A month after the passing of legendary singer Asha Bhosle, singer-composer Adnan Sami has opened up about their deep bond, describing her voice in his songs as the most precious thing to him. 'Her love is priceless,' Sami said, reflecting on his relationship with the music icon who died on April 12 at the age of 92.
A bond like mother and son
Their collaboration began with the 2000 hit album 'Kabhi To Nazar Milao' and soon evolved into a close, almost maternal relationship. Sami recalled their playful arguments, saying, 'She and I would fight over the smallest of things. Her biggest complaint would be, "Tum dikhte nahi ho, kabhi aate nahi ho" (You are never seen; you never visit).' He added, 'I would tell her, "You are living in town and I'm living in the suburbs, in Lokhandwala." With the kind of traffic Mumbai has, it is not easy for someone to visit regularly. It was the typical fight a mother and son might have.'
Beyond the recording studio
The relationship between Sami and Bhosle, who sang over 12,000 songs in an eight-decade career spanning classical, jazz, and pop, extended beyond music. They worked on indipop numbers like 'Kabhi To Nazar Milao' and 'Aao Na', with their disagreements stemming from mutual affection and a desire for each other's attention. 'Sometimes, I would fight with her because of some complaints I had... Missing her call by mistake was extremely rare. But if I saw her call, it was a priority; I would leave everything to attend to her. She was sensitive about a lot of those things,' Sami shared.
Asha Bhosle's candid nature
The Pakistani-born Sami, who moved to India in 2001, admired Bhosle's straightforwardness. 'Whatever was in her heart, she would just say it. Afterward, she'd say, "Okay, I've said what I had to say, now I'm fine." She never kept things inside; she was exactly who she appeared to be on the surface, which is a beautiful thing. From that perspective, she was a simpleton,' he added.
Life-changing advice
Sami, who was born in London and became an Indian citizen in 2016, credits Bhosle for a piece of advice that changed his life. It was she who encouraged him to release his 2000 album 'Kabhi Toh Nazar Milao' in Mumbai instead of London. The romantic track, sung by Sami and Bhosle, was picturised on Sami and model-actor Aditi Govitrikar and became a major hit that year. 'Once I arrived in 1999, I thought I would just release the album and go back to Canada, where I was living at the time. Instead, I ended up staying, and the rest is history,' Sami said.
What he treasures most
When asked what he treasures most from their decades-long association, Sami replied, 'Her voice to my songs. There could be nothing more precious to me than that; everything else doesn't matter. And her love is priceless.'
