Asha Bhosle - Amazing Grace
On her 83rd birthday Asha Bhosle reflects on Bollywood, why Pakistani lyricists are the best and tiffs with Atif Aslam
On the eve of her 83rd birthday, Asha Bhosle reflects on Bollywood, why Pakistani lyricists are the best and tiffs with Atif Aslam. PHOTO COURTESY WASSERMUSIK FESTIVAL PUBLICITY
Asha Bhosle is no ordinary octogenarian. With over 12,000 recordings to her name, she is the world’s most quintessential female singer. In early August, performing for the very first time in Berlin, Germany, as part of the annual Wassermusik festival, she absolutely commands the stage with the same wit and dynamism that has made her the reigning queen of playback singing for the past 50-odd years. During her set, she shares anecdotes about the productions of her greatest hits, which she then sings, proudly proclaiming in between the songs that she is going to be 83 in September. She also plays drums with her bare hands.
A day before the concert, Bhosle spoke to The Express Tribune in the hotel suite she is staying in, just off a famous shopping mile, the Kurfürstendamm. Her son Anand makes sure that she arrives on time and she does, clad in a turquoise sari, wearing a long pearl necklace. It’s her first time in this country and she says, “It was always a dream of mine to come to Germany. To come and see Germany.” Even though she speaks little English, Bhosle has long since managed to cross-over, collaborating with several Western artists such as Boy George and Michael Stipe. She knows that her audience is not only made up of desis, but locals too. And it’s a touching picture the next day, when Indians or Pakistanis quietly translate Bhosle’s Hindi anecdotes for the Germans in the audience.
Bhosle knows who her audience is and what it wants from her. “Our Pakistanis and Indians will come for our film songs — not the contemporary ones — the old songs, which were well-written. They will come for good lyrics and good songs. I have chosen iconic songs for them,” she explains. “For the foreigners, I have brought my father’s classical songs.” Bhosle’s father was a classical singer and drama artist. That classical rendition is the evening’s highlight, because it is indeed so different from all the usual stuff one has gotten used to hearing from her. And Bhosle seems to put all of her emotions into the song, closing her eyes and hitting every single note perfectly.
Come to think of it, singers, at least Bollywood playback singers, are actors as well. Bhosle agrees with this thought. “Singers always plan on how to ‘act’ a song, be it sad or romantic. We act so much that the actors on screen don’t have to act that much. They just have such pretty faces so that they don’t have to act.” I sense some bitterness here so I ask whether she feels actors undeservedly get more credit than playback singers. “Maybe, because actresses can be seen and are more beautiful,” she muses. “However, no artist is thought of less than any other. Like me, or Lata, Kishore, Rafi, or Mukesh, we all got the same respect that a film artist did. Because without us, there would be no work for them. But, today, every film artist has started singing. Salman sings, Shah Rukh sings, they sing their own songs. So it seems like singers aren’t required anymore. No one pays attention anymore. Those songs aren’t well-written.”
Today’s music seems to be a sore spot for Bhosle. “[The actors] think they can sing like professional singers. But the songs aren’t well-written. Bo Bo Bo Ko Ko Ko, such songs! Anybody can sing that, but it has no meaning,” she feels. “If you give them lyrics like tu jahan jahan chalega, mera saaya saath hoga, or hum intezaar karenge tera qayamat tak, perhaps they won’t be able to sing such songs.”
While there are a small number of good lyricists in India who do actually write songs that ‘mean something’ (such as Varun Grover), overall words seem to have lost their profoundness. For that, Bhosle looks to Pakistan. “Today, good lyrics and wordings only come out of Pakistan. People really know their Urdu there. Even though in India, there are many who know Urdu, they don’t write it well.” While Bhosle has sung for Pakistani films, she still listens to a lot of Pakistani songs. “I have been listening to Ghulam Ali since the 50s. I am a big fan of his. I am also a very big fan of Mehdi Hasan. You see, I love songs, I love music and that is what I believe in. If the music is good, then everything is good. And then it is also ours, irrespective of where it comes from.”
