Indian singer Udit Narayan offered a bizarre defence after a video of him kissing female fans during a performance went viral on social media, describing his actions as an “act of pure affection”.
The video showed the veteran singer performing a popular song from the 1994 Bollywood film Mohra.
As he sang a few female fans moved close to the stage for selfies. Narayan posed for their cameras and kissed the fans on the cheeks. A few seconds later, another female fan requested a selfie and kissed Narayan on the cheek. Narayan responded by kissing her on the lips.
It was unclear when and where the performance took place. Narayan said in an interview it took place “some months ago in the US or Canada”.
Fans reacted with criticism to the video, calling the singer’s behaviour “creepy as hell”.
Narayan defended his actions saying they were a “manifestation of the love between my fans and I”. “Why would I do something now at this stage of my life when I have achieved it all? People all over the world throng to my concerts. Tickets are pre-sold months in advance. There is a deep pure and unbreakable bond between my fans and I. What you saw in the so-called scandalous video was a manifestation of the love between my fans and I,” he told Indian entertainment outlet Bollywood Hungama.
“They love me. I love them back even more.”
Asked whether he was “embarrassed or ashamed”, the singer replied in the negative.
“No, not at all! Why should I be? Do you hear any regret or sorrow in my voice? In fact, I am laughing as I talk to you. It is not something sleazy or secret. It is there in the public domain,” he said.
“My heart is pure. If some people want to see something dirty in my act of pure affection, then I feel sorry for them. I also want to thank them.”
In another interview to HT City, Narayan said nothing about his actions and instead seemed to suggest he wasn’t too bothered by the reaction.
“Fans can be really crazy. We are not like this, we are decent people. Some people encourage this and show their love through this. Why bother making it a big deal?” he said in Hindi.
“There are so many people in the crowd, and we have bodyguards present too. But fans think they are getting a chance to meet, so someone extends their hands for a handshake, some kiss the hands. It’s all craziness. There’s no need to pay too much attention to it.”
Narayan also seemed to suggest there was an “ulterior motive” behind the controversy, telling HT City: “My family’s image is such that everyone wants (a controversy to happen).”
The Independent has reached out to Narayan’s representatives for comment.
Narayan is one of Bollywood’s most well-known playback singers, having been the on-screen singing voice for superstars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar through the 1990s and early 2000s.