‘Idhar badtameezi bahut hai’: When Lucky Ali decided to quit fledgling Bollywood career

Lucky Ali, who turned 64 on Monday September 19, has had an unusual career in the music industry. Unlike most other singers and composers, he has had a rather peripheral relationship with film music. In a country where film music dominates the scene and pop plays largely the second-fiddle, Lucky shocked everyone by quitting the industry years ago at the height of his fame. In an old interview, he had revealed the reason behind that as well. Also read:(Lucky Ali reveals why he wanted to go away from Mumbai after dad Mehmood’s death)

Born to legendary actor-filmmaker Mehmood, Lucky Ali made his debut in the Indian music scene rather late. He was already 37 when his debut album Sunoh was released in 1996. He eventually made his breakthrough in Bollywood with two hit tracks in the 2000 movie Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai. He even ventured into acting with films like Kaante and Sur. Having sung memorable songs in several films over the next decade, Lucky distanced himself from Bollywood after Tamasha (2015).

In a 2017 interview with Pollywood Box Office, the singer-actor was asked why he decided to quit Bollywood, and he replied, “Is jagah mein badtameezi bahut hai. (This place has a lot of disrespect). Bollywood has changed. The movies which are being made these days are lacking inspiration and I think there is nothing to learn from such movies.”

The singer added that he did not like the kind of films being made in the industry these days and that’s why he left. “This generation’s movies are leaving a bad impact on society. People are getting violent as they are inspired with what is being showcased in the movies. I believe less patience and more greediness is being promoted through movies,” he said.

Earlier this year, Lucky Ali returned to mainstream music with his track Intezaar, which he made in collaboration with composer Mikey McClearey. He was also recently seen in a film called Murder at Teesri Manzil 302, which released last year. However, the film had been shot in 2008-09 and had been stuck in developmental hell since. These days, Lucky lives in Goa and still works on his music.