Asha Bhosle’s voice has made our hearts extremely emotional, but the same love was not kind to her. The legendary singer celebrates her 91st birthday today (September 8) and we remembered the time when Bhosle took a filmy step in her life and married a man almost twice her age, who was also her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar’s secretary at one point.
It was the year 1949 when 16-year-old Asha Bhosle eloped with 31-year-old Ganpatrao Bhosle and decided to get married against the wishes of her family. Soon the Mangeshkar family ended their relationship with Asha, but as soon as she gave birth to her first child, Heman, their anger started to subside. Though the lovers chose to stick to their relationship, fate had nothing good in store for them, especially for Asha.
In 1960, Ganpatrao showed the veteran singer the door when she was pregnant with her third child and soon sent her a separation notice. Asha did not give up as she now had a whole family to take care of. In an interview with Kavita Chibber, Asha Bhosle once revealed that her ex-husband’s family was conservative, and could not digest her successful singing career.
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Bhosle elaborated, “I was abused and mistreated and eventually I was thrown out of the house when I was expecting my youngest son Anand and I moved back in with my mother, sisters and brother. I don’t blame anybody and I don’t hold any ill will. I feel if I hadn’t met Mr Bhosle, I wouldn’t have these three wonderful children and life wouldn’t have worked out as it is.”
Asha never shied away from talking about her bad experiences but always moved on with a little more patience. The singer, best known for hit songs like Jawani Jaaneman, Dum Maaro Dum, Piya Tu Ab To Aaja, Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Deewana and Hungama Ho Gaya, later married veteran music composer RD Burman in 1980.
Sadly, Bhosle and Pancham Da later drifted apart due to Burman’s alcoholic lifestyle but remained each other’s biggest fans. Though love hasn’t been kind to our sweet birthday girl, Asha Bhosle has ensured that our love lives are filled with her evergreen love songs.
We wish the great singer a long, healthy and inspiring life.
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