AT 88, she feels like 40. And when she speaks, it’s always peppered with a bit of humming because there is always a song playing in her head. Maybe that is what keeps her so young. “Don’t keep rubbing in the fact that I am now celebrating my 88th birthday,” she says with that mischievous glint in her eye. That’s Asha Bhosle for you – a dynamic, superbly talented, spirited, zestful and gifted singer who has ruled the world of playback singing ever since her first solo Hindi film song for the film ‘Raat Ki Raani’ (1949). Asha’s career actually started in 1943 and has spanned over seven decades. She has done playback singing for over 1,000 films. In addition, she has recorded several private albums and participated in numerous solo concerts in India and elsewhere. In 2006, Asha stated that she had sung over 12,000 songs, a figure repeated by several other sources.
In 2011, she was officially acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded artist in music history. The Government of India honoured her with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008. Born on September 8, 1933, she is renowned for her soprano voice range and often credited for her versatility. In fact, her singing repertoire extends to not just film songs but various other genres as well, including pop, traditional Indian classical music and folk songs. Apart from Hindi, she has sung in over 20 Indian and foreign languages. In 2013, she made her debut as an actress in the film ‘Mai’ and received critical acclaim for her performance. Here are excerpts from interviews conducted at various times:
Could you tell us something about your earlier days?
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