4 min readmumbaiJan 31, 2026 11:29 AM IST
Arijit Singh surprised everyone on Tuesday evening when he first took to his private X account and later confirmed on his official Instagram handle that he is retiring from playback singing. Since the announcement, not only his fans and well-wishers but also people within the film industry have expressed their sadness over the news, lamenting that a voice like his will no longer be heard in movies. Joining the list of mourners is filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, who has extensively collaborated with Arijit as a music composer. Together, they have delivered gems such as “Yeh Ishq Hai”, “Alvida”, “Dil Dushman”, and “Na Hosh Chale”, among many others.
More recently, the duo collaborated on Vishal’s forthcoming film O’Romeo, whose new song sung by Arijit, “Hum To Tere Hi Liye The”, has already become a chartbuster. Vishal shared a reel on his Instagram account showing the two jamming on another song from O’Romeo. In the clip, Vishal can be seen singing the scratch track of a song while Arijit, recording the video, hums along. Vishal accompanied the post with the caption: “Hey Arijit. Till a few days back, while we were jamming on this song (you were shooting the video) I didn’t know that this will be one of my last film songs with you. This is unfair… #TakeBackYourSanyaas. It’s unacceptable.”
Interestingly, the lyrics of the song Vishal is singing goes like: “I feel like you are about to leave.” (I am afraid you are going away). On his private X account, Arijit addressed his decision, clarifying that it was not made impulsively. “There is not one reason behind this, there are several reasons, plus I have been trying to do this for a long time. Finally, I have gathered the right courage,” he wrote. Opening up further about his creative restlessness, Arijit candidly spoke about his need for change. “One of the reasons is simple: I get bored pretty quickly, that’s why I keep changing arrangements of the same songs and performing them on stage. So here is the thing—I got bored. I need to do some other music to live.” The singer also expressed his desire to make space for fresh voices in the industry, signaling that his decision may be as much about the future of Hindi film music as it is about his own journey. “Another reason is I am excited to hear some singer come up and give me real motivation,” he added.
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Is Arijit Singh stepping into film direction?
Since the announcement, social media has been abuzz with speculation about Arijit’s next move. Netizens on Reddit and other platforms are pondering whether he might step into film direction. While nothing has been confirmed by Arijit himself, filmmaker Anurag Basu told BBC Hindi that the singer has always been inclined to explore life behind the camera. “The world was in shock after learning about Arijit Singh’s decision, but I was not at all surprised or shocked. I have known him for a long time and feel he is very talented and wishes to do more apart from singing,” Basu said. He recalled an anecdote from the sets of Barfi, revealing that Arijit had once expressed interest in assisting him on set. “He asked me to make him an assistant in Barfi.”







