The 1970s were marked by an explosion of Bhosle’s cabaret songs. This genre got a fresh lease of life with Teesri Manzil (1966), a musical chartbuster by R.D. Burman. A hallmark of Bhosle’s style in cabaret numbers was the use of obtrusive breathing, volatile shifts in the pitch and elaborate use of non-verbal sounds and vocal inflections like whispering, breathing and grunting sounds, adding to the edginess of songs like ‘Piya tu ab to’ (Caravan), ‘Aao na gale’ (Mere Jeevan Saathi), ‘Kaanp rahi mai’ and ‘Sharmana yun’ (Joshilay), ‘Mera naam hai Shabbo’ (Kati Patang) and ‘Aaj ki raat’ (Anamika), ‘Sapna mera toot gaya’ (Khel Khel Mein). But Bhosle’s dynamic, creative partnership with R.D. Burman yielded innumerable iconic songs beyond the space of the night club. Songs such as ‘Dum maro dum’ (Hare Rama Hare Krishna), ‘Chura liya’ and ‘Apke kamre mein’ (Yaadon ki Baraat) quickly gained popularity among the youth in the ‘70s, propelling Zeenat Aman to iconic stardom. A few years later, the defiant registers in Bhosle’s voice found a new expression in ‘Hum kisi se kam nahin’. Almost five minutes into the qawwali, Bhosle’s aural intrusion adds drama as Zeenat Aman starts walking towards the stage, declaring her love for Rishi Kapoor, singing lines like ‘yeh nahi samjho, samjho, ki hum mein dum nahin dum nahin.’
