8 September 1933 – 12 April 2026
Part 1 -Asha’s best for the ‘ other ‘ music directors
For me, Asha Bhosle, who , unfortunately passed away on 12th April , 2026 at the ripe age of 92 years is a singer who may not be among my top favourites, but I do like many of her exceptional songs. Music taste is highly individualistic and for me some singers have that quality to leave a great impact whereas some I admire only for their skill but may not be personally moved by their singing. Asha Bhosle , for me , belongs to the latter category. As a blogger, however, it is my duty is to record the contribution of all , irrespective of personal likes and dislikes.
The story of Asha Bhosle , second child of Deenanath Mangeshkar and Shevanti and the younger sister of the nightingale , Lata Mangeshkar is well chronicled and so I would not like to write about that. Media, Internet and most of the private radio stations have given excellent coverage on certain artists , conveniently forgetting numerous other deserving artists. So here I would focus on few of the songs Asha had rendered in an inimitable style that only she could do.
I will try to cover her landmark songs for not only the five main music directors for whom she gave her best ( O P Nayyar, S D Burman, Ravi, N Dutta and R D Burman) but also many others who are generally not talked about when it comes to Asha’s best songs. One more surprising aspect about her was that she herself very rarely acknowledged the contribution of all these music directors except her late husband -R D Burman.
As a singer Asha was without any doubt exceptional. She could sing a cabaret number, devotional song, qawwali, a romantic one, sad song all with equal finesse. When it came to the classical genre, sometimes she even outdid her more illustrious sister, Lata.
I will categorize her great songs in two parts-Part 1 shall have her songs for music directors other than the top five who shaped her career and Part 2 shall focus on her songs for those top five music directors. For now I shall list only her solo songs , except for few songs where there is a co-singer but on the whole it is predominantly her song. Maybe in the future I shall also write about her duets.
The songs are arranged first music director-wise ( for a change I am not doing this chronologically, but in alphabetical order of the music director name) with song /film/year/music director/lyricist mentioned in that sequence.
Hemant Kumar
Meri Baat Rahi Mere Man Mein-Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam -1962-Shakeel Badayuni
One of my very favourite songs of Asha , this has that typical haunting melody effect of a Hemant Kumar composition. The film had many gems from Geeta Dutt , but Asha rendered two masterpieces-this one and the next song I have listed here-Sakhiya Aaj Mujhe Neend Nahin.
Sakhiya Aaj Mujhe Neend Nahi- Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam -1962-Shakeel Badayuni
When compared to many mediocre songs that are talked about in a great manner by Asha’s fans, it is surprising why songs like this are almost forgotten . She has sung this with her typical flair and one more favourite of mine.
Jaidev Varma
Nadinare Na Jao Payyan Padoon-Mujhe Jeene Do -1963-Traditional
Jaidev was a genius composer who never had any ‘ favourite’ singers as such and could extract the best from all the singers he had worked with. This is an intricate composition in his inimitable style and who else but the versatile Asha to do the honours. She traverses through the ups and downs of the tune with an ease that is natural to her.
Kalyanji Anandji
Yeh mera dil pyar ka deewana-Don-1978-Indeevar
A quintessential Asha song , picturised on Helen for whom she must have sung hundreds of such songs, this remains one of the most popular one. Kalyanji Anandji , in their second innings had many popular hits though the quality of their songs in 60’s were much better.
Khayyam
Justaju Jiski Thi Usko Toh Na-Umrao Jaan-1981-Shahriyar
It is a well-documented fact that Khayyam made Asha sing at a slightly lower pitch than her usual and that elevated the songs of Umrao Jaan to a great level. Though Dil Cheez Kya Hai is more popular, my personal favourite is this one. Superb lyrics by Shahriyar.
Dil Cheez Kya Hai-Umrao Jaan-1981-Shahriyar
A true masterpiece by Asha, that needs no introduction or write up. One has to close the eyes and get immersed in its beauty.
Laxmikant Pyarelal
Koi Shehri Babu Dil-Loafer-1973-Anand Bakshi
A typical L-P composition that has their signature percussion arrangement, this is a high-energy song that Asha carries off with her usual flair.
Madan Mohan
Whenever we take the name of Madan Mohan , only Lata’s immortal songs come to one’s mind. But there were some great songs that he composed for Asha also . The most popular one that everyone may remember is of course Jhumka Gira Re Bareilly Ke Bazaar Mein from Mera Saaya -of course I have listed that , but my personal favourites are Shok Nazar Ki Bijiliyan and a very sober and rare Sabah Se Yeh Keh Do.
