Legendary singer Pankaj Udhas, who gave memorable hits like ‘Chitthi aayi hai’, died after a prolonged illness, his family confirmed today. He was 72.

“With a very heavy heart, we are saddened to inform you of the sad demise of Padma Shri Pankaj Udhas on 26 February due to a prolonged illness,” read a statement from the Udhas family. 

Udhas, who made a mark as a playback singer in Hindi films, including “Naam”, “Saajan” and “Mohra”, died around 11 am at the Breach Candy hospital, news agency PTI said quoting a family source.

‘Chandani Raat Mein’, ‘Na Kajre Ki Dhaar’, ‘Aur Ahista Kijiye Baatein’, ‘Ek Taraf Uska Ghar’ and ‘Thodi Thodi Piya Karo’ are among his evergreen ghazals. 

The singer, who also started a talent hunt TV show, ‘Aadab Aarz Hai’, performed at concerts around the world and had many albums to his name.

Soon after the news of his death broke, tributes poured in. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Pankaj Udhas’ “ghazals spoke directly to the soul”.  

“We mourn the loss of Pankaj Udhas Ji, whose singing conveyed a range of emotions and whose Ghazals spoke directly to the soul. He was a beacon of Indian music, whose melodies transcended generations. I recall my various interactions with him over the years,” said the Prime Minister. 

“His departure leaves a void in the music world that can never be filled. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” he added.

We mourn the loss of Pankaj Udhas Ji, whose singing conveyed a range of emotions and whose Ghazals spoke directly to the soul. He was a beacon of Indian music, whose melodies transcended generations. I recall my various interactions with him over the years.

His departure leaves… pic.twitter.com/5xL6Y3Sv75

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 26, 2024

Condoling the loss, Home Minister Amit Shah said Pankaj Udhas’ songs touched the hearts of people of all ages and classes and he will live among us through his songs and ghazals.

The singer rose to fame with Mahesh Bhatt’s 1986 film ‘Naam’ starring Nutan, Kumar Gaurav, Sanjay Dutt, Poonam Dhillon, Amrita Singh and Paresh Rawal. 

His song ‘Chitthi Aayee Hai’, which became a huge hit, was selected as one of the 100 songs of the millennium by BBC Radio.

Pankaj Udhas was born in Jetpur in Gujarat on May 17, 1951. He was the youngest of three brothers.

He initially started by learning the instrument tabla but later studied Hindustani vocal classical music under Ghulam Qadir Khan Sahab. 

Udhas then went to Mumbai to learn from Navrang Nagpurkar, a vocalist from the Gwalior Gharana.

The singer’s last rites will be held on Tuesday.

Karisma Kapoor recently represented India at the prestigious Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts. During her appearance, she delivered a talk on “The Soft Power of Bollywood.” The session was also attended virtually by her sister, Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Sharing photos from her time in Boston, the actress expressed her gratitude and excitement, captioning the post with, “It was an absolute pleasure and honor to be a speaker at the India Conference at Harvard. Shout out to @kareenakapoorkhan for joining us for an impromptu but insightful chat. Thank you to @sunnysandhu24 and team #HarvardIndiaConference for being so wonderful. This was truly special.”

Karisma Kapoor gave a shoutout to her sister, Kareena, for joining her in an insightful and impromptu session at Harvard Business School.

Renowned for her roles in iconic films such as Dil To Pagal Hai, Coolie No. 1, Judwaa, and Raja Hindustani, Karisma Kapoor continues to captivate audiences with her stellar performances.

Fans can look forward to seeing Karisma in Homi Adajania’s upcoming film, Murder Mubarak, scheduled for release on March 15. 

Shahid Kapoor admitted to being hesitant about Ishaan Khatter working as an Assistant Director on the film Udta Punjab. He expressed concerns about having his brother involved in such an intense project.

Recently on Neha Dhupia’s talk show, Shahid said, “I didn’t want him to be on Udta Punjab. I was playing a cocaine addict. I don’t even know what it is like to have a drink so this was the most challenging film that I was doing and I don’t know if I’ll get the character right. And I don’t want the baggage of having my brother because when your younger brother is an AD, you know your one eye is there. Theek hai kya, khaana kha raha hai? You don’t want to show him that you’re there.”

When she inquired about the possibility of biases due to Ishaan being the brother of the film’s leading man, Shahid stated that there were no biases on the film sets. He emphasised that he wouldn’t want his elder brother or father to make him feel like he needed special treatment to be included in the team. Shahid expressed that it would be the worst thing for anyone because then the entire team would view you as being favoured due to your relationship. He stressed the importance of being included and treated equally within the team.

Sharing an anecdote from the sets of Udta Punjab, Shahid revealed that Ishaan was diagnosed with typhoid, “He wanted to drink water from a handpump. I told him, ‘Ishaan, we are big city kids, I don’t think our systems are used to having handpump water.’ He said, ‘Arre bhai, kuch nahi hota,’ He went and had the handpump water and two days later, he fell so ill.”

Udta Punjab was released in 2016. The film was directed by Abhishek Chaubey. Shahid Kapoor played the role of a drug-addict rockstar. The film also starred Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh.

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