A useful route into Bhosle’s film work starts with Piya Tu Ab To Aaja from Caravan (1971), composed by R. D. Burman. Compare its rhythmic performance with the ghazal Dil Cheez Kya Hai from Umrao Jaan (1981), then Mera Kuch Samaan from Ijaazat (1987). Those recordings place the same singer in markedly different musical settings: dance-oriented playback, a ghazal and a song built around recollection.

Legacy (1996) paired Bhosle with sarod player Ali Akbar Khan. The eleven-song programme draws on repertoire preserved through his family’s musical lineage, including tarana, hori and dhrupad. Swapan Chaudhuri accompanies on percussion. The recording gives listeners a separate starting point for her classical collaborations beyond cinema.

For You’ve Stolen My Heart (2005), Kronos Quartet revisited R. D. Burman’s compositions with Bhosle singing on eight of twelve tracks. The quartet expanded its string sound with keyboards and percussion, alongside guests Zakir Hussain and Wu Man. These are newly recorded interpretations, with sessions dated 2004–2005 in the album credits; they should be distinguished from the original film soundtrack performances.