I ask Bhosle about the various talent shows she has participated in, particularly Sur Kshetra with Atif Aslam. While TV promos hinted at fights between Aslam and her, I ask Bhosle if it was all media-manufactured. “Look, Runa Laila was on that show too and she is from Bangladesh. She is my friend. We were all laughing and joking around. Asking each other for advice. But that Aslam, I don’t know, maybe he was taught by someone from the channel that he had to fight with me. Or maybe it’s his nature, I don’t know. Our own Himesh Reshammiya, the Gujarati, he was so quiet. But Aslam constantly tried to rile me up. And I have to say that it was wrong, I was never taking any sides. I also gave good marks to Pakistani singers. I am always only concerned with the singing. My religion is music and I never lie about that. A singer has no religion, but music. Whoever sings well, I will embrace him. So I don’t get Aslam’s behaviour. But I suspect someone from the channel told him to do it for ratings.”
About the future, Bhosle is quite downbeat. Not only is she disappointed in superstar actors crooning their own songs, but she is generally sceptical about the kind of songs being produced today. “I won’t badmouth today’s songs, but they are only made for discos. The lyrics are very cheap,” she says. “Kids sing songs like Halkat Jawani and so forth. That’s not music. It’s a really bad phase for lyrics. And there will be worse songs coming out. I don’t like it, but people do. Even though, deep down I don’t think any parent would like it if their daughters sing such songs.” It’s an interesting point, and one that comedy sketch group AIB brilliantly spoof with Every Bollywood Party Song, an outcry against the copy-paste material the Hindi film industry produces. The song has gone viral, proving that many feel that way about the likes of Yo Yo Honey Singh and the faux party-in-a-music-video trend.
“I think slowly people will realise what they are singing,” Bhosle says hopefully. “Even the kids. And then they will eventually stop.” Time will tell, but it’s refreshing, the way Bhosle always tells it like it is, never mincing words. There is only one misstep on the evening of the concert, when she introduces her granddaughter Zanai, who sings a few contemporary songs. It’s pure nepotism, because the girl is horribly out of tune and cannot sing, at least not yet. When Bhosle returns, people dance, on songs like Dum Maaro Dum or Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko. Bhosle is in her element throughout, proving that she still very much has it.
Schayan Riaz is a Germany-based writer who tweets @schayanriaz
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, September 6th, 2015.
A day before the concert, Bhosle spoke to The Express Tribune in the hotel suite she is staying in, just off a famous shopping mile, the Kurfürstendamm. Her son Anand makes sure that she arrives on time and she does, clad in a turquoise sari, wearing a long pearl necklace. It’s her first time in this country and she says, “It was always a dream of mine to come to Germany. To come and see Germany.” Even though she speaks little English, Bhosle has long since managed to cross-over, collaborating with several Western artists such as Boy George and Michael Stipe. She knows that her audience is not only made up of desis, but locals too. And it’s a touching picture the next day, when Indians or Pakistanis quietly translate Bhosle’s Hindi anecdotes for the Germans in the audience.
Bhosle knows who her audience is and what it wants from her. “Our Pakistanis and Indians will come for our film songs — not the contemporary ones — the old songs, which were well-written. They will come for good lyrics and good songs. I have chosen iconic songs for them,” she explains. “For the foreigners, I have brought my father’s classical songs.” Bhosle’s father was a classical singer and drama artist. That classical rendition is the evening’s highlight, because it is indeed so different from all the usual stuff one has gotten used to hearing from her. And Bhosle seems to put all of her emotions into the song, closing her eyes and hitting every single note perfectly.
