Madhubanti Bagchi says she shunned print after the success of ‘Aaj Ki Raat’, believing that artists should build their own identity. She feels that Bollywood should depend on more singers, not just Arijit Singh. Her compositions ‘Jab Talak’ and ‘Shararat’ remain very popular, and she shared her thoughts on the recording with composer Pritam.
Madhubanti Bagchi says that after Aaj Ki Raat became a hit, she made sure not to get stuck in doing the same kind of songs, and feels that every artist should build their own identity. She also believes that Bollywood should employ more singers instead of putting so much work on Arijit Singh alone.
Madhubanti Bagchi’s tracks continue to strike a chord
Even as Bagchi’s latest release, ‘Jab Talak’ from ‘Cocktail 2’, continues to gain more attention, older songs like ‘Shararat’ from ‘Dhurandhar’ (2025), along with many of her earlier hits, have not lost their popularity either. “It’s definitely a satisfying feeling,” she says at Midday, opening up about the industry’s penchant for print artists and her efforts to protect her craft in a business that relies so much on a few select voices.
Madhubanti Bagchi says no to similar offers
When asked if she was inundated with offers for similar songs after the success of that song, and how difficult it was to break away from that trap, she said, “It wasn’t difficult to say no to such offers. It seems like the industry puts you in a box and then you overuse it as much as possible until you do something else. Then they will put you in another box. Before Aaj Ki Raat, my song is for Hiramandi.” [Nazariya Ki Maari] Everyone came and saw me as a classical singer.
When Aaj Ki Raat was released, people jumped from ‘she’s a classical singer’ to ‘she sings dance numbers’. As artists, we have to think about the narrative we will present to the audience. Why do I limit myself to [one genre]”.
Madhubanti Bagchi during recording Jaab talak
Regarding how the movie “Jab Talk” came about, she said: “Jab Talk was recorded after the first teaser for the film was released, and I am happy with the way the female part was composed. Pritamda is charming, and who wouldn’t want to work with him? It is any artist’s dream to sing a song composed by him.”