Bigg Boss doesn’t suit my profile. I won’t be a part of it: Pankaj Udhas

“I have grown up listening to ghazals on the radio and that made me choose my career as a ghazal singer. I believe ghazals are the best combination of poetry and melody,” said singer Pankaj Udhas during a recent visit to the city for a concert. Pankaj has tried almost all genres except Indi-pop, “There was a time where Indi-pop music gained a lot of popularity.I never tried that genre as I didn’t like it much,” he shared.
Having performed in many concerts and various cities, the singer believes that every place has its preferences when it comes to music. When asked what the people of Bhopal like, he replied, “I have always enjoyed performing in this city. The people of Bhopal are well versed with the language and finer nuances of ghazals.”
Pankaj has been around in the music industry for quite a while and has seen it change. When the topic of recreated Bollywood songs came up during the interaction, the singer agreed that it has become a popular trend nowadays but made it clear that he doesn’t subscribe to it. He said, “In the earlier times, we had music composers and singers like Kishore Kumar, N Dutta and more who put their heart and soul in their creations. What music composers of today do is that they just add some new bits to the old song. That’s not called a new creation! I believe new composers should refrain from doing this.”

When the topic of Bollywood comes up, the singer got nostalgic remembering his first break in the industry. “In 1972, a film named Kaamna was being shot with all new actors. The director thought that if there are new actors, there should be new voices for them as well. Usha Khanna, the music director, told the director, ‘Manhar (Pankaj’s elder brother Manhar Udhas) ka chhota bhai hai. Achhi ghazal gaata hai, usko try karo’. So, I was reached out to and I sang for the film. Unfortunately, the film never released. However, the music released, and my song was played on the radio,” shared Pankaj.
After this, the singer did not get any work and suffered a blank period till 1980. "In those days, getting work was not easy. Stalwarts like Kishore da and RD Barman had set high standards of music and it was tough for newcomers to make a niche for themselves,” he said. Things changed for the singer after the immense success of Chitthi aayi hai (Naam). Pankaj, who is extremely fond of the song, shared, “The song is immortal. Even after more than 30 years, it is as popular as it was in those days. I still remember bumping into Raj Kapoor in a flight and his compliment on the song, ‘Pankaj tu amar ho gaya'. The song was recorded in just one take.”
With his fellow ghazal singer Anup Jalota participating in Bigg Boss, we asked Pankaj if he would consider doing so too. He replied, “That show doesn't suit my profile. I won’t be a part of it.”