Mumbai: Playback singer Arijit Singh retirement announcement came mere days after the release of what is now confirmed as his last major Bollywood track, the stirring patriotic anthem ‘Maatrubhumi’ from Salman Khan’s upcoming war drama ‘Battle of Galwan’.
The timing of the announcement adds a layer of irony and poetic closure. Nearly a decade ago, during a highly publicised rift with Salman surrounding the 2016 film ‘Sultan’, Arijit had publicly apologised and pleaded in a since-deleted social media post: “Please don’t remove the song I sang for Sultan. Let me retire with that song in my library.”
The fallout reportedly began during an awards ceremony when Salman called Arijit on stage to present the Best Playback Singer (Male) award for ‘Tum Hi Ho’ from ‘Aashiqui 2’. On seeing a tired Arijit, Salman joked, “Soye nahi kya? (Didn’t you sleep?)”, to which the singer replied, “Aap logon ne sula diya (You people have put me to sleep).” W
hat seemed like harmless banter at the time, later turned into a bigger tension, which became quite evident ahead of ‘Sultan’s release.
The romantic number “Jag Ghoomeya” from the film was initially recorded by Arijit Singh, but Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s take was chosen for the soundtrack, apparently at the actor’s insistence.
The fallout led to a prolonged period where Arijit largely avoided projects associated with the superstar. Years later, the duo reconciled, collaborating on tracks, ‘Ruaan’ and ‘Leke Prabhu Ka Naam’, for YRF’s ‘Tiger 3’ in 2023.
Last year, addressing the controversy during ‘Bigg Boss 19’s Weekend Ka Vaar episode, Salman said, “Arijit aur main bahut achhe dost hain. Woh misunderstanding mere side se huyi thi… Tiger 3 mein kiya usne, aur ab Galwan.”
Besides ‘Maatrubhumi’, among Arijit’s recent tracks are ‘Sitaare’ from Ikkis, ‘Ghar Kab Aaoge’ from Border 2, ‘Sunhari Kirne’ from Gandhi Talks, and ‘Hum Toh Tere Hi Liye The’ from O’Romeo.
His career, spanning over a decade since the success of Aashiqui 2 (2013), has defined contemporary Bollywood music. His soulful renditions have earned him millions of fans, numerous awards, and an indelible place in Hindi cinema. While stepping back from new film assignments, he reassured fans that music will always remain his calling.