Asha Bhonsle was born on 8 September 1933 in the small village of Goar in Sangli, Maharashtra. Music was her first love as she was born in the musical Marathi family of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar. Her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar started to sing in films after the death of their father for earning the rozi-roti for her family. Later, Asha Bhonsle also joined her sister in bollywood and made her debut with the song ‘Saawan aaya’ for the movie Chunariya.

She is considered one of the most versatile South Asian singers. She has sung in many other languages also apart from Hindi like Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, English etc. She married Ganpatrao Bhonsle against her family’s wishes. In the year 1950, she sang more songs than any other playback singer in bollywood. She also sang the famous song ‘Nanhe munne bachche teri mutthi mein kya hai‘ with Mohammed Rafi in Boot Polish.

The big break came to her when O. P. Nayyar decided to use her as a singer in C.I.D. But she actually got success with B. R. Chopra’s Naya Daur. She rendered many song for dancing queen Helen including two big hits like ‘Piya tu ab to aaja’ and ‘yeh mera dil yaar ka deewaana’. She won National Award for Best Female Playback Singer for rendering some beautiful songs in the movie Umraao Jaan. In year 1995, she did playback for sexy Urmila Matondkar in the movie Rangeela.

Some of her best bollywood songs are :

1. Parde mein rehne do parda naa uthao - Shikar
2. Dum maro dum mit jaayein gum bolo subah shaam hare krishna hare raam - Hare Rama Hare Krishna
3. Yeh mera dil yaar ka deewana, aata hai mujhko pyaar mein jal jaana - Don
4. Dil cheez kya hai aap meri jaan lijiye bas ek baar mera kaha maan lijiye - Umrao Jaan
5. Tanha tanha yahan pe jeena yeh koi baat hai koi saath nahi tera yahan to yeh koi baat hai - Rangeela
6. Piya tu ab to aaja shola sa mann bhadke aake bhuja ja - Caravan
7. Udhe jab jab zulfein teri to kawariyon ka dil machle jind meriye - Naya Daur
8. Nanhe munne bacche teri mutthi mein kya hai - Boot polish