Asha Bhosle told Adnan Sami he used her voice best after RD Burman: ‘Agar Pancham hota…’

Asha Bhosle, who would have turned 93 today, passed away in April of this year, leaving behind a legacy of memorable music and launching the careers of many proteges. Adnan Sami, a longtime collaborator of Bhosle, owes much of his career to her influence, including her insistence on releasing his album Kabhi To Nazar Milao in Mumbai rather than London, where he was recording it at the time.

Sami recounts how Bhosle looked at him with a "dirty look" when he admitted he didn't know anyone in Mumbai, emphasizing that Mumbai was the best distribution platform for a Hindi music album. Bhosle not only produced the album for Sami but also went on to commission a song for him, "Lucky Lips," in the 2005 romantic film Lucky: No Time For Love.

Sami also collaborated with Bhosle on the song "Aao Na" just last year. The singer expresses gratitude to Bhosle for his 30-year-plus music career and feels he has the blessing of her late husband, legendary composer RD Burman, who he met at the age of 10 in London. Sami fondly remembers Bhosle once telling him, "If Pancham had happened today, you would have seen how happy you'd be," and that Burman's encouragement as a child always stays with him.