Bhosle, Asha << BOHS lee, AH shah >> (1933-…), is an Indian playback singer. A playback singer is someone whose voice is used in a motion picture in place of that of the actor or actress. Bhosle’s last name is sometimes spelled Bhonsle. In 2011, she was recognized as the most recorded studio artist in music history. Bhosle has sung more than 11,000 songs in over 20 languages, and her voice has been heard in over 1,300 films. She has been one of the most prominent playback singers in Indian cinema since 1957. Bhosle is known in Bollywood for her vocal range and versatility. Bollywood is the name for India’s motion-picture industry.
Bhosle has won a number of Filmfare Awards for playback singing, as well as a lifetime achievement award. Filmfare Awards are presented annually for artistic and technical excellence in filmmaking in the Hindi language. The Indian magazine Filmfare presents the awards. Bhosle has received many other awards and honors for her singing. They include the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the Indian motion-picture industry’s highest honor, which she received for the year 2000; and the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in India, which she received in 2008.
Asha Mangeshkar was born on Sept. 8, 1933, in the village of Goar, in what is now the Sangli District of Maharashtra, India. She was born into a musical family and received training in music and singing from her father, an actor and singer. Her older sister was the famous playback singer Lata Mangeshkar. Their father died when Asha was 9, and the sisters began singing in films to provide family income. Asha made her Hindi film debut as a playback singer in Chunaria (1948). In 1950, at age 16, Asha married Ganpatrao Bhosle, Lata’s personal secretary.
From 1957 until the 1970’s, Bhosle recorded a number of successful songs written by prominent Indian composers, including O. P. Nayyar, S. D. Burman, and Khayyam. Asha and Ganpatrao Bhosle separated in 1960 and later divorced. In 1980, Asha married Burman’s son, the Indian composer Rahul Dev Burman, who wrote some of her biggest hits. They remained married until Burman’s death in 1994.
In 2013, approaching age 80, Bhosle made her motion-picture acting debut in the drama Mai, in which she portrayed a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She received critical acclaim for her performance.
