. The two went on to become the undisputed ones of the field and left an indelible mark on the industry.

With Asha Bhosle’s passing at the age of 92 at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital, a beautiful chapter in Indian film music comes to an end. As a singer, her greatest talent was the effortless charm to jump across genres, including classical, ghazals and even cabaret songs in a way that captivated hearts. Her melodic voice was enjoyed by people of all strata, including those with a real understanding of music, and by a farmer who worked busily on the fields.

She sang about fifteen thousand songs in different languages. Some of them were passed across generations and still haven't lost their sheen. The song 'Dum Maaro Dum', which she sang in the 1971 Hindi film Hare Rama Hare Krishna, put the young generation of that time into a trance. It was not the vocals that were important in those days, but the lyrics and the beauty of the songs that stood out. The song 'Piya Tu Abto Aaja', which later became a classic song and became a trend again when it was used in the film Durandhar, was sung in 1971. Another song that conquered the whole of India, 'Churaliya Hai Tum Ne Jo Dil', was sung by her in 1973. With such superhit songs, Asha Bhosle, like her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar, became an integral part of commercial Bollywood films. Her working relationship with music directors like O.P. Nayyar and R.D. Burman was enough to reinvent the singer in her. Her ability to combine the lively charm of Western music with the sweet depths of Indian music was unique. She was at the forefront of Hindi film playback singing from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Although she was in her sixties when she sang for A.R. Rahman's film 'Rangeela', the audience was taken back to their teen years through her voice.

Despite facing many setbacks in her family life, Asha succeeded in the music industry and later did the same as an entrepreneur in the hotel industry. At the age of ninety, she sang in a live show in Dubai. During her career spanning decades, this veteran singer has also acquired a business empire worth crores. According to One India, Asha Bhosle's estimated net worth is around 250 crores. She was also the owner of an international restaurant chain named Asha's. The country has honoured her with the Padma Vibhushan and the Dada Saheb Phalke Award. Although the veteran singer is no more, her voice and the story of perseverance amid tough times will survive generations.