Hi,

Check the foll. site for Ashaji's complete interview:

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpape...225200523181631

Rgds,
Rakesh

It says article not found.

Coincidentally, I was going to share this little bit today anyway...
Here's AB talking about her recreation of some of RDB's songs...

Click to view attachment
Brimful of Asha!
As candid as it gets, Bhosle talks about recreating RD’S music to be released on Pancham's death anniversary and a lot more...

Mumbai Mirror Bureau

What brought on your desire to re-do 22 of RD's numbers?
It was something that my son Anand, and I thought of. There're so many good compositions of Pancham which were left behind for whatever reasons. It could be because the song was filmed on the second- lead or the vamp (in the film). But back then these extraordinary compositions were overlooked.

For example?
‘Do labzon ki hai dil ki kahani’ in The Great Gambler is still popular. But I prefer ‘O diwanon dil sambhalo’ from the same film. My son and I decided we must have such songs in this new homage to Pancham. Take other compositions ‘Mera pyar Shalimar’ from Shalimar and ‘Yeh naina yaad hain ke bhool gaye’ from Manzil Manzil. There's another song ‘Aao na gale lagaon na’ from Mere Jeevan Saathi among Pancham's and my neglected nuggets….We haven't recorded many for Real RD (the forthcoming album). Or for that matter, ‘Aaj ki raat koi aane ko hai’ from Anamika. I heard it when Kronos Quartet played it in their album with me. That's when I decided to include it in a new album.

Are these 22 tracks also RD's own favourites?
I feel I know what he liked best. He preferred rhythmic songs. But he wasn't allowed to do enough of it. He used to be hugely restricted by what the producers wanted. Sometimes he'd get really saddened. He'd say, “I show them diamonds. But the producer wants glass.” They'd tell him , “What a song your father (Sachin Dev Burman) composed, wah wah”, when in fact the songs were composed by Pancham.

Give us an example.
In this new album I've included one of my cabaret songs ‘Karle pyar karle’ which was credited to SD Burman but was actually composed by his son. Even ‘Sar jo tera chakraye’ from Pyasa is credited to his father but is actually Pancham's. When the senior Burman passed away lots of producers asked Pancham to ghost-compose in his father's style. This he did, reluctantly and unhappily.

You've included Pancham's compositions not only sung by you but also by others…
Yes, like Kishore Kumar's ‘Hum bewafa’ (Shalimar) , Usha Uthup's ‘1,2 Cha cha cha’ (Shalimar) and my sister (Lata's) ‘Jaane kya baat hai’ (Sunny ). I can't sing it as well as Didi. But I hope you like it. Then there's ‘Goya ke chunanche’ from Manoranjan. I must tell you, Pancham did not know Urdu. Instead of 'Khuda na khasta' he’d say 'Khuda na khas'. When corrected by me he'd say, 'Jaane de na, mujhe bolne de' (Let me say it the way I want to). In ‘Goyake chunanche’ he didn't know the meaning of any of the Urdu words. Both words came together and the song was born… The stress throughout is on rhythms. He loved that.

So many memories must be associated with these songs?
So many! I've sung them exactly the way they were sung originally. Only the rhythm sections have been changed. And sometimes the situational sounds have been reduced. For instance the refrain Jhingalala ho jhingalala ho in the track ‘Hum bewafa’ (Shalimar). If Pancham had done these songs now he'd have perhaps done them this way. The boy who has re-arranged the tracks Nitin Shankar is so fond of Pancham it's like a son re-doing his father's legacy.

Your memories of Pancham?
Whenever we worked on songs like the ones in this album he'd say, "Asha ek rehearsal kar len?' (Let's rehearse once). But for Indian songs like ‘Saiyya re saiyya taaron ke chaiyyan’ he said, “Let's go straight into it.”

The song 'Lucky Lips' in the recent film Lucky was filmed on a 17-year old girl. How do you manage to sing for a 17-year-old at 65?
I'm not 65. I'm 71. It's God's and my parents' blessings. If you have all those things in place, everything turns out right.

Your struggle multiplied.
Yes. I feel it's the struggle that makes success worthwhile. When a wounded warrior returns home he proudly displays his wounds to prove his prowess. But my wounds cannot be shown to anyone.

