It's the 90th birthday tomorrow of the utterly fantabulosa Bollywood "playback singer" Asha Bhosle, whose exquisite voice appeared, dubbing myriad actresses, over eight decades in hundreds of movies. Indeed, the Guinness Book of Records states that she is the most prolific recording artist in the world, having reportedly recorded up to 11,000 solo, duet and chorus backed songs in over 20 Indian languages since 1947!
Here she is, dubbing for the magnificently camp "Helen" (Helen Jairag Richardson) - a megastar in Indian musical cinema in the 1960s:
...and here, dubbing for Reena Roy:
...here's the lady herself, aged 79, with a tongue-in-cheek take on an old Usha Uthup number [from the only Bollywood film in which Rex Harrison and Vera Miles ever appeared, Shalimar]...
Sublime.
Of course, I could not let this opportunity pass without playing this marvellous paean to her!
Many happy returns, Asha Bhosle (née Mangeshkar, born 8 September 1933)
A great talent and a lovely lady
ReplyDeleteThree cheers for her giving us one of the campest 'Cha cha cha' numbers ever.
I love that "Cha Cha Cha" number - even if it is a cover.
DeleteAsha Bhosle is a totally classy lady!
Now I am craving a lamb samosa and mango chutney. Jx