When Zubeen Garg ‘missed out’ on singing opportunities as he stayed more in Assam than Mumbai: ‘They looked for me but…’

Zubeen Garg had once said that since Pritam was his "good friend," he called him to Mumbai and asked him to sing Ya Ali.

In his career of over thirty years, the late singer Zubeen Garg sang more than 38,000 songs in 40 languages and dialects. He also lent his voice to several Hindi songs, such as Ya Ali, Dil Tu Hi Bataa, Piya Re Piya Re, Woh Bheege Pal, and Tu Kahaan Hai. Several years ago, Zubeen appeared as a guest on the show Mirakkel Awesome Saala. He spoke about the opportunities he missed because he didn't stay much in Mumbai.

When Zubeen Garg talked about losing work in Mumbai

Zubeen Garg died in a scuba diving accident in Singapore on Friday. (Abdul Sajid)

Talking about his iconic song, Ya Ali, Zubeen had said, "When I sang the song, I didn't know it would become such a rage. It was good for me, too. Mumbai industry gave a big break with the song."

On the show, Zubeen had also shared, "I stay most of the time in Assam. I don't stay much in Mumbai. For that, I missed out on a lot of work. When people look for me, they are told, 'He doesn't stay here.' Then they make someone else sing the song. I lost many opportunities."

Zubeen on who made him sing Ya Ali

He added that since Pritam was his "good friend," he called him to Mumbai and asked him to sing Ya Ali. Zubeen added that he was "very happy" about the song. Ya Ali was from the 2006 film Gangster: A Love Story, directed by Anurag Basu. It featured Kangana Ranaut, Emraan Hashmi, and Shiney Ahuja in lead roles. Pritam composed the music.

About Zubeen

His mortal remains will be kept there till 7 pm. The cremation site for Zubeen is yet to be decided. A memorial of the cultural icon would also be built at the chosen spot.