During a recent award show in Delhi, singer Kailash Kher made headlines for refusing an impromptu request to sing, urging the audience, "Don’t turn artists into clowns."
Drawing comparisons to other professions, he noted that one wouldn't expect a cricketer to hit a sixer or a soldier to fire a weapon just because they are present. Clips of the incident have since gone viral and sparked discussion across social media.
"Yahi main badalna chahta hoon, yahi mere mann main lalak lagi hui, yahi badalna hai. Ki gayak ko, sangeet ko aise naa mana jaaye ki sir do line aa gaa dijiye, mood bana dijiye. Yeh bahut galat hai. Yeh request hi mat kijiye (This is exactly what I want to change—this is something I deeply feel about. A singer and music should not be treated in a way where you just ask them to sing two lines and set the mood. That is very wrong. Please don’t make such request)," he is heard saying in the video.
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"Aap kya Sachin Tendulkar ko bolenge ki ek zara chakka lagake dikha dijiye? Is Prithvi pe koi nahi aisa karta. Yaa kisi army ke jawan ko nahi bolenge ki aapni position leke ek zara shot laga dijiye. Voh mat kariye please. clown mat banane dijiye kalakar ko. Sadhak ko ek manoranjak mat banaiye. Artists, Sadhak hote hain, voh aapne mann ke hote hain. (Would you ever ask Sachin Tendulkar to just hit a six for you on the spot? No one does that. Or would you ask a soldier to take a position and fire a shot just like that? Please don’t do this. Don’t turn artists into clowns. Don’t reduce an artist to mere entertainment. A true artist is a seeker; they belong to their inner self)," he added.
Kher’s musical journey took flight through the world of advertising, where he voiced jingles for iconic brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Honda. However, it was his 2003 breakout hit, "Allah Ke Bande" from “Waise Bhi Hota Hai” Part II, that catapulted him into the national spotlight.
In 2004, he expanded his horizons by forming the band “Kailasa” alongside brothers Paresh and Naresh Kamath. Their self-titled debut album in 2006 delivered the timeless anthem "Teri Deewani," a track that remains one of the most beloved songs in Indian contemporary music.
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