Legendary playback singer Udit Narayan recently found himself at the center of a social media firestorm after a video of him kissing a female fan during a concert surfaced online. The incident sparked widespread discussions around boundaries, consent, and the responsibility that comes with being a public figure. The controversy gained further traction when older clips, featuring the singer kissing female colleagues like Shreya Ghoshal and Alka Yagnik, began circulating again.
Now, for the first time since the backlash, Udit’s son and fellow singer Aditya Narayan has responded to the controversy in an interview sharing how the veteran musician reacted to the uproar.
Aditya Narayan shares Udit Narayan’s reaction after the uproar
In a conversation with SCREEN, Aditya said, “Pehle toh pitaaji ko samajh mein nahi aaya ki logon ko naraazgi kis baat ki hai. He comes from a different time and perspective. There was an era when fans used to throw their undergarments on the artiste on stage. You can’t do that anymore. Similarly, he comes from a time when a fan gives you love, you don’t consider it incorrect when giving that love back.”
Aditya acknowledged that the digital age has changed the way public behavior is perceived and scrutinized. “Internet is a strange thing. Social media is not a real place and what you see on social media is not the full picture. As public figures, we don’t have control over every single part of what is broadcast in the world.”
Udit Narayan “had no idea what consent meant”
Aditya explained that while his father meant no harm, he simply didn’t understand the evolving conversation around consent. “But now, thankfully, we live in a day and age when consent is a thing. He had no idea about it. It is a wonderful, but fairly new development. There are age appropriate terms also now. Shayad mein karta aur koi 32 saal ki ladki hoti, toh itni badi baat nahi hoti. He is now a respected senior member of the music fraternity and his fans range from 6 to 60. So, it depends on who it’s happening with.”
Making it clear that the veteran singer’s intent was never to offend, he added, “He wasn’t aware. He doesn’t come from that generation. He is someone who would never want to be inappropriate. Uske lie main hu, jab unko samajh nahi aata hai toh main samjhaata hu. Now, he is aware that there is something called consent. Maine unko ek hi cheez samjhaayi ki public figure aap hain. How someone expresses their love to you will never become news, how you express that love back is very important because you are a role model.”
“Now that it has happened, he is aware of it. You cannot rob a public figure of their right to make mistakes and learn from them. Nobody is perfect. You should just accept them and keep learning. We are simple people,” he said.
