She continues to rule the charts with her golden voice but veteran singer Asha Bhosle, who turns 77 on Wednesday (Sept 8) says she went through some very difficult times during her days as a struggler.
Asha says that as a newcomer it was hard to convince musicians to hire her but is not keen on doing Bollywood playback anymore.
"No one helped me. I would go begging for work. It was not easy as I had no godfather or someone to help me. A lonely person tends to make mistakes, it is always better to have someone to guide you. I had no one," Bhosle told PTI in an interview.
Bhosle, who has been the voice of more that 12,000 songs in a career spanning six decades, does not find Bollywood exciting anymore. "I have been singing for so long. I will do playback only if something new and exciting comes my way," she says.
When asked about the stories of rivalry with her elder sister, Asha declined to comment. "I don't want to comment on what the media says," said the singer, adding that the love of her fans has kept her alive.
"Apart from my parents, I am thankful to the musicians who gave me work when I was a newcomer in the industry. Also I am grateful to my listeners who have kept Asha alive, she would have died otherwise," said the singer.
Bhosle, who always tries to do something new on each of her birthdays, is now planning to launch a record with tabla maestro Shujat Khan.
"I am making an album with Shujat, which is an amalgamation of classical and folk music. I did live recording after years and it was such fun," said the singer.
Bhosle has mastered almost all genres of music be it pop, ghazal, classical or qawali and now is in talks with Mexican-American artiste Carlos Santana for a duet.
The voice behind hits like 'In ankhon ki masti', 'Sona re' and 'Rangeela', Bhosle says she is now trying to popularise Indian music in the West.
The singer will celebrate her birthday during a concert in Singapore. "My energy is my lifeline. I cannot do without it. I am planning to open the ninth outlet of my restaurant Asha's in Dubai," said Bhosle, adding that she only concentrates on the menu while the financial aspects of the business are looked after by her son Anand. "The menu includes my favourite dishes and I keep checking the quality of the food," she added. PTI
