Beyond Bollywood: Asha Bhosle’s Bengali songs shine through Satabdi Roy

If you thought Asha Bhosle is known only for ‘Piya Tu Ab Toh Aja’ and ‘Tanha Tanha’, then you need to revisit her iconic collaborations with Bappi Lahiri and R D Burman, where she delivered some of the most immortal hits of Bengali cinema. In the Bengali film industry, one of the actresses most closely associated with Bhosle’s playback is Satabdi Roy. From ‘Tomari Chalar Pathe’ in ‘Ekanta Apan’ to ‘Akasher Chand Matir Bukete’ in ‘Guru Dakshina’, ‘Ei Eshona Kache’ in ‘Angar’ and songs like ‘Mon Bolchey’ and ‘Gun Gun Bhromra’ from ‘Apan Amar Apan’, the list is truly enviable.

“An artist like Asha Bhosle is rare. I am a die-hard fan of hers. In my case, her contribution to my films is eternal. She has done so much to make my films and songs successful, not just then but forever. It has truly helped shape my career. I feel fortunate to have lip-synced to her voice in my films and almost all those songs became hits,” she said.

In fact, Roy doesn’t recall how many songs Bhosle sang for her. Even today, she continues to rediscover those songs. Bhosle rendered numerous iconic Bengali film songs in the 1980s and 1990s that were picturised on Roy, many of them featuring Tapas Paul in the lead. Asked to pick one favourite, she paused before naming ‘Katha Noy Jeno Pakhir Kujan’ from ‘Antaranga’. “Her contribution to Bengali cinema is immense. Many films succeed because of their music and songs and that has always been true in Asha ji’s case,” she said.