Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; February 1, 2025)
Udit Narayan stirred controversy after an undated video of him kissing a female fan on the lips while taking a selfie during his performance started doing the rounds on social media. In the video, the singer was seen performing the iconic track Tip Tip Barsa Paani when a female fan turned around and kissed him on the cheek. He then kissed her on her lips.
When we reached out to Udit Narayan, he said, “This is a six-month-old video which has resurfaced, and I am quite amused that it has gone viral. It was a concert abroad. Fans sometimes go crazy when an artiste performs to a large audience. They show a lot of affection, and we reciprocate. It is not new that fans want to click pictures with artists when they perform. I have been performing for many years now. This incident is so old that I don’t recall if it happened in US or Canada. I have been laughing over it since morning because people are calling me for it.”
The Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan award winner musician has had many hit songs to his credit in the 90s and 2000. His songs like Koi Mil Gaya (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai), Ae Ajnabi (Dil Se), Dil Ne Yeh Kaha Hai Dil Se (Dhadkan), Yun Hi Chala Chal (Swades), Pehla Nasha (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar) have been big hits. In an earlier interview with BT, he said, “I am glad that I have been singing for the past three decades. In the past three years, I am enjoying live performances a lot.”
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After a video showing him kissing a fan on the lips sparked outrage online, the singer says this is how fans show love
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 2, 2025)
Singer Udit Narayan Jha has found himself at the centre of controversy after a clip from one of his concerts went viral. In the video, the 69-year-old singer was seen kissing a female fan on the lips during his performance of Tip Tip Barsa Paani (Mohra, 1994). This has led to outrage from social media users.
HT City reached out for his reaction to the backlash. He tells us, “Fans itne deewane hote hain na. Hum log aise nahin hain, hum decent log hain.”
Addressing this incident of kissing a female fan on the lips, he calls it a spontaneous moment: “I’ve been in Bollywood for 46 years now, my image hasn’t been such (that I forcefully kiss fans). In fact, I fold my hands when I see the love my fans shower on me, while on stage, I bow down, thinking phir aaj ka yeh waqt laut ke aaye na aaye.”
Speaking about how some fans “encourage” and “show their love through this”, he adds, “Fans think they are getting a chance to meet, so someone extends their hands for a handshake, some kiss the hands… Yeh sab deewangi hoti hai. Uspe itna dhyaan nahin dena chahiye.”
The singer also believes that there might be an ulterior motive behind the controversy. “My family’s image is such. Aditya (Narayan Jha, son and singer) chup chaap rehta hai, controversy mein aata nahin hai… There is madness when I am singing on stage, fans love me, I think let them be happy. Humein bhi unko khush karna hota hai,” he ends.
What happened
A clip going viral shows Udit singing Tip Tip Barsa Paani when several female fans approach him for selfies. He kneels down for pictures, kissing fans on the cheek. He can also be seen gesturing to the security person to let a female fan come forward. After she clicks the selfie, she kisses Udit on the cheek, who then turns and kisses her on the lips. The audience can be heard shouting and cheering.
Fans react
The video has sparked an intense debate on social media. One user wrote, “Sir age ho rahi hai respect hai apka thodi toh sharam karlo! Public me ye sab!” Some called it “disgusting.” A few also dug out past videos showing Udit allegedly kissing colleagues like Alka Yagnik on the cheek, catching them by surprise. A section also came to his defence, with one commenting, “Why? It’s consensual. The Women are smiling like hyenas after each kiss.”