Asha Bhosle has lent her voice to a few of the most iconic songs in Hindi cinema, from the sultry Piya Tu Ab To Aaja to the rebellious Dum Maaro Dum and the dreamy Yeh Hai Reshmi Zulfon Ka Andhera. However in a latest interview, the legendary playback singer revealed that a lot of her daring tracks didn’t simply elevate eyebrows, they have been outright banned on Indian radio.‘Why do I solely get the daring songs?’ Asha as soon as requested RD BurmanChatting with Republic Bharat, Asha Bhosle recalled confronting her late husband and composer RD Burman, fondly often known as Pancham Da, about his music decisions. She questioned why she was repeatedly given provocative numbers, whereas her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar obtained the softer, extra ‘respectable’ melodies.
“I as soon as instructed Pancham, why do I solely get these daring songs whereas the great songs go to Lata Didi?” she mentioned.However RD Burman stood agency. He had religion in Asha’s means to make such songs iconic. Concerning Piya Tu Ab To Aaja, from the 1971 movie Caravan, she remembered him confidently telling her that the music could be an enormous hit.‘I’ve written a nasty music,’ mentioned Majrooh Sultanpuri and walked outCuriously, Asha additionally shared an anecdote involving famend lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, who penned Piya Tu Ab To Aaja. She recalled how embarrassed he was through the recording session.“Majrooh Sultanpuri left the studio and instructed me, ‘Beti, maine ganda gana likha hai. My daughters will develop up and sing this music,’” she mentioned, laughing. Regardless of his hesitation, Asha went forward with the music, staying true to her skilled dedication. “I knew the music of the music is nice, however I didn’t know that the music will likely be such a large hit,” she added.
‘3–4 of my songs have been banned from Bombay radio’Whereas these songs have since achieved cult standing, Asha admitted they weren’t all the time nicely obtained. In actual fact, they have been censored. “My 3–4 songs would get banned from Bombay radio,” she revealed, pointing to the conservative broadcasting surroundings of the time.One other of Asha’s landmark tracks, Dum Maaro Dum from Dev Anand’s Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), additionally stirred controversy. Regardless of the movie’s anti-drug message, the music was accused of glamorising smoking and hippie tradition. Because of this, All India Radio banned it, and Doordarshan edited the music out when the movie was aired on tv.Over the a long time, nonetheless, these songs have come to outline the daring, experimental period of Hindi movie music, with Asha Bhosle on the forefront, unafraid to lend her voice to songs that pushed boundaries.