Asha Bhosle sadly passed away at the age of 92 on April 12, 2026. She was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy hospital for age-related health complications. She was unwell for some time and was under close medical supervision in her final days. As we remember her extraordinary legacy and enduring influence on Indian music, we revisit a candid throwback from our archives, an interview with Filmfare in September 1993. It offers a rare glimpse into her personal reflections, her journey in the shadow of Lata Mangeshkar and the complexities of their sisterhood.
When asked if she resents being in Lata’s shadow and always having to be the second best, Asha said, “I remember Gulzar bhai once told me, ‘Neil Armstrong and his companion landed on the moon together, but since Neil look the first step, he hogged the lime· light. Similarly Lata and you reached the moon, but she’s been that one step-ahead. So you’ll have to live with the comparison.”
Asha also shared that she may have been ahead of her elder sister, had she been born in some other place. She added, “If I had been born in the Punjab and Madras perhaps, I would have raced ahead of didi by now. But I was born in the Mangeshkar family, I’ve always been didi’s younger sister. So I’ve resigned myself to being second best.”
But she also admitted that there has never been any professional rivalry between the two of them. She said, “What jealousy? These are only rumours spread by our rivals. When I was living apart from the family in Khar, producers and music directors would be running to me for dates and they’d always encourage me to speak out against didi. Perhaps once in a while, I did say something I shouldn’t have and they would instantly run to didi with tales. After I returned to live at Peddar Road, didi and I cleared up the misunderstandings. Now when anyone criticises didi in my presence, I tell them that if someone is taller than me then I can’t cut her legs to bring her to my height. I can only try to become as tall as her.”
Opening up about the bond she had with her sister before and after eloping and getting married to Ganpatrao Bhosle, Asha also said, “I don’t remember didi ever raising her voice at anyone; just one sharp look from her is enough to silence you forever. I was always the one closest to her. When we were young, I’d sew her clothes, make her bed, go shopping with her. But she was very upset when I eloped, suddenly there was a wall between us. After eight years, we patched up in 1960. I was a divorcee by then with three children. But things have never been the same again between didi and me. There’s no point in fooling myself that the love between didi and me is the same as it was before the wall..”
Also Read: Asha Bhosle’s Granddaughter Zanai Bhosle Expresses Gratitude Towards AR Rahman
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