Abhijeet Bhattacharya calls Udit Narayan ‘khiladi’; defends him kissing female fan: ‘Ladkiyaan unke peeche padi thi’

Abhijeet Bhattacharya defended Udit Narayan after he faced backlash for kissing a female fan on the lips during his concert.

Singer Udit Narayan recently found himself embroiled in a controversy after a video of him kissing a female fan on the lips went viral on social media. Now, in an interview with News18, his contemporary and popular singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya has come forward in his support, recalling how he once faced a similar situation.

Abhijeet Bhattacharya defends Udit Naryan amid kiss controversy.

Abhijeet defends Udit Narayan

Abhijeet defended Udit, saying, “Udit is a superstar singer, and incidents like these keep happening to us singers all the time. If we aren’t properly guarded or surrounded by bouncers, people tear our clothes apart. It has happened to me in the past too. When I was relatively new in the industry, during a concert in South Africa, teen-chaar ladkiyon ne mere gaal pe itna khatarnak kiss kiya ki main stage pe jaa hi nahi pa raha tha (three or four girls kissed me on my cheeks so roughly that I couldn't go on stage again). And all of this happened right in front of Lata (Mangeshkar) ji. I had lipstick marks on my cheeks."

He further added that his wife is often part of his team when he travels for concerts and said, “He’s Udit Narayan! Ladkiyaan unke peeche padhi thi (Girls were after him), he didn’t pull anyone close to him. I’m sure that every time Udit performs, his wife accompanies him as a co-singer. Let him enjoy his success! He’s a romantic singer. He’s also a big khiladi, and I’m an anari. Koi unke saath khelne ki koshish mat karo (Don't try to play games with him)."

About the controversy

In the viral video, Udit can be seen returning kisses to female fans while singing his popular 1990s song Tip Tip Barsa Paani from Mohra. In one of the clips circulating on social media, the singer was seen asking security personnel to let a female fan take a selfie with him. When she moved closer to take the photo, she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, after which the singer tilted his head and kissed her on the lips. The video sparked backlash on the internet.

Following the controversy, the singer responded in an interview with HT City, saying, "Fans can be so passionate. But we are not like that; we are decent people. Some people encourage this and express their love in this way. What’s the point of making a big deal out of it? There are so many people in the crowd, and we have bodyguards present too. But fans feel like they are getting a chance to meet us—some extend their hands for a handshake, some kiss the hands… this is all part of their devotion. It shouldn’t be given so much attention."