Back in 2010, composer Veer Samarth claimed that on Feb 2 that year, he recorded a song sung by the legendary Asha Bhosle, which was her debut in Kannada. Producer E Krishnappa and his Matte Mungaru film team begged to differ. They got Bhosle to release a statement on video that she had recorded a song for Krishnappa’s Kannada movie on Jan 16 earlier in the year, and that rather than the one she sang for Samarth was her Kannada debut. It turns out, both the composer and Bhosle were wrong!Bhosle, despite enjoying a long career, sang only a handful of songs in Kannada. The yawning gap in the timeline of her various Kannada renditions had slipped from the memory of most, including the singer herself. All three Mangeshkar sisters — Lata Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar, and Asha Bhosle — made their Kannada debut in the same film, Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (1967). Manna Dey also sang a song in the movie, directed by BT Athani. The song sung by Bhosle, ‘Yako Yeno Seraga Nillavaldu,’ was an item number of its time. But it was Lata Mangeshkar’s rendition of ‘Bellane Belagayitu’ that was the hit track from the album. The second and most popular number of Bhosle’s brief repertoire in Kannada was in Doorada Betta (1973). Incidentally, the film had more than just Bhosle as its Marathi connection. The Kannada film, directed by Siddalingaiah, had taken its basic plot from the 1965 National Award-winning Marathi film Sadhi Mansa. The song itself was inspired by the Marathi Tamasha theatre. Moreover, popular Marathi actress and dancer Usha Chavan featured alongside Rajkumar in it. Doorada Betta remains an iconic film in Kannada and all three songs, including the one rendered by Bhosle, remain popular even after over 50 years.It was a good 37 years later, in 2010, that Bhosle sang her next song for a Kannada movie. The ‘Helade Kaarana’ song for Matte Mungaru was a solo rendering by her, with lyrics penned by Dwarki Raghava, who also directed the film. It was recorded on Jan 16, 2010. The following month, Samarth recorded a song with the legendary singer at Mumbai’s Spectral Harmony studio. The item song ‘Jotegaaranilla, Joteyaaru Illa, Jotegaara Ninagaagi Naa Kaadiruve’ was penned by Raghavendra Kamath. However, on that date, Samarth was not sure in which film the song would be used. Subsequently, it became a bone of contention between the producers of Mandahasa (Basava Reddy) and Manikya (Prathap Gowda). The rights were claimed by Gowda but his film never got made. Mandahasa released without the Bhosle song in 2013. So, ironically, the last song she recorded in Kannada remains unused. According to Samarth, no one wants it now. “After Manikya was dropped, the song remained with me. I offered it to a few filmmakers. But they wanted the lyrics changed or the composition altered because it did not suit their films. It became impossible to use it in any movie,” he rued.