Shok Nazar Ki Bijliyan-Woh Kaun Thi?-1964-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan
Madan Mohan was always ahead of his times when he composed some unique songs -this has a very , what one may call, a quirky interlude . In the midst of Lata’s eternal masterpieces like Lag Jaa Gale, Jo Humne Daastan Apni Sunayee and Naina Barse Rimjhim , this Asha number might have remain hidden , but it is a true hidden gem.
Saba Se Yeh Kehdo-Bank Manager-1959-Jalal Malihabadi
Madan Mohan was a master of melodies and Asha was fortunate to get such a sober and sweet song from him. The lyrics by a relatively lesser-known Jalal Malihabadi are equally good.
Juhumka Gira Re Bareilly Ke Bazaar-Mera Saaya-1966-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan
Some songs do not need anything to be written about- a song that has been composed only for Asha-will remain one among her topmost songs.
Naushad
Daiya Re Daiya-Leader-1964-Shakeel Badayuni-With humming by Rafi
Naushad and Asha may be a very rare combination , but when it comes to classical based songs, both are masters-and with Rafi adding only those brief alaap pieces, this is a great song from Naushad for Asha.
Ramlal
Tere Khayalon Mein Hum-Geet Gaya Patharon Ne-1964-Hasrat Jaipuri
It is truly difficult to rank a particular song as ‘the best’ of an artist, but if you ask me , personally I would rate this as Asha’s lifetime top song. Composed by a brilliant composer who , unfortunately never got his fame, Ramlal had two great films -Sehra and Geet Gaya Patharon Ne and with just these two films he made his mark. The general public may not remember his name but serious music connoisseurs definitely recognize his talent. This Asha song is truly a haunting , excellent melody, composed brilliantly by Ramlal and sung with equal brilliance by Asha. I always do not understand why the so-called fans of Asha completely ignore masterpieces like this and keep glorifying many of her mediocre songs.
Ravindra Jain
Sajna Hai Mujhe-Saudagar-1973-Ravindra Jain
Ravindra Jain promoted many new singers , but whenever he composed songs for the sisters -Lata and Asha , they were great hits. The way Asha carries the song through with many twists and turns is amazing.
Roshan
Nigahen Milane Ko Jee Chahta Hai-Dil Hi To Hai-1963-Sahir Ludhianvi
If there has to be a slot for the topmost qawwali by a female playback singer , this could easily take the cake. It is songs like these that truly represent the great talent of Asha and not the more-often hyped about songs in the popular domain. I may keep repeating this thought , but that is how it is! Doing full justice to the excellent qawwali that Roshan was a master of , each every line sung by Asha is something no other singer can come close to.
Shankar Jaikishan
Pan Khaye Sayyan Hamaro-Teesri Kasam-1966-Shailendra
When it comes to Shankar Jaikishan ( my all time personal favourites and whom I considered as true emperors of Hindi film music) , Asha may not have been their first choice of female playback singer but whenever they composed for her , they were songs of high energy that was hallmark of SJ. This one from Teesri Kasam is typical of SJ & Asha!
Haye Gajab Kahin Tara Tootha-Teesri Kasam-1966-Shailendra
Teesri Kasam had SJ’s great compositions for Mukesh, Lata and Asha, not to forget a superb folksy Chalata Musafir for Manna Dey. SJ could come out with masterpieces even if they compose 8 to 10 songs for a film and that is the reason why they are the emperors. This song may not be as popular as Paan Khaye Sayyan but personally I like this even more.
Ustad Vilayat Khan
Ambar Ki Ek Paak Surahi-Kadambari-1975-Amrita Preetam
Ustad Vilayat Khan was a well-known classical Sitar maestro and ventured into composing for film music only for three films. This song of Asha must be very rare for most of the listeners but somehow I rate this among the best of Asha.
A bonus song from Tamil!
Ilayaraja-Shenbagame Shenbagame-Enga Ooru Paattukaran-
Gangai Amaran
Normally I do not mix up a different language song in my blogs, but occasionally do make exceptions. With this one song, Asha made a great impact on the discerning Tamizh audience and the song was a super-hit . For most of the singers from the North , getting the accent while singing Tamizh songs is a challenge , but Asha got this perfect . With a great tune by the maestro Ilayaraja , I thought this could be the right song to complete this blog on Asha’s best for music directors other than the top five, that I will cover in Part 2.
Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:
- You Tube
- Wikipedia
The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.
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