| Apsara Aali | |
| Cover: | Apsara Aali.jpg |
| Caption: | Official song cover |
| Artist: | Bela Shende (Backing vocals by Ajay-Atul) |
| Album: | Natarang |
| Language: | Marathi |
| Released: | 2010 |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 4:10 |
| Label: | Zee Music Company |
| Composer: | Ajay-Atul |
| Lyricist: | Guru Thakur |
"Apsara Aali" is a Marathi-language song from the 2010 Indian drama film Natarang, directed by Ravi Jadhav. The song is composed by Ajay-Atul, features lyrics by Guru Thakur and vocals by Bela Shende. It gained immense popularity and was performed by Sonalee Kulkarni in the film.[1]
"Apsara Aali" is arranged and programmed by Ajay-Atul. The song was choreographed by Phulwa Khamkar, who made the dance a combination of folk and classical. Ajay-Atul use a rhythm called Keherwa, which has 8 beats in a cycle, and they organize it in four different levels of complexity: 4, 8, 16, and 24 beats within the same cycle.[2]
The music video features Sonalee Kulkarni as Nayana dancing on a stage. She is accompanied by a troupe of dancers. For the song, she wears a heavy jewellery, nauvari saree, and sings directly to audience.[3]
The song became popular and topped the charts.[4] The official music video had crossed over 90 million views on YouTube.
Ruchir Pathak of MouthShut.com wrote "It spread the magic and fit perfectly for nautanki."[5] While audiences enjoyed the Lāvaṇī dance sequences, traditional Lāvaṇī performers and experts criticized them for having a more item song-like feel. Critics particularly pointed out Sonalee Kulkarni's provocative attire, which they argued deviates from the conservative traditional Lāvaṇī costume.[6]
| Year | Award | Nominee | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Maharashtra State Film Awards | Best Female Playback Singer | [7] | |
| Ajay-Atul | ||||
| Guru Thakur | Best Lyricist | |||
| Phulwa Khamkar | Best Choreographer | |||
| Sanskruti Kaladarpan | Bela Shende | Best Singer – Female | [8] | |
| Ajay-Atul | Best Music Director | |||
| Bela Shende | Best Female Playback Singer | |||
| Ajay-Atul | Best Music Director | |||
| 2011 | Bela Shende | |||
| Ajay-Atul | ||||
| Guru Thakur | Best Lyricist | |||
| Phulwa Khamkar | Best Choreographer | |||
| V. Shantaram Puraskar | Ajay-Atul | Best Music Direction | ||
| Phulwa Khamkar | Best Choreography | |||
| BIG FM Music Awards | Best Music Director | [9] | ||
| Bela Shende | Best Female Playback Singer | |||
| Best Song of the Year |