Asha Bhosle’s non-film recordings give a glimpse into her impact on popular culture beyond Bollywood. Since the 1980s, Bhosle has recorded ...
Asha Bhosle’s non-film recordings give a glimpse into her impact on popular culture beyond Bollywood. Since the 1980s, Bhosle has recorded ghazals and pop songs, among which the 15-track album Dil Padosi Hai (1987), with music by RD Burman and lyrics by Gulzar, is a standout.
In the 1990s, her collaborations with Western artists led to interesting results. Sometimes, the experiments did not work, as was the case of her fresh renditions of overcooked RD Burman hits in the 1996 album Rahul And I. But when they did, magic happened.
Log Kehte Hain, Aabshar-e-Ghazal (1985)
Among Bhosle’s best non-film ghazals. Hariharan has composed the song written by Urdu poet Bashir Badr.
Rishte Bante Hai, Dil Padosi Hai (1987)
Gulzar bemoans the premature end of a relationship, comparing it with the leaves on a twig that don’t get to grow old. In the same mould as Burman’s tunes for Gulzar’s film Ijaazat, Rishte Bante Hai is a melancholic affair in an album filled with hidden gems.
Boy George’s Bow Down Mister (1991)
The song’s only asset is Asha Bhosle. The silly video aside, Boy George’s hippyish lyrics (“All the Hindus know the score / If you wanna live some more / Hare, hare,...
