The Voice Of Bollywood, Asha Bhosle, is celebrating her 85th birthday today. She started her career as a playback singer in 1960. From cabaret numbers to soulful melodies, her experimental efforts with different forms of music have amazed everyone even today. She has spent more than 50 years in Bollywood and sung a number of songs in his own style. Her songs reflects her attitude to life too — fun-filled and carefree.
Before marriage
Asha is the daughter of Deenanath Mangeshkar, who was a classical singer on the Marathi Musical stage. She was born in 1933 in a small hamlet of Goar in Sangli. When, she was 9, her father died. The family moved to Pune, then to Kolhapur and subsequently to Mumbai. She has an elder sister Lata Mangeshkar, who started singing and acting in films to support their family. Asha sang varied songs like ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’ from Umraao Jaan to Piya tu ab to aaja’ from Caravan.
After marriage
Asha Bhosle married Ganpatrao Bhosle, who was her personal secretary in 1949. She was just 16 and Bhosle was 31. It was a love marriage and her family opposed it, but Asha went ahead and got married. Asha had three children from Ganpatrao Bhosle – sons Hemant and Anand and late daughter Varsha.
Unhappy Marriage
Asha and Bhosle had an unhappy marriage. She had to constantly deal with a suspicious husband and ill-treatment by her in laws. The marriage ended very painfully when Asha was thrown out by her husband with two young children, and pregnant with third.
Tragedy: Daughter Varsha commits suicide
In October 2012, tragedy struck when Asha Bhosle’s daughter, Varsha committed suicide at her Peddar Road residence in Mumbai. She shot herself in the head while her mother and brother were away in Singapore. She was a journalist by profession and a columnist with Rediff. Varsha reportedly had a troubled life. No one knows what really happened but it is commonly believed that she couldn’t handle the pressure of being the daughter of Asha Bhosle. Varsha had married a public relations professional, but the couple divorced in 1998.
Hemant dies of cancer
In September 28, 2015, Asha lost her elder son, Hemant, who died in Scotland. The 66-year old music composer had reportedly been battling cancer for several years. Hemant, who was the eldest of Ashaji’s three children, worked as a pilot for some years and then had a brief musical career composing for little-known films like Barrister and Taxi Taxie, a 1977 film in which he used both his mother and aunt Lata Mangeshkar’s voices on the soundtrack.
