Asha Bhosle’s voice, R D Burman’s magic- Priyadarshan reminisces about timeless association with singer

Veteran filmmaker Priyadarshan has shared a long and memorable association with the legendary singer Asha Bhosle, who passed away on Sunday, a relationship that spanned over three decades.
Asha Bhosle lent her voice to five out of six songs in his second Hindi film ‘Gardish’ (1993), which marked Priyadarshan’s strong entry into Bollywood. Recalling his early days in the Mumbai film industry, the filmmaker in an article with Malayala Manorama, wrote: “It was a time when I was gradually becoming active in Mollywood. In 1993, while preparing to direct ‘Gardish,’ Javed Akhtar was writing the lyrics, and I expressed to producer Goodnight Mohan my wish that R D Burman should compose the music for the film. Mohan readily agreed.”

At that time, however, Burman had been staying away from films for a while. Their curiosity about the playback singers was soon answered when Burman confirmed that Asha Bhosle would be the voice of the film. The project thus brought together once again the rare and celebrated combination of R D Burman and Asha Bhosle.

Priyadarshan first met Asha Bhosle at the Bombay lab. “Of the six songs in the film, five were sung by Ashaji, while one duet featured M G Sreekumar. Kutten (Sreekumar) was called to the studio, where Burman was deeply impressed by his classical grounding, especially his rendition of compositions like ‘Swaminatha.’ For Sreekumar, it was an unforgettable experience, sharing a recording space with Asha Bhosle. Sreekutten openly said that he had never even dreamed of such an opportunity,” he recalled.

During the recording sessions, Asha Bhosle also expressed curiosity about Kerala and showed a particular interest in its ethnic temple-style gold ornaments, inquiring about the origin of such jewellery. Priyadarshan informed her that such designs were available at Bhima Jewellers. He later met Ashaji again during the recording of ‘Kabhi Na Kabhi’ at A R Rahman’s studio.

Much later, during a meeting with Anil Kapoor after a long gap, Ashaji remarked that he had been doing fewer Hindi films and said, “You don’t call us anymore.” Priyadarshan recalls replying in jest that it was entirely the decision of the music directors. Even then, he remained curious whether Ashaji had managed to acquire the Kerala temple-style ornaments she had admired.

When he eventually asked her, she responded with great delight, saying she had visited Kerala and purchased temple jewellery, even showing him a necklace featuring an image of Guruvayurappan.

A maker of several Bollywood hits, Priyadarshan regards it as a great privilege to have had the voices of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle grace his films. “A significant chapter in the history of Indian film music has been shaped by the two sisters, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle,” he said, while bowing respect for the legendary singer whose voice brought joy to generations.