‘Bahut nuksaan hua’: Kumar Sanu says he refused to sing ‘vulgar’ songs despite pressure from ‘movie mafia’

Kumar Sanu reflected on his song choices in the 1990s, acknowledging the mix of good and bad music. Despite pressures, he prioritised avoiding vulgarity.

One of the most recognisable voices of the 1990s, Kumar Sanu, has opened up about the kind of songs he chose to sing during the decade. In a recent interview with Zoom, the singer acknowledged that not all songs from the era were tasteful and revealed that he consciously tried to stay away from vulgarity, although he admitted that he gave in to pressure on a few occasions.

Kumar Sanu reveals his principles of not singing vulgar songs.

Kumar Sanu on not singing vulgar songs

Kumar Sanu was asked about some of the rather questionable songs from the 1990s. He acknowledged that such songs were part of the era, saying that the decade had a mix of everything, from good to bad. The singer said, "One of my principles was that I would not bring vulgarity into my songs. But there were one or two instances where I failed to stick to this because I was under such pressure that I felt I had to sing them, otherwise things would not work."

He added that despite the pressure from the 'movie mafia', he continues to stick to his principles and said, "I have one or two such songs. One or two songs of mine, like ‘Raj gaya tabla tabele mein...’, fall into this category. Apart from that, I have always avoided outright vulgar songs, as they are called, and I still do. I have stuck to this principle till today. Toh usmein ek cheez hoti hai ki pata nahi mera nuksaan toh bahut hua lekin I don't mind. (I may have suffered a lot of losses because of it, but I don't mind)."

About Kumar Sanu

Kumar Sanu is one of the most celebrated playback singers in Hindi cinema, known for his contribution to the romantic music of the 1990s. He rose to prominence with the 1990 film Aashiqui, whose songs became a defining part of Bollywood's romantic music. He went on to deliver several memorable tracks for films such as Saajan, Sadak, Deewana, Baazigar, 1942: A Love Story and Raja Hindustani.

Kumar Sanu holds the record for winning the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for five consecutive years, from 1991 to 1995. Some of his most popular songs include Ab Tere Bin, Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Pagal Hai, Sochenge Tumhe Pyaar, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha, Tujhe Dekha Toh and Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain.

Most recently, the singer released his single Aye Mere Watan on the occasion of Independence Day. Written by Ahmed Siddique, the song has been composed by Raja Ali. Sharing the song on his Instagram page, the singer wrote, "kuch gaane gaye nahi jaate, jiye jaate hain (Some songs are not meant to be sung; they are meant to be lived)."