Alisha Chinai Explains Why She Walked Away From Bollywood Playback Singing

Alisha Chinai began her singing career with Adventures Of Tarzan (1985) and achieved major recognition with 'Made In India'. Nearly a decade later, she experienced renewed success with 'Kajra Re' from Bunty Aur Babli (2005), followed by several tracks through the 2000s. However, in the post-2010 era, she recorded only a handful of numbers.

In a conversation with Komal Nahta, Chinai explained her decision to step back. When asked if she feared taking that step, she stated that she is fearless, true to her conviction, and wanted to move away from the situation. She expressed frustration with music labels and the overall situation.

Chinai stated that she was not receiving artistic gratification, noting that playback singers were treated poorly and relegated to the background. She felt that the voice makes a song a hit and that she is the star of her song, though the system worked differently at the time. She described herself as defiant, cheeky, and not politically correct, and decided she had enough.

Regarding music composers contacting her about her decision, Chinai confirmed they did, but she told them she did not want to work. She also noted that following the massive success of 'Made In India', she spent the next five years constantly on tour doing shows, where she was a star compared to being just a playback singer in Bollywood.

Additionally, Chinai revealed that she was shortlisted alongside Juhi Chawla for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, but did not attend the final audition, which left Aamir Khan quite upset.