RIP Asha BHosle

RIP Asha Bhosle (September 8, 1933 – April 12, 2026)

A voice like no other that I heard in countless Indian films I watched on television when I was child. I also now associate Asha Bhosle with food. One of my favourite restaurants in Dubai is Asha’s, a restaurant she founded and launched in 2002. Since then it has expanded to 14 other locations across the Gulf and the UK. I’m glad the first one is still open in its original location in WAFI and looking forward to eating there soon in her honour.

From a BBC interview in 2015 with Sarwat Jaleel:

Many of the dishes in your new restaurant originate from your own Indian recipes. Do you enjoy British food?
I've had fish and chips a number of times, but I always think it's lacking a bit of spice. The dish could do with a bit of chilli. I'd enjoy it more with a bit of chilli!

Is there a connection between singing and cooking for you?
Yes, definitely - because if you can sing well then you need to eat well, and if you eat well then you usually enjoy cooking. Cooking comes from the heart - it should be made with love, for others to enjoy, just like singing.

I sing from the heart, with love for others to enjoy. I love cooking as much as I love singing - that's why I have my signature dishes at my restaurant.

A few links and videos to celebrate her singing career, including a documentary, musical collaborations outside Bollywood, and old interviews:

Obituaries:
Asha Bhosle, India’s most versatile and prolific voice, dies at 92 by Sampan Sharma (Indian Express)

Asha Bhosle: The sound of Bollywood dies aged 92 by Sudha G Tilakand Zoya Mateen (BBC)

Remembering Asha Bhosle and the Kronos Quartet Collaboration by Luis Dias (Serenade)

Documentary:

Asha (Neville Bolt, 1986)

This needs to be restored and screened in cinemas.

Musical Collaborations:

Asha Bhosle’s collaboration with West India Company in 1984.

“…the West India Company combined keyboard-heavy club rhythms with Indian instrumentation. The biggest difference were the vocals of Indian superstar Bhosle, which transcended the West India Company from its Western origins. The West India Company introduced Bhosle to European and American audiences who weren't familiar with her, receiving exposure on British and German television.” ~ Michael Sutton

Asha Bhosle’s collaboration with Kronos Quartet on the 2005 album You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood

“In working with Asha Bhosle on You’ve Stolen My Heart…Kronos has experienced not only Burman’s living legacy, but also one of the most talented and generous artists I know of. Asha truly is the Queen of Bollywood.”

Asha Bhosle on BBC India, 1984:

Asha Bhosle on Riz Khan's One on One, Al Jazeera, 2007:

Riz Khan: How do you think people will remember you? What would you like to be the legacy? What would you like your memory to be?
Asha Bhosle: She was a good lady.

Tribute featuring clips from films featuring her voice: