Kathmandu. Udit Narayan Jha and Kumar Sanu are the most loved Bollywood playback singers of the 90s. In that decade, there was a fierce competition between them. Not only in songs, but also in awards, there was a competition between these two.
So much so that even in the same movie, the fans used to be divided on who sang better among them. Recently, in a podcast with Indian media ‘News India 18’, Udit Narayan opened up about the competition with Kumar Sanu.
In particular, Udit had become popular two years before Kumar Sanu by singing background vocals. He became an overnight star with his song ‘Papa Kehte Hain’ in the movie ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ released in 1988. Then, in 1989, he sang ‘Kya Karte The Saajna’ for a video film by Gulsan Kumar which became a hit. Kumar Sanu emerged in Bollywood in 1990 with the song of the film ‘Aashiqui’.
Udit said that after Kumar Sanu came, there was fierce competition for a few years. ‘After Papa Kehte Hain, I was called a star overnight. However, I had already struggled in Bollywood for 10 years before that. After that I got to sing in films continuously. All the songs became hits. I thought, I will rule alone for a few years. However, Kumar Sanu came from Aashiqui in 90’, he said, ‘that same year he appeared in the film Ma Dil. There was a fierce competition between the two. I say this intense competition has been the same for five years.’
Udit said that competition is necessary to move forward. ‘Healthy competition is necessary to do well. Otherwise, it won’t be fun,” he said, “but from 1995 to 2004, you may have seen the same singer. In 1995, 25 films that I sang for celebrated their silver jubilee.’ Udit, who admitted that there was intense competition with Kumar Sanu for five years, also claimed that he was the dominant one for the next decade.
In the podcast, Udit was also asked about his journey from Nepal to Mumbai. The presenter asks him – ‘Many of us have only seen your journey from doom to doom. But my research showed that your journey started from a radio station in Nepal. Please tell me something about that trip.’
While answering this question, there seems to be some change in Udit’s expression. It seems that he gave the answer very quickly. He does not take the name of Nepal’s national radio station ‘Radio Nepal’, he says that he went there while singing Maithili songs from his village in Bihar and not from Bhardah in Saptari.
‘Especially I was in the village, in Bihar. That is Mithila region, Maithili language is spoken there. Maithili is the second most spoken language in Nepal,” he said. There is no difference between the relationship here and there. There is a road in the middle, there is no difference between going there to have tea and coming here to eat. I went to a radio station in Kathmandu after passing SLC in Bihar to sing Maithili songs.’
Stating that he completed his proficiency certificate studies in Kathmandu, Udit said that after that, this cycle continued for 6-7 years in Maithili, folk singing.
‘I inter mediated from him (Kathmandu). At that time, I got a scholarship from the Indian Embassy to study music, and I came to Mumbai. I struggled in Mumbai from 1978 to 1988,’ he said.
Udit Narayan of Saptari Bhardah is also a popular playback singer of Nepali films. In that podcast, he said that he has sung about five thousand Nepali songs. He also acted in the Nepali film ‘Kusume Rumal’.
