- Composer Ismail Darbar praised Arijit Singh's decision to quit playback singing as brave and intelligent
- Darbar expressed regret for never having collaborated with Arijit Singh on a song
- Darbar said Arijit used his businessman mind to avoid exploitation by music labels
Composer Ismail Darbar is the latest celebrity to join the bandwagon commenting on playback singer Arijit Singh's decision to quit film music.
Calling Arijit "brave" and "intelligent," Darbar said he had used his "businessman brain" to steer away from the hegemony of music labels.
During a chat with Subhojit Ghosh, Ismail was asked about his initial reaction to Arijit Singh's decision to retire from playback singing.
He replied, "I only felt bad about the fact that I never got the opportunity to do a song with him. I felt bad for myself because I wanted to work with him, and I wanted to see him in a different light. He was also just following the same style as his fellow music directors. He is good at what he does, I am good at my work—we would have done something different in a collaboration. That's what I was upset about."
He added, "But he also knows that we are living in the time of social media. If he was singing for T-Series, then it's the same thing as cooked food going into the label's stomach instead of Arijit's (the label will profit if he sings for them)."
"He used his businessman brain. I have to say that Arijit Singh is not an innocent or naive person. He is intelligent. As good as he is as a singer, his decision was also that intelligent. I am happy about that—if he doesn't want to do it, he shouldn't do it."
He continued, "Arijit isn't big because of them (labels) today. He is what he is today because of his own hard work and God's blessings. If he comes in front of me, I will ask him to do one last song with me. But vo thoda pagal hai, nahi gaayega vo (he won't sing, I know)."
Arijit Singh's Shocking Post
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.