Chura Liya…

FARRHA KHAN on a nostalgic journey with Asha Bhosle and Amit Kumar

Even a cold windy night couldn’t keep crowds away on March 5 for Asha Bhosle’s Rahul & I concert.

Yes, even despite Rihanna belting out chart-toppers on the other side of Olympic Park and the Mardi Gras rocking through Sydney’s CBD. Splashes of Indian colours and designs created a cheerful kaleidoscope at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, which was packed to capacity with an enthusiastic audience waiting to hear some of Bollywood’s melody queen Asha Bhosle.

And the 77-year-old songstress did not disappoint. From the moment she came on stage dressed in a light yellow sari that looked brilliant against the red drapes and cream coloured pillars on the stage, she had the audience on their feet, clapping and cheering. Starting off with a bang, her cleverly picked introductory numbers Pyar karne wale (Shaan) and Aaj ki raat (Don), showed off her unique fun-loving personality and love for mast songs that make you believe the world is one big, happy place. Indeed, that mood was to stay on through the entire night.

At the end of the foot-tapping Ek main aur ek tu, Asha ended by remarking to Amit, “Baba ki yaad aa gayi!” in reference to his father Kishore Kumar, with whom she had originally recorded the song.

Amit Kumar, son of legendary Kishore Kumar and a reputable singer himself, introduced Asha and the audience welcomed Bollywood’s “playback royalty” with a huge cheer.

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally came on stage to welcome Asha with flowers, revealing laughingly that the singing queen had called her “so tall”. The Premier’s response was admirable: “Asha Bhosle is tall in stature, in reputation and in talent. She is a towering figure of Indian music,” she said. The audience responded with wild applause!

Member for Hawkesbury, Ray Williams, representing the leader of the NSW Liberal Party, Barry O’Farrell, was equally well-received. What made his moment rather beautiful was not when he gushed over being in the presence of greatness, but when he called her “Asha-ji”.

Asha Bhosle laughed and nodded, letting it slip that she knew it was election time, and breaking the serious mood that had settled upon the stadium. And with that, the audience was ready for her next song.

The concert was called Rahul & I and as the night unfolded, Asha revealed small snippets of what it was like working with music director Rahul D Burman, whom she married in 1980. As she partnered with Amit Kumar, we were also delighted with many stories of Kishore Kumar.

In the first act of the evening, Amit Kumar had come out dancing to that all-too-familiar tune, Bachna ae haseeno. He had the audience clapping and singing along with this rendition. There was no doubt that the evening would be a spectacular one.

All-time Asha Bhosle classics like Pucho na yaar kya hua, Tu hai wohi and Chura liya had everyone swaying to the music. Amit Kumar also brought to life some top RD Burman hits and Kishore Kumar classics. His vibrant Yeh jawani had the audience dancing in the aisles. It was strange, I’ll admit, to see 58-year-old Amit Kumar dancing and jumping around with an amazing amount of energy that was simply infectious. He wasn’t even puffing at the end of the song! He immediately reminded us of his illustrious dad, who performed similar antics on stage.

For the supremely hummable old favourite Aap ke kamre meh koi, Asha joined him dressed in a stunning blue sari. At the end of the foot-tapping Ek main aur ek tu, Asha ended by remarking to Amit, “Baba ki yaad aa gayi!” in reference to his father Kishore Kumar, with whom she had originally recorded the song.

It was one hit after another in a glorious playlist that night, and the stars seemed to be egged on by the audiences’ energy. Tum kahan, Mein yahan had the two dancing like Shammi and Helen. O haseeno zulfon wali got people on their feet, dancing along in gay abandon and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

As the audience settled down a little, Asha sang a couple of Bengali songs upon requests called out. But very soon she was back in mast Bollywood mode, as she decided to treat us to a lesson on the singing style of other performers. Her mimicry began with her usual style of singing for modern young singers, like Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan. Then came the style of Noor Jehan. Then she sang in her older sister’s voice, perhaps poking fun at the so-called rivalry between her and the great Lata Mangeshkar. The real fun part came when she mimicked the styles of an Ustad and then a Pundit and their differing vocal acrobatics, before ending with how a song for the actress Helen should be sung, which had the whole stadium in absolute splits!

This was the perfect introduction to her final two songs, Dum maro dum and Piya tu ab to aaja, which brought Amit back onto the stage. There was something truly special about it all  – the sight of a 77-year-old songstress singing and dancing like a little ball of energy, along with a 58-year-old singer.  As they both smiled and danced off stage, I couldn’t help but smile too, and hope that I would be as spunky as the duo when I reached that age.

The band was truly brilliant, with composer Nitin Shankar who recorded Asha Bhosle’s album Precious Platinum, heading the musicians. But of the 12-man troupe, it was guitarist Arjun Kanungo who was the real stand out with his two vocal performances as well. His version of Queen’s We Will Rock You and Hotel California by The Eagles were both convincing, and importantly, enjoyed thoroughly by the audience.

Despite the delayed start and uninteresting hosts (who struggled bravely with microphone difficulties), the night was made special by the sheer brilliance of the stars of the show. Yogesh Sharma from Cinestar Entertainment deserves kudos for continuing to bring top-ranking stars out to Australia. With over six months in planning, the Asha Bhosle concert was indeed worth the efforts put in by Yogesh. It was truly amazing to look out over the audience and see them dancing in the aisles, while older ladies swayed together in their seats, singing along to these timeless classics. At one point I saw a young girl of about 8 years, bopping up and down in her seat to Ek meh aur ek tu.

Earlier in the evening, a short performance by local singer Shweta Sharma set the backdrop beautifully – her lovely rendition of Main asha hoon was a wonderful tribute indeed.

Some of the best songs Bollywood had to offer over decades were brought to life that night, and Asha Bhosle and Amit Kumar’s amazing stage presence kept the audience completely engaged. It was an intimate show that became a stroll down memory lane for the performers and audience alike.