Veteran Bollywood playback singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya has stirred controversy with his recent comments about the role of music in an actor’s rise to fame. In a candid interview, the singer claimed that a well-known actor, whose name he chose not to reveal, owed much of his early success to the songs Abhijeet sang for him. “When he was launched, he wasn’t a star,” Abhijeet stated, “but my voice gave him the identity and appeal he needed.”
Abhijeet, known for delivering blockbuster tracks throughout the 90s and early 2000s, has been the voice behind numerous leading men in Bollywood, including Shah Rukh Khan, who many speculate could be the unnamed actor he referred to. Songs like “Badi Mushkil Hai” and “Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon” are still associated with iconic film moments and contributed significantly to the romantic hero image of several stars.
The singer’s remark has reignited a long-standing debate in the industry—just how much of an actor’s popularity is due to their own performance, and how much credit should go to playback singers, who often shape the emotional and musical backdrop of their on-screen personas?
Many fans and industry insiders agree that music plays a crucial role in Bollywood films. Catchy soundtracks often drive a film’s popularity, and the voice behind the actor can become just as iconic as the face onscreen. However, Abhijeet’s direct claim that he “made” a star has divided opinion, with some calling it arrogant and others calling it an overdue recognition of playback singers’ contributions.
Abhijeet has never shied away from speaking his mind and has been vocal in the past about the lack of respect given to singers in today’s film culture, especially with the rise of auto-tuned music and actors singing their own songs.
Whether one agrees with his statement or not, Abhijeet’s comments highlight the often-overlooked influence that playback singers have had on Bollywood’s biggest stars. It raises an important question: would some of our favorite film moments have the same magic without the voices that brought them to life?