Birthday Special: The 25 Moods Of Asha Bhosle

The difference between a good singer and a great singer is that one sticks to the tune while the other brings it to life.

From the era of black and white to colour to 3D, the matchless Asha Bhosle has breathed life into thousands of magical songs for numerous decades and regaled us with her endless energy and mastery of 'sur' and 'taal.'

Her inimitable voice -- be it as the heroine, vamp or supporting actor -- is responsible for countless memorable moments on the big screen and off it. Truly, her rare gift has produced a song for every emotion, occasion and ambiance.

One of India's most loved voices turns 79 on September 8. Rediff.com celebrates the legendary songstress and her astonishing versatility with a compilation of 25 songs against various moods and set-ups.

Aaiye meherbaan, Howrah Bridge
Mood: Seductive
Music: O P Nayyar

Asha Bhosle livens up the atmosphere with her sensual rendition of this timeless sizzler from Shakti Samanta's black and white mystery.

Mood: Playful
Music: Hemant Kumar

Known to modulate her voice to match a song's feel, the singer is at her animated best to convey the liveliness of Shakeel Badayuni's lyrics.

Mood: Romantic
Music: Rahul Dev Burman

Despite the overexposure, there's much affection and elegance in Asha's admission of love to snub this chartbuster from Nasir Hussain's lost and found musical.

Mood: Heartbroken
Music: Khayyam

While a misty-eyed Rekha expresses the pathos of the ill-fated courtesan on celluloid, Asha Bhosle exudes her heartfelt agony behind it.

Mood: Patriotic
Music: Hemant Kumar

The celebrated singer pays a rich tribute to the Father of the Nation in this melodious creation of Satyen Bose's National Award winning feature film.

Mood: Mysterious
Music: Shankar Jaikishan

The Padma Vibhushan recipient gets all secretive and guarded while teasing her listeners with a guessing game of concealed identities picturised on namesake, Asha Parekh.

Mood: Appeasing
Music: RD Burman

The two Ashas come together yet again to kiss and make up with their sulking Sona -- Shammi Kapoor in Vijay Anand's deft whodunit.

Mood: Maternal
Music: Sachin Dev Burman

Asha Bhosle is the sound of motherly ardour delivering a soothing lullaby, lip-synced by Nargis, in this sentimental drama about an estranged maa-beti.

Mood: Glamorous
Music: Bappi Lahiri

Nobody blends sophistication and siren quite like Asha Bhosle. And that's exactly what the queen of flamboyance does around this snazzy Bappi beat.

Mood: Anxious
Music: RD Burman

At a time when women were portrayed as prude and prim, Asha Bhosle not only acknowledges the aggressively sexy possibility of 'Monica' but gives her a sensational twist, on par with Helen's on screen bravado in this no-holds barred cabaret treat.

Mood: Hippie
Music: RD Burman

Nothing explains the wild aura of the 1970s better than Asha Bhosle's free-spirited rendition of the gypsy soul in RD's equally tantalizing arrangement.

Mood: Melancholic
Music: RD Burman

The pitch-perfect disappointment in Asha's rendering of the serene albeit sad notes of Khaali haath communicate the loneliness in a hopeless situation perfectly.

Mood: Devotional
Music: Raam Laxman

Asha Bhosle collaborates with Mohammed Rafi, Shailendra and Bhupinder to celebrate the grand festival of Ganesh Chaturthi in this popular song from a long forgotten Mithun Chakraborty-Ranjeeta potboiler.

Mood: Peeved
Music: RD Burman

Do lafzon may be the most popular on the soundtrack but Asha shows off her awe-inspiring range while letting off steam with anger and sarcasm in Tum kitne din baad mile.

Mood: Party-hopper
Music: RD Burman

RD's foot-tapping score was easily the USP of this typical poor boy-rich girl romance starring Kamal Haasan and Reena Roy.

And the husband-wife team burns the floor effortlessly with this East-West fusion leaving you a-ha, ha, ha-ing for more.

Mood: Shy
Music: RD Burman

Asha has this rare ability to act out the emotions of a scene within the song. And for this catchy number featuring Jaya Bachchan (then Bhaduri), the singer is delightfully demure and resisting towards the hero's eager advances.

Mood: Reflective
Music: RD Burman

'Yahan saare chehre hain maange hue se,' a subdued Asha Bhosle springs life in Gulzar's insightful poetry about the emptiness under the hustle bustle of show business with grace and skill.

Mood: Rebellious
Music: RD Burman

A clearly enthusiastic Asha Bhosle kick starts a defiant, non-cooperation movement of her own resonating the discipline vs carefree theme of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's feel-good flick.

Mood: Proud
Music: Naushad

Sisters and heavyweights of playback singing -- Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle -- get together to tussle over the best 'Mehboob' in this silvery Naushad composition brimming with exaggeration and adjectives.

Mood: Exotic
Music: RD Burman

For Umesh Mehra's Indo-Russian take on the classic Arabian fairy tale, RD employs middle-eastern influences while Asha lends it zing and zest with her merry inflections.

Mood: Competitive
Music: RD Burman

Even as Kishore Kumar (for Sanjay Dutt) and RD (for Shakti Kapoor) spar over words; Asha Bhosle competes with herself -- providing the voice for both Tina Munim and Reena Roy in everyone's favourite song about trash talking.

Mood: Makeover time
Music: RD Burman

Asha Bhosle turns romance coach with her How to win a girl's heart in five courteous steps guidebook to a six scruffy brothers.

Mood: Persuasive
Music: RD Burman

The singer is at her soulful best for Madhuri Dixit in trying to convince Anil Kapoor to commit to a life of love and harmony in this sublime beauty from Parinda.

Mood: Happy-go-lucky
Music: A R Rahman

The youthful, exuberant and starry-eyed vibe of Rangeela's title track is lovingly captured in Asha Bhosle's eternally vivacious spirit.

No wonder it became an instant hit.