Vishal Bhardwaj calls Arijit Singh’s retirement from playback singing unfair: 'Take back your sanyaas'

Vishal Bhardwaj expressed disbelief and sadness over Arijit Singh's retirement from playback singing, calling it unfair.

Music composer and filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj expressed his shock and disbelief over Arijit Singh’s decision to retire from playback singing, calling the move “inappropriate" with an emotional post on social media.

Vishal Bharadwaj shared a heartfelt video of himself singing a song from his upcoming film, O Romeo, originally recorded by Arijit Singh.

Vishal Bharadwaj calls Arijit's retirement “unfair”

In a heartfelt post, Vishal expressed his disbelief at Arijit’s decision. “Hey Arijit… Till a few days back, while we were jamming on this song (you were shooting the video), I didn’t know that this would be one of the last film songs with you. This is unfair… #TakeBackYourSanyaas. It’s unacceptable,” he wrote.

The video shows Vishal seated in a home-like setup, singing the track with visible emotion. According to his caption, the song is from his upcoming film O Romeo and the video was recorded by Arijit on his phone. Vishal and Arijit have previously collaborated on several acclaimed projects, making this farewell all the more poignant.

Arijit announced retirement from playback singing recently

On January 27, Arijit Singh announced that he would no longer take on new playback singing assignments. He wrote, “Hello, Happy New Year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much love over the years as listeners. I am happy to announce that I am not going to be taking any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey.”

Industry reacts to Arijit's retirement

Since Arijit Singh’s shock announcement that he will no longer take up new playback singing assignments, a wave of reaction has poured in from across the music and film industry. Fellow singers like Shreya Ghoshal praised his decision, calling it the start of a “new phase” and urging fans not to frame it as the end of an era.

Composers such as Armaan Malik, Amaal Mallik, B Praak and rapper Badshah shared emotional reactions online, expressing gratitude for his contributions and admiration for his work. Legendary playback singer Udit Narayan acknowledged Arijit’s lasting impact on audiences, saying his songs will remain etched in people’s hearts. Industry figures also weighed in: music producer Vishal Dadlani reflected on the courage behind the choice, while filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt described it as stepping away from the “noise, not art.”