- Alka Yagnik and Arijit Singh sang only one song together: Agar Tum Saath Ho from Tamasha
- Arijit Singh announced quitting playback singing on January 27 to focus on independent music
- Agar Tum Saath Ho was composed by A.R. Rahman with lyrics by Irshad Kamil and is iconic
One song. Two artistes from two generations. The rest is history.
In a career spanning more than four decades, Alka Yagnik has sung just one song with Arijit Singh so far: Agar Tum Saath Ho, featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha (2015).
Arijit announced his exit from playback singing on January 27 via a social media post, shocking fans across age groups.
He assured followers he would focus on independent music but step away from films.
In an exclusive NDTV interview, Alka Yagnik shared her thoughts on Arijit's decision.
"It's his choice. Whatever he wants to do, it's his choice. I would say a very personal choice," Alka Yagnik told us.
Agar Tum Saath Ho And Lasting Memories
The song appears at a pivotal moment in Imtiaz Ali's coming-of-age drama Tamasha.
Alka Yagnik and Arijit Singh's voices perfectly captured Deepika Padukone's (Tara) teary breakdown and Ranbir Kapoor's (Ved) raw angst, cementing the song's permanent place in Bollywood music history.
Composed by A.R. Rahman with lyrics by Irshad Kamil, it remains a timeless gem.
Arijit often records from his hometown of Jiaganj, Murshidabad, West Bengal.
Asked to share fond memories of recording the song, Alka Yagnik told NDTV: "Arijit was there in the studio. But A.R. Rahman wasn't—he was in Los Angeles at the time. That's how we recorded it."
This rare collaboration between two artistes from different generations has made Agar Tum Saath Ho special for fans across generations.
Arijit Singh's Decision To Quit Film Music
On January 27, Arijit Singh shared on his social media handles that he won't take any new assignments as a playback singer.
"Hello. Happy New Year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much love all these years as listeners. I am happy to announce that I am not going to take any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it quits. It was a wonderful journey," Arijit wrote on his Instagram feed.
Alka Yagnik's Body Of Work
Alka Yagnik holds many records to her credit. She has sung the maximum number of female solo songs in her Bollywood career, alongside Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.
Several of her soundtracks were included in the BBC's "Top 40 Bollywood Soundtracks of All Time."
Yagnik is the most popular music artist of all time on YouTube, with mentions in the Guinness Book of World Records for 17 billion streams in 2021 and 16.6 billion in 2020.
As of 2026, she remains the most-streamed weekly music artist on YouTube.
Including two National Film Awards, Yagnik won two Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards and seven Filmfare Awards for Best Female Playback Singer over the years.
Trained in classical music, Yagnik began singing at the age of four. She dominated the playback scene in the Hindi film industry for more than four decades.
Some of her all-time hits include Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Aaye Ho Meri Zindagi Mein, Gali Mein Aaj Chaand Nikla, Tu Shayar Hai Main Teri Shayari, to name a few.
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