Asha Bhosle The Indian singer loved by Sri Lankans

• Her singing in the 1957 film Naya Daur was a turning point in her musical career

For over eight decades, Asha Bhosle from our neighbouring India  delighted fans around the world with her songs. She also holds the Guinness World Record for being the only female singer to have made the most studio recordings in the world.

Superstar Indian singer Asha Bhosle, who delighted fans all over the world, ended her life on April 12. She had sung more than 12,000 songs at the time of her death and was the younger sister of superstar Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar. It is no secret that her songs have captivated fans not only in Bollywood but also around the world. Asha Bhosle, who was 92 years old at the time of her death, was remembered in the hearts of the people as one of the oldest singers on earth.

Asha Bhosle

Born on September 8, 1933, in Mumbai, India, to the Mangeshkar family, she is the sister of the great Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar. She was fortunate enough to start singing professionally at the age of 9. Accordingly, she entered the music industry with the song she sang for her first Marathi film, Majha Bal, in 1943. It was the song “Chala Chala Nau Bala”. With the song “Sawan Aaya” for Hansraj Bel’s film Chunarya (1948), her songs for Hindi films also gained popularity.

Her singing in the 1957 film Naya Daur was a turning point in her musical career. Asha’s name was added to Bhosle after her marriage to Ganpatrao Bhosle in 1949. It is no secret that her songs, which could be heard in many languages, was very popular with people in different countries of the world.

She has won a record seven Filmfare Awards for Best Female Playback Singer. It was a remarkable collection of awards in her film career. She recorded songs for films and albums in various Indian languages, and won numerous awards, including two National Film Awards, four BFJA Awards, eighteen Maharashtra State Film Awards, and nine Filmfare Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2000, she was also awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest honour in the field of cinema. She was also honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2008. The Padma Vibhushan is India’s highest civilian award after the Bharat Ratna. It is therefore the second highest civilian award. In addition to this, she has received hundreds of thousands of awards from various film and art institutions in India.

In 2011, she set a Guinness World Record for the most studio recordings by a female singer. Lata Mangeshkar, who has sung the most songs in India, has sung between 30,000 and 50,000 songs in over 36 Indian and foreign languages. Renowned singer S. Janaki is said to have sung over 48,000 songs in over 20 languages ​​during her career. Similarly, Asha Bhosle has also sung over 12,000 songs in over 20 languages. This is an indicator of the excellence of Indian singers.

Sri Lankan fans also had the opportunity to enjoy Asha Bhosle’s songs in 2009. She managed to enthrall local music lovers by singing the song “...De Dunna Sedhi Vanilla Uthura...” with Santhush and Bhathiya.

Asha Bhosle’s works include film music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian classical music, folk songs, qawwali and Rabindra music. She was a great artist who blended singing and acting with pleasure. As the silent singer of Bollywood, her death left a tearful note in the hearts of many, the departure of one of the world’s greatest singers.

It is our feeling as her foreign fans that we Sri Lankans also feel it very strongly. I would also like to thank the Film Heritage Foundation of India for the support it provided in providing this information about Asha.