Singer Udit Narayan is making headlines after sparking controversy by kissing his female fans on the lips, who approached him for selfies during the middle of his live performance. Udit's close friend, singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya, came to his defence, stating that the girls had willingly approached him and that the kiss was "consensual."
Speaking to News18, Abhijeet mentioned that such incidents are common among singers. He referred to Udit as a "superstar singer" and said that if they aren't properly protected or surrounded by bouncers, people even tend to tear their clothes apart.
Further, Abhijeet mentioned that Udit's wife, Deepa Gahatraj, is often present with him, and he finds it wrong to accuse Udit of taking advantage of female fans. "He’s Udit Narayan! Ladkiyaan unke peeche padhi thi. He didn’t pull anyone close to him. I’m sure that every time Udit performs, his wife accompanies him as a co-singer. Let him enjoy his success! He’s a romantic singer. He’s also a big khiladi and I’m an anari. Koi unke saath khelne ki koshish mat karo," Abhijeet added.
Abhijeet also recalled an incident during the early phase of his career when, at a concert in South Africa, female fans kissed him on the cheek.
"Teen-chaar ladkiyon ke mere gaal pe itna khatarnak kiss kiya ki main stage pe jaa hi nahi pa raha tha. And all of this happened right in front of Lata (Mangeshkar) ji. I had lipstick marks on my cheeks," he said.
After the video of Udit kissing his female fans went viral, the singer stated that he is not ashamed about it and instead calls it a "manifestation of love between him and his fans."
Narayan said that it is not something "sleazy or secret," as the video is in the public domain, and he believes his heart is pure. "If some people want to see something dirty in my act of pure affection, then I feel sorry for them," he told Bollywood Hungama.
