Vishal Dadlani on Arijit Singh’s exit from playback: You have to live for yourself

Vishal Dadlani is leaning into fewer but more intentional projects — and his quick cameo on the latest Thums Up music anthem with Hanumankind fits that brief. The composer-singer, known for chartbusters across films and indie circuits, says the call was instinctive.

“I heard it and I was like, yeah, I’m in, man. Easy work. I’ve been following his work even before Big Dogs and then Big Dogs happened and I saw somebody who’s taking us to the world. It’s awesome to be part of something he’s doing. I jumped on. Mine’s a quick cameo.”




On Arijit Singh choosing to step away from the Bollywood grind, Dadlani refuses to play commentator. “A man has the right to make his own calls without being questioned for it. Ask him if you must. We don’t need to have an opinion about his life choice. It’s not something for us to question. It’s something to anticipate and enjoy as and when he evolves as a musician to his next stage, whatever he wants to do.”

He adds that his own public note on the subject came from a personal place. “At the end of the day, you gotta live for yourself. As far as Arijit’s call is concerned, live for yourself, my brother. I’m more than happy for him. I intend to do the same. You gotta love what you do, be in a happy space and make your calls.”

For those wondering why the Vishal-Sheykhar output has slowed, he frames it as living before creating. “Life is being lived, brother. We spent many years just being in the studio, putting out music. Then we realised we’ve got to live to find expressions. You can’t live in a loop. Break that, discover new things about yourself and life so you have something to say. Writing a song is easy if it’s habitual. Writing a good song that means something — you have to find yourself. Ongoing process, work in progress.”

On musician burnout, he dismisses the label. “I don’t think burnout is a thing. We exist in an ocean called music. Sometimes you want to go here, sometimes there. As long as you enjoy what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter. Focus on something else. Go flying, go for a run, do a trek, go for a swim. Don’t think about it. It’ll come.”Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”