Legendary singer Asha Bhosle, who passed away at the age of 92, lent her magical voice that touched multiple languages and generations. Among her vast body of work, she recorded just one Malayalam song — the evergreen ‘Swayamvara Subhadina Mangalangal’ from the 1977 film ‘Sujatha’.The rare track, composed by Ravindra Jain is iconic and here’s an untold story of the gem.
Asha Bhosle’s only Malayalam song
Asha Bhosle sang ‘Swayamvara Subhadina Mangalangal’ for the 1977 Malayalam film Sujatha.As reported by On Manorama, the song came about through a special recommendation by K J Yesudas. He suggested Ravindra Jain, a visually impaired musical genius, for the project. Jain expressed his desire to have Asha Bhosle sing the track.Producer P V Gangadharan and lyricist Mankombu Gopalakrishnan travelled to Mumbai’s R K Studios to meet her and finalise the recording.
Asha Bhosle’s dedication during recording
Asha showed impressive professionalism during the session. She insisted on mastering the correct pronunciation of every Malayalam word.Asha Bhosle found sounds like ‘zha’, ‘nja’ and small variations of ‘ra’ and ‘na’ quite challenging. She worked hard to surpass these issues.
Mankombu Gopalakrishnan’s praise for Asha Bhosle
Lyricist Mankombu Gopalakrishnan later praised Asha’s commitment in an interview. He opened up on how she approached the song with complete dedication by refusing to take shortcuts.Following Asha Bhosle’s demise on April 12, several celebrities paid heartfelt tributes.Playback singer Usha Uthup shared a throwback picture and wrote, “Thank you for coming to our studio and leaving your lasting memory right here .. momere putul.. Nazrul geet was the song she sang . @asha.bhosle ji…with admiration and awe and respect … We all love you.. Thank you for the music …”Malayalam singer K S Chithra also remembered her warmly, saying, “Today we lost a voice that meant so much to many people. It brought joy, comfort, and inspiration through the years, becoming a part of our lives in a special way. Though it is gone, the memories and impact it created will always remain with us. Om Shanthi Asha Bhosle ji.”
