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Asha's ageless allure

The effervescent Asha Bhonsle has brought out an album in which she sings the not-so-popular tunes of R.D. Burman

PICTURE OF POISE Asha Bhonsle has now reached a point where she has nothing to prove with respect to her music PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY

Just as growing children get annoyed at constantly being told how they have either lost or put on weight, active elders may wince at forever being reminded of their age. Some people think advancing age grants an automatic prerogative to stagnate, and then inflict their sense of wonder on veterans who refuse to do so.

If one may extend the same behavioural pattern to the golden-voiced musicians of Indian film industry, how many times has Asha Bhonsle been asked the secret of her staying power! She's not aging gracefully; she's graceful, period.

For her latest album Asha Reveals Real RD brought out by Sa Re Ga Ma, Asha has chosen songs of R.D. Burman that she feels have not received the attention they deserved. Asha Reveals... is in more ways than one a step further from her earlier album, the Grammy-nominated You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood, on which she collaborated with the Kronos Quartet.

This time she worked with two new arrangers. "Nitin Shankar has done the rhythm section and Yogesh Pradhan has done the instrumental part. The two make a great combination."

In an industry known for opulent orchestras and a penchant for picking up influences from across the world for background scores, it is not often that the arrangers get into the limelight, though they are the ones who, it might be said, wave the magic wand over a tune and make it into a popular sensation. "Earlier, everyone used to get fair credit. Today, maybe because of rampant computerisation, composers aren't given their due. Look at all the music channels on TV. The credits are not given at all. Maybe the producer thinks the artistes will get big-headed," laughs Asha.

Such debates, however, will always remain. As for giving credit, who can mistake that voice anyway? She has sung over 20,000 film songs and is still going strong? "Training in classical music helps, because it makes the voice flexible. But to get the expression, you have to immerse yourself in the role. Like telling yourself, `I am Helen.' If one is going to feel shy about such things, one might as well sit at home," says Asha, who took cabaret numbers to a different plane. Besides film tracks, she takes in her stride a spectrum of genres, whether remix or original, classical or folk, or collaborative ventures with bands from other countries.

The constant

In this kaleidoscopic diversity, if there is one constant, it is the sari. "I have been wearing a sari since I was 13. Wherever I went, even in the snow, I have never worn anything else." It's not as if she was never tempted. But if ever she thought of trying out a salwar-kameez, she would be overruled. "Oh ma!" she imitates the chorus of protestors, raising her hands to her face. "Even recently I said to my daughter-in-law that I want to get a nice Punjabi suit stitched. She said, `What has happened to you!' But actually I don't find saris inconvenient. People say it's not easy to walk fast. That's not true though." She adds after a pause: "I like girls in trousers and shirt if they are slim."

With so much behind her, what musical project does she crave for?

"There is nothing really. Bahut saara gaa diya. (I have sung a lot)." She muses: "I wanted to sing in English, I have done that... But if I say I will do something, it won't happen. Things suddenly spring up and everything falls into place."

Here's looking forward to the next spring.

ANJANA RAJAN

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