KARACHI:
On Sunday, renowned Bollywood playback singer Udit Narayan found himself embroiled in a disturbing controversy following an incident during a live concert in Mumbai. A video surfaced online showing him interacting with a female fan who, while taking a selfie, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. The singer reciprocated the gesture by turning towards her and kissing her on the lips.
The encounter happened during Udit’s performance of the already sexually charged song Tip Tip Barsa Pani from 1994 film Mohra, at the specific verse before the chorus ‘Mere bas mein nahi mera mann / Mein kya karoon’ (I can’t control my heart’s desires / What can I do?). After the encounter went viral, he was recorded kissing other women attending the concert on the cheek, seemingly upon their request.
The incident garnered a spectrum of reactions online. There is a general consensus that both Udit and his fan had acted inappropriately. Given his status as an established, senior artist in the Bollywood industry, and the star-and-fan relationship of the two, netizens were stunned by this incident.
Internet reacts
Some users defended the 69 year-old singer, suggesting that the fan initiated the kiss and that his reciprocation was a natural response. One user commented, “First, the girl kisses Udit Narayan without his consent. Yet, leftists and feminists cry foul only when he kisses backbecause he’s a man. The girl’s actions? Conveniently ignored. Why?”
Conversely, many criticised Udit for his actions, emphasising the importance of maintaining professional boundaries, especially given his stature in the industry. Critics argued that regardless of the fan’s initiation, it was incumbent upon the celebrity to uphold a standard of conduct that reflects his position and influence. One netizen commented, “With age, he has lost his character. Fans are always crazy, but he should respect each fan.” Some Indian media platforms went so far as to speculate if Udit was intoxicated during the course of this concert to have acted in such a disgraceful manner.
As is natural for the internet, there was yet another faction of reactors who insisted that since both parties seemed satisfied with the encounter, the incident was not worth the debate. One such commenter addressed the rest of the fast-polarising comments section and remarked, “[The ] one who kissed is happy, [the] one who got kissed is happy. Why are some people upset about it?”
What Udit has to say
In response to the backlash, Udit addressed the controversy, stating that his actions were an expression of affection towards his fans and that there was no inappropriate intent behind them. He emphasised that he is a “decent” person and felt no regret or sorrow over the incident, viewing it as a natural interaction with an enthusiastic admirer. “Do you hear any regret or sorrow in my voice? I have been in the industry for decades and have always shared a close bond with my fans. This was an act of pure affection,” the artist maintained.
Amid the ongoing debate, an old video from a 2021 episode of The Kapil Sharma Show (now called The Great Indian Kapil Show) resurfaced, further fuelling controversy. In this episode, Udit, along with fellow singers Kumar Sanu and Anuradha Paudwal, made remarks that were perceived as misogynistic. Udit’s comments about Archana Puran Singh’s laughter and weight, and similar comments about Alka Yagnik were deemed inappropriate by many viewers, leading to renewed criticism.
The internet was also quick to uncover older footage of Udit kissing Alka and Shreya Ghoshal at various events. In one clip, he kissed Alka on the cheek while she was performing on the Indian Idol stage, leaving her visibly startled. Social media users pointed out a similar moment in another clip, where Alka appeared to react uncomfortably to his gesture. Years later, at an award ceremony, Shreya received the Best Female Singer award from Udit and actor Malaika Arora. As she stepped onto the stage, Udit greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Though she momentarily made a face, she quickly smiled before accepting the award.
In the midst of the controversy, fellow playback singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya has also come to his colleague’s defence. Abhijeet dismissed the backlash as overblown and stressed the affectionate nature of fan-celebrity interactions. He stated, “Such incidents are being blown out of proportion. Udit ji has always been a gentleman and shares a warm relationship with his fans. This was nothing more than a gesture of affection.”
The plot thickens
Public displays of affection are generally frowned upon in India and other parts of the region, with even Bollywood stars maintaining restraint in their interactions with partners in public. That the singer chose to break this unspoken cultural rule with a fan, rather than a spouse, made the act even more divisive. While some excused it as an impulsive reaction to fan enthusiasm, others pointed out that a seasoned artist like Udit, with decades in the industry, should have known better.
Dubbed as ‘the kiss controversy’, this incident also revived conversations about misogyny within Bollywood and the entertainment industry at large. Some social media users blamed the female fan herself, arguing that she should have known better than to initiate a kiss with a male celebrity, suggesting that she “invited” his response. This rhetoric mirrors broader societal attitudes where women are often held responsible for men’s behaviour.
Adding to this was singer Bhattacharya’s defence of Udit, which many saw as reflective of the ingrained entitlement among male celebrities. Bhattacharya himself has faced accusations of sexual misconduct in the past, famously in 2018 when a former flight attendant named Yamini Khanna accused him of making unwanted sexual advances at her in a Kolkata nightclub in 1998. His questionable past has made his statements dismissing the backlash even more infuriating for critics. The entire fiasco reinforced the long-standing issue of male artists in the industry enjoying impunity, often indulging in sexist behavior without real consequences. Many pointed out that if a female celebrity had done the same, the outrage would have been far more severe, further highlighting the double standards within Bollywood and South Asian society as a whole.
