When Brett Lee decided after Mohali training to collaborate with Asha Bhosle: ‘I said…Ofcourse I know her, she’s like the Aretha Franklin’ of India, a legend’

The former Aussie pacer would stop him mid-sentence. “Ofcourse I’ve heard of her. She’s like the Aretha Franklin of India. A legend,” he would say.

The music producer would tell him, “We want you to do a collaboration with Asha Bhosle. We are doing a couple of collabs with Bollywood stars.”

“I asked who’s involved?”

He said Sanjay Dutt and Robbie Williams.

“‘What from England?’ I said if Robbie’s in, I’m in too,” Lee would laugh.

The legendary Indian singer, passed away at Breach Candy Hospital on Sunday, where she had been admitted on Saturday evening due to extreme exhaustion and a chest infection. Asha Bhosle’s passing marks the end of an extraordinary musical journey that spanned over eight decades. Interestingly, she also sang a duet with Australian cricketer Brett Lee back in 2007.

Back in 2006, Lee was on board, and wondered ‘What do I have to do?’

“Just come and sing. Will give you voice of song and lyrics. I went upstairs, got my guitar. I wrote that cheesy love song in 18-19 minutes,” he would recall. “Can’t believe it was about two guys fighting over a girl,” he chuckled.

“That cheesy, stupid love song I wrote went to No 1!'” he declared.

Bhosle also taught him the different ways of saying, “Achha?”

The song would get on every TV news channel in Australia, giving the migrant Indian community a rare moment to bask in glee of the voice they had grown up adoring, working with the Aussie tearaway.

The song titled ‘You’re the One for Me’ was released in 2007 for the Album Asha and Friends, also had Brett crooning Hindi lines like “Haan, main tumhara hu, tumhara hi rahunga,” with the iconic singer. It became a raging hit with young and old alike when it came out.

“I had great time working with her (Asha Bhosle) on the song,” Lee had said back in 2016. He also talked about how the collaboration came together in his autobiography “My Life”. The music video was shot in 2006 when Lee was in India to participate in the Champions Trophy.

“She was a lovely gentle woman with a wonderful sense of humour. Although I didn’t have much of an idea about what I was doing, I had real fun. I didn’t tell any of my teammates what I was up to; when I went for the shoot I told them I was going for a look through the streets,” he wrote.

“‘You’re the One for Me’ went on to become a number-one hit in India after making its chart debut at six, (when Indie-Pop came with elaborate music videos). It also did well in South Africa. Four months after that whirlwind recording experience, I caught up with Asha when she visited Sydney to perform at the Opera House. She gave me her compilation album with a personal signed message. It will always be one of my treasures,” he had added.

Beyond films, Bhosle explored independent music and collaborations. Her notable works included Dil Padosi Hai with Gulzar and RD Burman, Jaanam Samjha Karo with Leslie Lewis, and albums with Adnan Sami. Her collaboration Legacy with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan earned her a Grammy Award, while You’ve Stolen My Heart: Songs from RD Burman’s Bollywood brought her another nomination. She also composed music for Aap Ki Asha (2002) and collaborated with Rangeela artiste including Urmila Matondkar, besides Sanjay Dutt and the aforementioned Lee.