Sonil Dedhia (BOMBAY TIMES; September 6, 2015)

A day after his birthday on September 4, and the release of Welcome Back (his last film as a music composer), Aadesh Shrivastava, who was battling a relapsed cancer, passed away at 12.30 am on September 5. He was undergoing treatment at a suburban hospital in Mumbai for over a month. He is survived by his wife, Vijayta Pandit, former Bollywood actress and sister of music-composer duo Jatin-Lalit, and their two sons - Anivesh and Avitesh. When we last spoke to his brother-in-law Lalit Pandit, he had told us that the composer was not responding to medicines and because of his frail condition, the doctors had stopped giving him chemotherapy.

The music director started his Bollywood career with Khatra (1991) but his first big hit came with the song Haathon Mein Aa Gaya Jo Kal Rumaal Aapka from the movie Aao Pyar Karen (1994). On the international front, he had collaborated with artistes like Akon and Shakira amongst others. He made his last public appearance at singer Ankit Tiwari's birthday bash in early March this year.

The last rites took place at the Oshiwara crematorium yesterday afternoon, which was attended by Amitabh Bachchan, Sonu Nigam, Ismail Darbar and Sunidhi Chauhan amongst others. A prayer meet is scheduled for Tuesday.
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Srijana Das (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 6, 2015)

Bollywood music composer and singer Aadesh Shrivastava passed away on Saturday, one day after he turned 51. Married to former actor Vijayta Pandit and brother-in-law of composers Jatin and Lalit, Shrivastava has two sons. Detected with cancer in 2010, he was undergoing chemotherapy. His last movie, 'Welcome Back', released this week.

Shrivastava's signature style was big, bouncy numbers, like 'Shava Shava' (Kabhi Khush Kabhie Gham, 2001) and 'Sona Sona' (Major Saab, 1998), full of brass band-like verve. A wedding favourite, his chirpy songs were often trumpeted in baraat processions across India.

However, there was also a softer, deeper hue to his music. His layered talent throbbed in 'Mora Piya' (Raajneeti, 2010) which he composed and sang and in the wonderful songs of Baghban (2003), where he captured the romance and rejection an elderly couple, played by Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, experience. With Baghban arguably his finest album, Shrivastava showed a deft emotiona hand, creating the vibrant 'Hol Khele' alongside a mellifluous 'Main Yahan, Tu Wahan'.

Interestingly, Shrivastava shared a close rapport with superstar Amitabh Bachchan whose 1990s reinvention mixed with Aadesh's music, helping Bachchan transition from tough-talking hero to lively daddy, dancing to stylish songs. Bachchan also sang some of Aadesh's hits. In a January 2015 interview with Bombay Times, Bachchan mentioned how, singing for Shamitabh, he felt self-conscious before composer Ilaiyaraaja ­ but he'd happily frequent Aadesh's home, the duo 'fooling around' with music, Shrivastava putting 'mistunes into tunes'.

Shrivastava was a quintessential 1990s composer, whose breezy numbers, drawing from ragas and remixes, captured transitions India itself was embarking on. His creations for movies like 'International Khiladi' (1999) combined the finish of tech with the folksiness of tamasha, swinging from breakdance to bhangra, shehnai to synthesiser. Although Bollywood came to be dominated by A R Rahman's soulful songs, composers like Shrivastava formed film music's body, his 'Haathon mein aa gaya jo kal rumaal aapka'  ('Aao Pyaar Karein', 1994) playing on buses, at paan shops and pandals everywhere.

In the 2000s, Shri vastava showed multi media flair, making a short film, judging reality TV, collaborating with American singer Akon. Illness ended his musical journey. However, Shrivastava has left listeners a varied playist of pleasures - sparklers to rejoice with, and softer songs to sigh by.