THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From hearing the name on radio during his school days to teaming up with her in his early Bollywood days, filmmaker Priyadarshan’s bond with Asha Bhosle was nothing less of heartwarming.
“It is not that we saw each other every day, but whenever we met, the bond and respect remained untarnished,” he said. Calling the late singer an inspiration for generations of upcoming musicians, Priyadarshan recounted the heartfelt conversations they had.
“When ‘Goodknight’ Mohan and I decided to do Gardish, we thought of R D Burman for the score, but we never imagined that he would agree. And when he roped in Asha Bhosle, it felt surreal,” Priyadarshan reminisced. Pairing his friend M G Sreekumar with Asha for one of the songs in the film only added to the excitement .
“But even while being celebrated as one of the finest singers in the country, she would come and ask me where she could find beautiful temple jewellery in Kerala. After completing her recordings, she would come and show me a special bangle she purchased from some place,” he said.
“Never did she behave in a manner that made me feel like a beginner or South Indian,” he said, indicating how such an attitude helped him carve out a stellar career in the industry.
However, the episode when a song that she had sung was cut from his movie Kabhi Na Kabhi proved to be a source of tension among them. “When she asked me about it, I clarified that it was edited at the theatres and not from our side. She was upset, but it did not hurt the equation between us,” he said.
Even after all the accolades, Priyadarshan said, Asha remained grounded, which made her stand apart from others. “We have indeed lost a pillar of Indian cinema. She was a singer who transcended language and generational barriers.”