A day before A day before Asha Bhosle turns 84, a song from Muzaffar Ali's 1981 period drama, Umrao Jaan, which bagged the songstress her first National Award for best female playback singer, returns to take me on a nostalgic stroll down three decades, with its 90 years young composer, Khayyam. Their association dates back to 1948 and his first film, Biwi. He remembers a Mukesh-Ashaji duet, “Woh Subah Kabhi Toh Aayegi“ for Ramesh Saigal's 1958 Raj Kapoor, Mala Sinha-starrer Phir Subah Hogi after recording which Asha had exulted, “All my troubles have melted away, Khayyam saab subah ho gayi!“ She was however not quite so enthusiastic about Umrao Jaan's first song, “Dil Cheez Kya Hai Aap Meri Jaan Lijiye, Bas Ek Baar Mera Kaha Maan Lijiye...“

In retrospect, the lines penned by Shahryar are not just poetic but prophetic too as Khayyam saab tried to cajole the melody queen, who had sang her first cabaret number in Footpath under his baton, along with romantic songs like “Piya Aaja Re Dil Mera Pukaare“ and “Kaisa Jaadoo Daala Re Balma Na Jaane“ for the heroine Meena Kumari, to record it the way he wanted. From his readings of the Lucknowi poetess-courtesan, the music director had come to believe that Umrao would sing her songs at a lower pitch but his low octave experimentation threw Ashaji off. On the day of the recording, she was distinctly uncomfortable and the atmosphere at Mehboob Studio was decidedly tense as whispers that the duo was not in-sync over the 'sur' slithering into the recording room. Instead of shrugging off the gossip as idle talk, Khayyam saab admits that it was true.

“My wife Jagjit Kaur came to me after the rehearsal, saying Ashaji wanted a word with me,“ he reminisces, acknowledging that she had chided him for taking the scale down by a note and a half. “You know I have sung at a higher scale all my life, she argued. When I pointed out that this was how Umrao would have sung, she argued that she couldn't sing in a 'sur' contrary to her own.“

While everyone shivered over the prospect of an early pack-up, Khayyam saab, quietly cajoled her to give one take the way he wanted. “After that I promised that I would rewrite the notations, rearrange the music and record the song in her usual scale. She made me swear on my son Pradeep that I would go for a second take and not go back on my word. After solemnly promising her that I would, I also took a Saraswati maa ki kasam from Ashaji that she would give the first take her 100 per cent,“ Khayyam saab narrates.

After the song was canned, he invited her into the recording room to listen to 'his' version before they went for 'her' take. “Tanpura, sitar, sarangi, sab bajne lage... We started with the alaap before moving into the mukhda. Ashaji's eyes shut and she went into a trance. The six-minute song wound down but she remained as still as a statue. A hush descended over the studio as everyone waited for her to react,“ he flashbacks.

After a minute or two, her eyes slowly fluttered open and she asked softly, her voice laced with wonder, “Was that really me singing? I've never heard myself sing like this before?“ And everyone gathered there, started to breath again.

Khayyam saab got to keep his 'take' and “Dil Cheez Kya Hai“ set the tone for the rest of the songs that followed with her. From the soul-stirring “Yeh Kya Jagah Hai Doston“ to the gut-wrenching “Jab Bhi Milti Hai“, from the pathos-laden “Justuju Jiski Thi“ to the playful “Inn Aankhon Ki Masti“, each one is unforgettable. “Ashaji bahut mahir hain, she can adapt her voice to any tune, any language, any pitch, any genre,“ he raves, quick to point out that singers don't just sing for him and Jagjit Kaur. “Gaana gana aasan hain, par hum gawate hain.“

That's why the first song remains close to his heart. He insists that Umrao Jaan today has become synonymous with Rekha and her voice with Asha Bhosle's.

“Dil Cheez Kya Hai Aap Meri Jaan Lijiye, Bas Ek Baar Mera Kaha Maan Lijiye...“