Asha Bhosle’s only Malayalam song lives on

Kochi: A wave of grief swept across Kerala's music circles on Sunday following the demise of legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle, with tributes pouring in from artists and fans alike. Known for her extraordinary versatility, Bhosle recorded over 12,000 songs in multiple Indian languages. However, her contribution to Malayalam cinema remains uniquely limited to a single song that went on to achieve lasting popularity. Music critic Ravi Menon recalled that Bhosle's only Malayalam track, ‘Swayamvara Shubhadina Mangalangal' composed by Ravindra Jain, was featured in the 1977 film Sujatha. "Director Hariharan, along with K J Yesudas and others, felt her voice would be ideal for the composition. The song was recorded in a studio in Bombay," Menon said. During an event hosted by a Malayalam TV Channel, Bhosle had spoken about the challenges she faced while singing in Malayalam. She recalled pausing at certain words, including ‘priya thozhi', noting the language's complexity. "It is not Tamil, Telugu or any other language in India. When I finished the song, I was happy I could sing in such a tough language. At that time I was afraid but later I felt I wanted to sing more Malayalam songs," Bhosle had said.Menon said the song was a big hit at that time, with the song frequently played at wedding functions. "From then on, she did not sing in any Malayalam films, although she has worked with many of the singers from Kerala. She sang along with Yesudas in one of his earlier hit song ‘Jaaneman Jaaneman Tere Do Nain', she has also sung with singer Madhu Balakrishnan for the song ‘Konja Neram' in the 2005 movie Chandramukhi," Menon added. Madhu Balakrishnan told TOI that he did not know who had sung the female portion at the time. "When I reached the studio, they played the female voice and asked me to guess the singer. At first, I thought it was Janaki Amma but soon realised it was Asha Ji," he said.He added that he has always been an admirer of Bhosle's work. "Asha Ji is like how Sachin is to cricket, she is one of the greatest singers of all time," Balakrishnan said.Reflecting on her early career, Menon noted that when Bhosle began singing in 1943, Malayalam cinema was still in its infancy, and Hindi songs, including songs of Bhosle, dominated music lovers' preferences in Kerala.