Hardly any major movie soundtrack in the last 25 years barring Umrao Jaan and Ijaazat contains your entire vocal contribution.
If you look at my career from the start, you'll see I always got stray songs to sing in big films. But by my good luck, they'd all do well… ‘Jhumka gira re’, ‘Parde mein rehne do’, ‘Le gayi le gayi’, ‘Zaraa sa jhoom loon main’, ‘Sharaara sharaara’... If God wants to give you something, he doesn't need to give you an entire picture to sing for, one song is enough!

You've achieved a lot considering how formidable a talent your sister is.
I've always given priority to my children and to my music…in that order. I never cared whether I was number 1, 2 or 3. I sang professionally, so I could educate my children. Now I sing for myself, for the pleasure of it. All my children are well-settled. My younger son Anand has become an entrepreneur. We've a global chain of restaurants. Now singing is my life. I need to sing to live.

Don't you regret that your children didn't follow in your footsteps?
Not at all. In fact I kept them as distant from this profession as possible. Yes, one of my sons Hemant became a music director. But he gave up. I've no regrets about it. Asha-Lata to ban gaya (There's already an Asha and Lata in the family).

What do you think of re-mixes of yours and Lataji's songs?
The singers are more concerned with the music videos than the quality of their singing. And watching them gyrate to our songs in skimpy clothes is an unbearable experience. I just sweep my grandchildren out of the room when they switch on the TV. Do they realise what they're doing to impressionable minds? Look at how gracefully Helen used to perform my songs on screen. The exposed parts of her body would be covered with body stockings. Woh lajja ab utar gayee hai -- karne walon ki and dekhne walon ki (There's no shame left anymore, among both viewers and performers). Everyone is out to make a fast buck. Everyone is out to get a kick. I want to know if kids like the taste of poison, are we supposed to let them have it. I feel very sad and concerned for the coming generations.

What do you think of the quality of playback singing today?
Earlier we used to sing the whole song by memory. Feelings used to creep in while memorising the lyrics. Nowadays every line is edited.

Do you feel like a misfit?
Not at all. Main to har rang mein utar jaati hoon (I can mix into any milieu). I've sung with the greatest singers of all times... It used to be an event to sing with them. Now there's no challenge. That's why I took on the challenge of doing old ghazals. Ho sakta hai purane log isspar baras paden (Just hoping to catch up with the old 'uns).

Are you planning to sing the unused tunes of R.D?
I haven't given it a serious thought. But I've started the process of sifting through his tapes… I've always done what I wanted to. People know the kind of person I am. They love me for who I am first, my singing comes later. I always wanted that. My world is composed of my family and my music -- cooking at home, and singing… No magazines and papers are allowed in the house. I've nothing to do with politics in showbiz. I don't visit anyone…I know nothing about the gossip in the film world.

We remember you once complaining, “But RD didn't give me Raina beeti jaye”.
I never questioned him about which songs he composed for Lata Didi. He told me which were my songs and I sang them.

But didn't it pinch you when RD's ‘Raina beeti jaye’ or ‘Do nainon mein aanson bhare hain’ went to Lataji?
No, I had gotten used to it (laughs uncomfortably). Madan Mohanji and Roshanji also gave me lovely and successful songs. But there was always the issue of 'first' and 'second' – Lata ko yeh gaane denge, Asha ko yeh gaane denge (This one for Lata, and the other one for Asha). I don't blame them because my songs became hits. When there was a trend for qawwallis I sang those. When it was time for cabarets I did them. Waqt ke saath main apane-aap ko dhaalti gayi (I moulded myself with the times). That's why I'm where I am.

* “I can't sing ‘Jaane kya baat hai’ from Sunny as well as Didi. But I hope you like it. ”

Rom ji thank you !

Btw in today's TOI - in straight answers - in the city times - There is a small interview about her never asking RDB about the songs he gave to LM..

Will type the stuff and post it tomorrow if it is not available on the TOI site

N :

In an interview to Ameen Sayani, she'd said that she playfully used to tease RDB that he gave his best compositions to LM...
BTW, that clip I uploaded, about a minute long, is from 'Personal Memories, Rahul & I' album, as you'd doubtless know... I hadn't heard it for a while, and found it in a DVD of CD rips of mine and my brother's music...

Thankyou Nimmiji,

I tried hard but couldn't find the article on the net. I've sent a mail to mumbai mirror to activate that link, but it's not required NOW!!

Thanks!

Rgds,
Rakesh

Ditto, thanks Nimii. Does anyone know the name of this new album? Or did I miss it above? Thanks.