Published By: Sayan Paul

Lucky Ali Turns 66: Here's Why The Singer Cut Ties With Bollywood For 9 Years

After a 9-year hiatus, Ali made his Bollywood comeback earlier this year with his song, "Tu Hai Kahan" (featured in the film, 'Do Aur Do Pyaar).

"... I didn’t belong here anymore, felt like a stranger in the crowd." - Lucky Ali

There are singers. And then there's Lucky Ali who is an emotion for many, especially the 90s kids. With his Indipop music, he brought a whiff of fresh air to India's music scene. On the other hand, he reached an unprecedented height of success with his Bollywood renditions, such as "Ek Pal Ka Jeena" and "Na Tum Jaano Na Hum". His husky, mellifluous voice became a rage among the youth, while his persona off the stage was loved by one and all. Despite the emergence of new talents with time, Ali's relevance never faded. In fact, he only grew stronger as time passed. However, quite surprisingly, he suddenly decided to stay away from it all.

The magic called Lucky Ali found its way back just a few years ago. A video went viral in which Ali was seen strumming a guitar and singing his chartbuster song, "O Sanam", amidst a crowd. And later he made his Bollywood comeback (and how!) as well - with a song for the Pratik Gandhi-Vidya Balan starrer 'Do Aur Do Pyaar'. With all these, an important question was raised in the media: why did Ali, inarguably one of the finest singers of his time, cut all his ties with the industry for nine long years?

Credit: TOI Plus

Today, on the celebrated singer's 66th birthday, let's learn the answer.

First, Bollywood Had Changed

When Lucky Ali was active in Bollywood as a singer, the industry overall was quite different. Back then, it wasn't as corporatized as it is now, and there was lots of respect for artists. During the mid-2010s, Ali found the changing nature of the industry quite tiresome. Also, he didn't want to be associated with such films that promote violence. And hence, after singing "Safarnama" for Ranbir Kapoor-starrer 'Tamasha', he decided to quit his Bollywood career.

As the singer shared in a 2017 interview, "This place has a lot of disrespect. Bollywood has changed. The films which are being made these days are lacking inspiration and I think there's nothing to learn from them."

"This generation of movies is leaving a bad impact on the society. People are getting violent as they are inspired by what is being showcased in the movies. I believe less patience and more greediness is being promoted through the movies", he added.

His Father's Demise

Not many know that Lucky Ali is the son of the late legendary actor Mehmood. After his father's demise, he felt that he didn't belong to Mumbai. Although he knew many people in the city, he felt like an outsider and hence decided to move to Bengaluru.

In one of his interviews in 2022, Ali shared, "I am not a person who stays in one place for a very long time. I need to move around, I need to wander, otherwise, I feel like I am stagnating. But when Dad passed away, I realized that I, too, wanted to go away from here, because I felt that I didn't belong here. I felt like a stranger in the crowd. I knew many people here, yet I felt like a stranger."

So, What Is He Up To These Days?

Even after making his comeback, Ali is still not very active in Bollywood and reportedly has no plans about the same. However, he does lots of live shows across the world, which allows him to travel and meet new people.

On the other hand, Ali calls himself a farmer as he pursues farming (on his farm near Bengaluru) simultaneously. Also, he is the co-owner of an online marketplace called Tribe Nation, which delivers products purchased directly from farmers to customers. In his words, "I'm a farmer and I take that very seriously. Farming is ann (food) for me."

Credit: Brut India

Also, he often makes it a point to visit Goa and spend some leisure time in the laps of nature.

Happy Birthday, Ali. Thanks For All The Amazing Songs!