Soulful and mellifluous ghazals are the love of Pankaj Udhas’s life, and they’re also his ticket to fame. As he turns 60 this year, he looks back at his musical journey with a smile and a slight grimace and finds the ghazal world to be “good, bad and ugly”.

“My role models are people like Dev Anand, Lata Mangeshkar and Amitabh Bachchan, who have defied time and are still very active. They encourage me to move on against time. People come and tell me that I don’t look 60. But personally, I don’t feel 60. The day I feel I want to retire, I won’t be able to continue what I want to do. I feel young because I’m working. My music is my strength.”
Pankaj had his share of struggles while establishing himself in the industry. “I was in love with ghazals, but at that time there was hardly any scope. I did not belong to a musical family and did not have a godfather. It was always a struggle to establish myself and tell people that I sing. The obvious alternative was films. The first break I got was as a playback singer. I sang a song in Kamna and never got an offer again. I soon realised that I’m up against successful singers like Kishore Kumar, Mohd Rafi, and in their days there was hardly any opportunity for a newcomer. Not that they stopped me from singing, but they were so well-established that it was not easy to make a mark. Filmmakers and music directors had no faith in newcomers. After 1971, it was a long struggle with no results. Finally I decided to move to Canada and gave ghazal a second try.”
Soon he became the most coveted singer in the NRI circuit. His second coming to films was with Chitthi Ayi Hai in Naam and it proved a turning point in his career. “When I was in Canada, many times I decided to take up a job or start my own business. But I couldn’t do anything else because of my love for ghazals. So Chitthi Ayi Hai once again took me back to the common masses who were not lovers and patrons of ghazals.”
Pankaj, who is from Rajkot, considers his father his biggest inspiration. “Though not a trained musician, he used to play the dilruba or israj. He never told me to become a doctor or an engineer. He was one person who would listen to me sing and compliment me and never discouraged me from singing. By then my elder brother Manhar (of Hum tumhen chahte hain aise fame) was already a playback singer and encouraged me take up ghazals.”
Pankaj also made some appearances in in films such as Saajan and Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Kahani Ayi and more recently Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam but now he isn’t much into Bollywood projects. “Bollywood would have diluted my image of a concert singer. Also, I don’t see it as an ultimate platform for fame. I have been away from Bollywood, as there haven’t been the kind of songs which I would love to do. But I’m sure sooner or later, Bollywood would return to sensible and quality music.”
Pankaj’s songs are associated with intoxication and he rues the misinterpretation. “It’s a real tragedy to be called a singer promoting alcoholism through his songs. My first album was in 1980 and for the last 30 years, I must have recorded more that 50 albums. I never thought that I should sing and select poetry based on alcoholism. You know, in Urdu, intoxication has several connotations. Of my entire collection, only some 20-30 songs are based on alcohol, but they became so popular that the music company brought out separate collections of such songs with names like Maikada, Maikasha and Nasha, creating an impression that I always sing to promote alcohol. It’s sad that people don’t relate to the deeper connotation of intoxication in Urdu poetry and end up taking it literally.”
Pankaj is also spiritually inclined. “When I travel, I always carry Hanuman Chalisa with me and always read it before a concert. It’s my lucky charm.” He is also an ardent sports lover. “I want to take up golf soon. I’m a huge cricket fan and also a movie buff. Two of my favourites films are Guzarrish and King’s Speech.”
He is now busy penning his memories in an autobiography which is slated to be published by the end of this year.