(L-R) The singer with Usha Uthup. Pics/Instagram, Youtube

It’s not common for a singer to bring out a chartbuster even as their last song is dominating everyone’s playlists. But that’s the kind of run Madhubanti Bagchi is enjoying at the moment. Her latest track, Jab Talak, from Cocktail 2 continues to make waves even as Shararat from Dhurandhar (2025) as well as her other numbers released years ago continue to be popular.

“It’s a fulfilling feeling for sure,” she tells mid-day, as she sits down for a chat about the industry’s tendency to pigeon-hole artistes and preserving her art in a business that over-relies on a few voices. Excerpts from the interview.

Jab Talak was recorded after the film’s first teaser was dropped. I am happy with the way the female part was composed. Pritam da is a magician. Who doesn’t want to work with him? It’s a dream for any artiste to sing a song composed by him.

It wasn’t difficult to say no to such offers. The industry seems to put you in a box and then overuse it as much as possible until you do something else. Then they will put you in another box. Before Aaj Ki Raat, my Heeramandi song [Nazariya Ki Maari] came and everybody saw me as a classical singer. When Aaj Ki Raat released, people jumped from ‘She is a classical singer’ to ‘She sings dance numbers’. As artistes, we have to think about the narrative we are going to set for the audience. Why would I restrict myself to [one genre]?

Arijit da’s problem is of a different scale altogether because he is so versatile. He is one of those artistes who plays a character when he sings. There was no other male singer [dominating the scene] since he arrived. Also, Bollywood music industry is male-dominated. An album will have five male songs, and at best two female-led songs. So, for 13-14 years, an industry is producing 90 per cent male songs, of which Arijit da is the only one singing. There will obviously be fatigue because he doesn’t have anybody to share that load with. Now, it’s time for the industry to find not another Arijit Singh, but five-six singers. His space cannot be taken up by one person.

First and foremost, I am a playback singer. My non-film journey started much later. As a playback singer when I sit with a composer, I like getting into the details of the song and character. For instance, if you have an outspoken character, the song’s rendition will be different from that of a shy character. But when I’m doing a non-film song, I’m being myself. These are stories from my own life. As a non-film artiste, there is no purdah between my audience and me.

Madhubanti Bagchi is admittedly “scared” of remixes, but she voiced the ‘Ramba Ho’ recreation for ‘Dhurandhar’ (2025). It earned appreciation not only from listeners, but also from Usha Uthup, who had sung the original.

“After the song released, I was stressed and wanted some kind of validation from Usha ma’am. So, I called her and sent her the song. Later, we made a video on the song. That reel went viral,” recalled Bagchi.