Asha Bhosle-R D Burman: A musical love story

Asha Bhosle’s personal life had already seen many struggles before RD Burman came into it. At just 16, she married Ganpatrao Bhosle against her family’s wishes. The marriage didn’t last and she returned home with two children, expecting a third. Though they separated in 1960, she kept the surname Bhosle, which later became her identity.

She first met Burman when she was a young mother and he was still a teenager, passionate about music. Over time, their paths crossed again and their musical journey truly began with ‘Teesri Manzil’ (1966). Their bond grew through music. Asha called him ‘Pancham’, while he lovingly called her ‘Babua’, later shortened to ‘Bab’. She also called him ‘Bob’. Still, in front of others, he would respectfully call her Asha.

In the 1970s, they created some of the most popular songs in Hindi cinema, including ‘Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja’, ‘Dum Maro Dum’ and ‘Chura Liya Hai Tumne’. With Kishore Kumar, they also gave many hit duets.

In the 1980s, their music became softer and more emotional, with songs like ‘Mera Kuch Saaman’. Pancham also composed beautiful Bengali songs for her, like ‘Mohuaye Jomechhe Aaj Mou Go’, ‘Chokhe Chokhe Kotha Bolo’, ‘Baanshi Sune Ki Ghore Thaka Jaye’, ‘Sondhya Belay Tumi Aami’ and ‘Aaj Gun Gun Gun Kunje Amar’. They got married in 1980 and stayed together until his death.