- Adnan Sami remembers the biggest compliment Asha Bhosle gave him.
- He talks about how RD Burman and Asha Bhosle inspired his musical journey.
- He credits Asha Bhosle for insisting he try his luck in Ind
Asha Bhosle left behind a lasting legacy of not only memorable music but also a wide range of proteges, and one of them is Adnan Sami, her long-time collaborator. On Asha Bhosle's 93rd birth anniversary, Adnan Sami talked about Asha Bhosle and RD Burman's influence on his career.
During an interview with Screen, Adnan Sami recalled his childhood days when he impressed both RD Burman and Asha Bhosle with his original composition at a London concert. When Burman expressed his doubt about whether Sami had actually composed the tune, the 10-year-old Adnan Sami played the tune on his portable keyboard. Both of them bet high on his musical career at the time. However, RD Burman died in 1994, years before Adnan Sami's music career in India flourished.
“I remember Asha ji once said to me, ‘Agar Pancham aaj hota toh tumhe dekh ke bada khush hota.' And that's also always in my heart because he was very encouraging to me as a child,” Adnan Sami revealed.
He further shared that he feels like he had won a “lifetime achievement award” when Asha Bhosle paid him the ultimate compliment. “I remember after recording Kabhi To Nazar Milao in London, I was dropping off Asha ji at the Heathrow airport. Right before she left for the immigration counter, she told me, ‘If anyone understands my voice after Pancham, it's you',” he said.
Adnan Sami also credited Asha Bhosle for his 30-year-plus music career and revealed it was Asha ji who insisted he try his luck in India. He recalled during the recording of Kabhi To Nazar Milao, he initially thought of releasing the music in London, but it was Asha Bhosle who insisted he release the album in Mumbai. “If it's a hit in Mumbai, it'll be a hit all over. There's no better distribution platform than Mumbai, she said. "Adnan Sami shared, adding, 'She also wanted to produce an album for me.' So, I just came there thinking that. I came literally with the clothes for a month and ended up staying for the rest of my life.”
Asha Bosle and Adnan Sami collaborated in various songs, including Mehndi Masala, Koi Rehta Hai, Pyar Bina, and Aao Na, among others. Asha Bhosle passed away on April 12, 2026.