Asha Bhosle shares her association with Dev Anand
Asha Bhosle shares her association with Dev Anand
Hindi cinema’s legendary singer Asha Bhosle recalls the evergreen Dev Anand’s advice to her.
She has seen the making of countless evergreen hits, and even admits some of her most famous songs nearly didn’t make it to screen. The legendary singer has now opened up about the stories behind two of her most unforgettable songs in Dev Anand’s film
Hare Rama Hare Krishna–Raat Akeli Hai Bujh Gaye Diye and the cult classic Dum Maaro Dum.
In a recent chat with the media Asha shared that Dum Maaro Dum, one of her most iconic tracks from Hare Rama Hare Krishna released in 1971,was almost dropped by Dev Anand.
Recalling the bond she shared with the evergreen actor-director, Speaking fondly of her bond with Asha Bhosle said that “Dev Anandused to launch new heroines all the time. He launched Zeenat Aman and Tina Munim (now Tina Ambani) and she used to tease him, ‘Meri bari kab aayegi (When will my turn come)?’”
She also remembered how Dev Anand guided her while recording Raat Akeli Hai Bujh Gaye Diye for Jewel Thief. “Before singing this song, he briefed her to think that she is an 18-year-old girl.’”
The singer went on to share how the mood of Dum Maaro Dum was born. According to her, composer RD Burman – fondly called Pancham Da – drew inspiration from the hippie culture he witnessed in Nepal. Asha said, “When this song was made, we were in Nepal at that time. That was also the time of the hippie generation. So, in Nepal, Pancham Da saw a lot of hippies and asked Anand Bakshi ji to write this song.”
However, the song’s bold lyrics raised eyebrows. “Some objected objection to the wordings of the song. After the recording of the song, they were so happy. But Dev Anand told them that he is removing the song from the film because he didn’t want the words ‘Dum Maaro Dum’ and ‘Hare Krishna Hare Ram’ to come together.
Nevertheless, it was her insistence that changed his mind. She asked Dev Anand to retain the song. This song will work a lot to which Dev told her that ‘if she was saying this, he will retain the song.’
The rest, as fans know, was music history – Dum Maaro Dum turned out to be one of the defining songs of its era.
Dum Maaro Dum from Dev Anand’s Hare Rama Hare Krishna is one of Bollywood’s most iconic songs, sung by Asha Bhosle and composed by RD Burman. With Zeenat Aman’s memorable screen presence and Anand Bakshi’s bold lyrics, the track captivated the essence of the hippie era and went on to emerge as a cultural anthem that defined the ’70s generation.
News Edit KV Raman
