Bollywood ignores Asha Bhosle's 90th birthday

New Delhi, Sep 8

The legendary playback singer, Asha Bhosle, turned 90 on Friday, and it was disheartening to see that Bollywood celebrities forgot to acknowledge her birthday.

Known for her versatility, and melodious voice, Asha is one of the most successful singers in Hindi cinema though her body of work extends beyond just the Hindi cinema. In her career spanning over eight decades she has recorded songs for films and albums in various Indian languages.

She has received several accolades, in addition to two Grammy nominations. Bhosle is also honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and Padma Vibhushan. The Guinness Book of World Records acknowledged Asha in 2011 as the most recorded artist in music history.

Given her immense contribution to the Indian music industry, and her status as an iconic figure, Bollywood celebrities overlooking her birthday raises questions about the industry’s appreciation of its own icons, and the importance of recognising their contributions.

In the digital age, Bollywood celebrities are quite active on different social media platforms, and enjoy a huge fan following. A simple birthday wish or a heartfelt message can go a long way in showing respect and gratitude to the legends like Asha Bhosle who has shaped the contours of the music industry and served at the voice behind many of Hindi cinema's iconic stars.

Obsessed with the box-office success, the glitz and glamour, the star-studded premieres, and the relentless pursuit of record-breaking collections, the Bollywood fraternity have forgotten the birthday of Asha.

Only music director Salim Merchant took to the social media X (formerly called Twitter) and shared a throwback photo with Asha.

He wrote: “Happy 90th birthday to the OG Queen @ashabhosle ji She’s celebrating her 90th birthday today in Dubai at @cocacolaarena with all the music lovers creating history by performing on her 90th birthday”.