The voice that moved across languages, moods and generations is no more. Asha Bhosle, the celebrated singer, leaves behind a body of work that runs into more than 20,000 songs across over 20 languages. While her journey is closely linked with Hindi and Marathi music, her work in Kannada cinema is limited but worth revisiting.
Asha Bhosle sang only three songs in Kannada, each linked to a different phase and set of collaborators. Her entry into Kannada came in 1967 with the historical film Krantiveera Sangollirayanna. The film brought together Asha, Lata Mangeshkar and Usha Mangeshkar for the same soundtrack. Asha sang 'Yaako Eno Sere Nilavadu…,' composed by Laxman Berlekar, marking her Kannada debut as a playback singer.
Her second song came in 1973 with Doorada Betta, starring Dr Rajkumar and Bharathi Vishnuvardhan. She sang 'Savalu Haaki Solisi Ellara…,' featuring music by GK Venkatesh. After this, she did not return to Kannada cinema for decades.
It took 37 years for her voice to be heard again in Kannada cinema. She returned with Matte Mungaru (2010), directed by Raghava Dwarki and starring Srinagar Kitty. Asha sang 'Helade Kaarana…,' composed by X Paulraj, with lyrics written by the director. The song connected with listeners and brought back a familiar voice after a long gap.
Raghava Dwarki recalls that the film’s music director, X Paulraj, wanted Asha Bhosle to sing a pathos number, 'Helade Kaarana'. The director, who wrote the lyrics for this particular song, recalled, "When we approached, Asha was unsure, citing the language and the difficulty it could pose. We then requested her to at least listen to the composition. After hearing it, she felt the scale would be challenging." The filmmaker added, "She continued to stay in touch. For nearly three months, she would call regularly, listen to the rehearsal track and share her thoughts, though she remained hesitant. Eventually, she agreed. The team travelled to Mumbai for the recording. During the session, she found a few Kannada words difficult, and some were rewritten on the spot to make things easier."
Though her Kannada songs are few, Asha Bhosle still ends up with more songs in the language than her sisters. Lata Mangeshkar and Usha Mangeshkar did not continue in Kannada beyond their initial appearance in Krantiveera Sangollirayanna.
Talking about Asha, lyricist Dr Nagendra Prasad said, "Among Indian singers, very few retained a youthful quality in their voice over the years, and Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle were in that rare group where age did not reflect in their singing. One only wishes there were more songs in Kannada from both Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar."
Asha Bhosle’s Kannada journey is brief, but it stands out for the people she worked with, the long gap in between, and the way she returned after decades for a single song.