Come to think of it, singers, at least Bollywood playback singers, are actors as well. Bhosle agrees with this thought. “Singers always plan on how to ‘act’ a song, be it sad or romantic. We act so much that the actors on screen don’t have to act that much. They just have such pretty faces so that they don’t have to act.” I sense some bitterness here so I ask whether she feels actors undeservedly get more credit than playback singers. “Maybe, because actresses can be seen and are more beautiful,” she muses. “However, no artist is thought of less than any other. Like me, or Lata, Kishore, Rafi, or Mukesh, we all got the same respect that a film artist did. Because without us, there would be no work for them. But, today, every film artist has started singing. Salman sings, Shah Rukh sings, they sing their own songs. So it seems like singers aren’t required anymore. No one pays attention anymore. Those songs aren’t well-written.”
Today’s music seems to be a sore spot for Bhosle. “[The actors] think they can sing like professional singers. But the songs aren’t well-written. Bo Bo Bo Ko Ko Ko, such songs! Anybody can sing that, but it has no meaning,” she feels. “If you give them lyrics like tu jahan jahan chalega, mera saaya saath hoga, or hum intezaar karenge tera qayamat tak, perhaps they won’t be able to sing such songs.”
While there are a small number of good lyricists in India who do actually write songs that ‘mean something’ (such as Varun Grover), overall words seem to have lost their profoundness. For that, Bhosle looks to Pakistan. “Today, good lyrics and wordings only come out of Pakistan. People really know their Urdu there. Even though in India, there are many who know Urdu, they don’t write it well.” While Bhosle has sung for Pakistani films, she still listens to a lot of Pakistani songs. “I have been listening to Ghulam Ali since the 50s. I am a big fan of his. I am also a very big fan of Mehdi Hasan. You see, I love songs, I love music and that is what I believe in. If the music is good, then everything is good. And then it is also ours, irrespective of where it comes from.”
I ask Bhosle about the various talent shows she has participated in, particularly Sur Kshetra with Atif Aslam. While TV promos hinted at fights between Aslam and her, I ask Bhosle if it was all media-manufactured. “Look, Runa Laila was on that show too and she is from Bangladesh. She is my friend. We were all laughing and joking around. Asking each other for advice. But that Aslam, I don’t know, maybe he was taught by someone from the channel that he had to fight with me. Or maybe it’s his nature, I don’t know. Our own Himesh Reshammiya, the Gujarati, he was so quiet. But Aslam constantly tried to rile me up. And I have to say that it was wrong, I was never taking any sides. I also gave good marks to Pakistani singers. I am always only concerned with the singing. My religion is music and I never lie about that. A singer has no religion, but music. Whoever sings well, I will embrace him. So I don’t get Aslam’s behaviour. But I suspect someone from the channel told him to do it for ratings.”
About the future, Bhosle is quite downbeat. Not only is she disappointed in superstar actors crooning their own songs, but she is generally sceptical about the kind of songs being produced today. “I won’t badmouth today’s songs, but they are only made for discos. The lyrics are very cheap,” she says. “Kids sing songs like Halkat Jawani and so forth. That’s not music. It’s a really bad phase for lyrics. And there will be worse songs coming out. I don’t like it, but people do. Even though, deep down I don’t think any parent would like it if their daughters sing such songs.” It’s an interesting point, and one that comedy sketch group AIB brilliantly spoof with Every Bollywood Party Song, an outcry against the copy-paste material the Hindi film industry produces. The song has gone viral, proving that many feel that way about the likes of Yo Yo Honey Singh and the faux party-in-a-music-video trend.
“I think slowly people will realise what they are singing,” Bhosle says hopefully. “Even the kids. And then they will eventually stop.” Time will tell, but it’s refreshing, the way Bhosle always tells it like it is, never mincing words. There is only one misstep on the evening of the concert, when she introduces her granddaughter Zanai, who sings a few contemporary songs. It’s pure nepotism, because the girl is horribly out of tune and cannot sing, at least not yet. When Bhosle returns, people dance, on songs like Dum Maaro Dum or Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko. Bhosle is in her element throughout, proving that she still very much has it.
Schayan Riaz is a Germany-based writer who tweets @schayanriaz
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, September 6th, 2015.