Playback singer: Abhijeet Bhattacharya revealed that he advised Udit Narayan openly acknowledged the viral kiss controversy rather than shying away from it, saying he personally stood by his fellow singer when the backlash erupted.Speaking in a recent interview with Subhojit Ghosh, Abhijeet recalled telling Udit to accept the incident instead of getting defensive.“I told Udit, ‘Just say yes. Someone kiss you. If fans hug you and kiss you, then accept it. If they kissed you, then you also gave one kiss back. What’s the issue?'” he said, and added that he encouraged the veteran singer to answer honestly rather than avoid talking.Udit Narayan faced severe criticism in early 2025 after videos from a concert showed him kissing a female fan on the lips during a live performance. The singer later defended himself, describing the moment as an expression of affection amid “fan craze” and insisting there was no ill intent.Abhijeet used the episode to underline what he described as his habit of standing by fellow artists in times of trouble.
“I stand by my friends”
The singer said that he often takes public positions in support of colleagues, even when others choose to remain silent.Speaking of Udit, he said he wrote in support and encouraged him to take ownership of the incident instead of letting the controversy define him.Abhijeet also cited another example involving Sonu Nigam, saying that he was one of the few who publicly supported the singer during the previous controversy.“When people targeted Sonu, I stood by him. Even those close to him remained silent or distanced themselves. I was there,” he said. According to Abhijeet, friendship in the entertainment industry is often one-sided, and he believes in supporting people whenever he feels they need it, even if the gesture is reciprocated.