It all began with an autograph: Story of Asha Bhosle and RD Burman's partnership and marriage

New Delhi: Asha Bhosle and Rahul Dev Burman's love story began in a recording studio and was shaped not by words but by music, resulting in some of the most timeless songs Hindi cinema has ever known.

Through the 1970s, the two produced an astonishing body of work, churning out such hits like 'Dum Maro Dum' from 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' (1971), 'Piya Tu Ab To Aaja' from 'Caravan' (1971), 'Duniya Mein Logon Ko' from 'Apna Desh' (1972), 'Chura Liya Hai Tumne' from 'Yaadon Ki Baaraat' (1973).

The songs, which went on to become cultural milestones, had Burman mixing Latin beats, Western pop and jazz with Indian classical music, and Bhosle's range brought all these styles together.

It all started in the mid 1950s.

Burman, the son of legendary composer Sachin Dev Burman, first met Bhosle as a teenager when he accompanied his father to a studio.

A bespectacled college boy, he was overwhelmed by the playback singer and asked her for an autograph.

"He'd come to see his father record 'Chaahe tum kitna bhulao' for 'Armaan' at the Famous studio in Mahalaxmi. He was a thin, pale boy in white, wearing thick glasses. Since he was short, he looked younger than his age. The boy asked me for an autograph and said he'd heard my Marathi natya sangeet on the radio," Bhosle told The Quint in 2022 about Burman, who was six years younger than her.

Their professional partnership began years later when they collaborated for Vijay Anand's musical thriller 'Teesri Manzil' (1966), starring Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh.

'Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera' announced both of them to a new India.

The song marked the breakthrough for Burman as an independent composer and the beginning of a creative union that would redefine Hindi film music.

Subsequent years saw their relationship deepen into something more personal. Both had come from unhappy first marriages.

Bhosle had walked out of an abusive relationship with Ganpatrao Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar's former secretary, whom she had eloped with at the age of just 16.

Burman had separated from his first wife, Rita Patel, in 1971. They found in each other's company a solace that went beyond the studio.

Many media reports have stated that Burman proposed to Bhosle on multiple occasions but she refused, scarred by the memories of her first marriage. He nonetheless persisted.

Asked how he finally managed to convince her, Bhosle said, "He'd say, 'Asha, only you understood. You can never go off-key even if you try to.' I felt flattered, but I didn't want to make the mistake of marrying again. He was after me for years to get married. After much persuasion, he convinced me that he'd fallen in love with my voice. It fascinated him. So finally I said, 'Okay.'" Her family, including elder sister Lata Mangeshkar, was aware of the growing closeness between the two, and Burman was reportedly so respectful of the relationship that when the marriage did finally happen, he told Mangeshkar that he wanted no expensive gift, only a letter of advice on how to make his married life beautiful.

The road to marriage was not without resistance as Burman's mother was bitterly opposed to the union because of their age gap.

Burman, who was fondly called Pancham Da, went ahead regardless. He married Bhosle in an intimate ceremony in 1980.

"Music was the basic foundation of our marriage: We could listen to Bismillah Khan, the Beatles, Shirley Bassey... and so many more for hours and hours. Pancham would emerge from his shower, in a lungi kurta, at 9.30 am and till 3 pm, we'd be humming together to the albums of John Coltrane, Earth Wind and Fire, Sergio Mendes, Santana, the Rolling Stones, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chuck Correa, Osibisa… Oh, so many. Our taste for music was eclectic, and that was our everlasting bond," Bhosle said.

The marriage coincided with Burman's creative peak but also, gradually, with his professional decline.

As Hindi film music shifted in the 1980s, Pancham Da -- who had once set the template for the contemporary -- found himself overshadowed by newer names, while also battling alcoholism and deteriorating health.

In the 1980s, they continued to collaborate, producing some of their most nuanced and emotionally layered work together.

They worked on Gulzar's 'Ijaazat' (1987), which featured many acclaimed songs such as 'Katra Katra' and 'Mera Kuch Saaman', the latter earning Bhosle her second National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer.

Burman died on January 4, 1994, of a heart attack. He was 54.

In interviews over the years, Asha Bhosle often spoke about her relationship with Burman and their marriage.

In a conversation with RJ Anmol and Amrita Rao last year, she said, "He didn't even know that he was such a big music director. He made music, but he had no ego about it." Did she believe that there could ever be another RD Burman? Bhosle told The Quint that he would have liked A R Rahman.

"He believed that a young composer who brings a new sound to music would become big. I think he would have liked AR Rahman… and there's Vidyasagar, whose compositions for the Tamil film Chandramukhi had an element of freshness.

"But seriously, no one can ever cover Bollywood beats, jazz, rock, pop, semi-classical, the way Pancham did. For another RD Burman, he would have to be reborn," she said.