‘Na Maine Chumma Diya, Na Liya’: Kumar Sanu’s Playful Remark Revives Udit Narayan Kiss Controversy

Kumar Sanu has never needed much encouragement to tell a good story about Bollywood’s 1990s music scene. But during a recent conversation about his once-enormous female fan following, the veteran playback singer delivered a joke that immediately brought another famous singer to mind.

Appearing on The Lallantop’s Guest in the Newsroom, Sanu was asked about the attention he received from female admirers during the height of his career.

His response was characteristically playful.

“Nahi mereko koi chumma-wumma nahi khaya... Na toh main chumma diya, na liya,” Sanu said, adding that he had not done “all that.”

Sanu did not name Udit Narayan in that particular remark, an important distinction when reporting the exchange. However, the joke was widely interpreted as a reference to the controversy that surrounded Udit in 2025 after videos from live performances circulated showing him kissing female fans.

The context becomes even more interesting because Sanu also spoke extensively about Udit elsewhere in the same interview not as an enemy, but as a former professional rival with whom he now shares a much warmer equation.

What Exactly Did Kumar Sanu Say?

The exchange happened while Sanu was discussing the extraordinary popularity he enjoyed during the 1990s.

His romantic playback songs had made him one of the defining voices of that decade, and the interviewer asked about the attention he received from female fans.

Sanu joked that nobody had kissed him and that he had neither given nor received a kiss himself.

The remark drew attention because of its obvious contemporary context.

Udit Narayan, Sanu’s longtime contemporary and one-time musical rival, became the subject of widespread criticism in early 2025 when videos circulated from a concert showing interactions in which he kissed female fans.

That history made Sanu's otherwise spontaneous “chumma” line sound like an unmistakable piece of 1990s-singer banter.

But there is an editorial distinction worth preserving: Sanu did not say, “I am talking about Udit Narayan.”

For that reason, “appears to tease” or “playful reference” is more accurate than presenting the comment as an explicit criticism of Udit.

Kumar Sanu Also Spoke About His Equation With Udit Narayan

What makes the joke less hostile than some headlines might suggest is what Sanu said about Udit during the broader conversation.

The Lallantop’s description of the August 8 interview confirms that Sanu discussed his rivalry with Udit alongside stories involving other major figures from the Hindi film-music industry.

During the conversation, Sanu acknowledged that the two singers competed professionally in their prime.

That competition made sense.

Through the 1990s, both men were among Hindi cinema's most prominent male playback voices and were frequently working within the same commercial film-music ecosystem.

But Sanu said their relationship today is considerably better.

According to coverage of the interview, he indicated that they now share a good equation because the competitive phase of their careers is behind them and there is no longer the same sense of having something to lose.

That context changes how the “chumma” joke should be read.

There is little evidence in the interview of a new Kumar Sanu-Udit Narayan feud. The stronger interpretation is two veterans whose old professional rivalry has become material for humour and reminiscence.

What Was the Udit Narayan Kiss Controversy?

The reference goes back to early 2025.

Video clips circulated online showing Udit performing before an audience while female fans approached him near the stage.

In one widely discussed sequence, a woman moved towards Udit apparently intending to kiss him on the cheek while posing with him. Udit turned his head and kissed her on the lips.

Other footage showing similar interactions also circulated, prompting criticism and discussion about boundaries and consent during celebrity-fan interactions.

Udit subsequently addressed the controversy himself rather than denying that the interactions had occurred.

Speaking to HT City in February 2025, he characterised such behaviour as part of the intense affection fans sometimes express towards performers and argued that too much attention should not be given to the episode.

In another interview, Udit described what happened as an expression of affection between himself and his fans and rejected suggestions that his intentions were improper.

Those are Udit's explanations of the incident. They should not be presented as settling the wider debate over whether the interactions were appropriate.

Udit Narayan Did Not Appear Embarrassed by the Controversy

Another reason Sanu's joke works in context is that Udit himself did not respond to the original controversy by expressing public embarrassment.

In his interviews following the viral videos, Udit defended his interactions with fans and repeatedly framed them as affection rather than misconduct.

He told HT City that enthusiastic fans sometimes express themselves through handshakes, kisses and similar gestures and described the behaviour as their “deewangi.”

In a separate interview reported in February 2025, he went further, saying he was neither embarrassed nor apologetic and arguing that his long public career should be considered when judging his intentions.

That background is useful because Sanu's 2026 remark doesn't reopen an unresolved factual mystery. Instead, it brings back a highly publicised incident that Udit had already addressed on the record.

The Joke Also Reflects an Old Musical Rivalry

There is a larger nostalgia angle here that is more interesting than the joke alone.

Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan represented two of the most recognisable male playback voices of Hindi cinema during the 1990s.

Sanu's breakthrough with Aashiqui helped establish the romantic vocal style that became synonymous with a major part of the decade's film music. Udit simultaneously built an extraordinary catalogue of his own, becoming closely associated with leading Hindi-film stars and some of the era's biggest soundtracks.

Naturally, two singers working at that level were competing for songs.

Sanu acknowledged precisely that dynamic during his Lallantop appearance.

But their relationship today appears far removed from the idea of two singers fighting over playback assignments.

The rivalry has become history.

And history is much easier to joke about.

Why ‘Dig’ Needs Some Qualification

Several headlines around Sanu's remark have described it as a “dig” or “jibe” at Udit Narayan.

That interpretation is understandable, but it shouldn't be confused with a literal statement from Sanu.

There are three separate facts:

First, Sanu made the “chumma” joke while discussing his female fan following.

Second, Udit had been involved in a widely publicised kissing controversy.

Third, Sanu discussed Udit elsewhere during the same broader interview.

Put together, the intended reference appears fairly apparent.

But Sanu never explicitly said that he was condemning Udit, nor did he use the joke to announce a new dispute between them.

That makes “playful dig” a reasonable interpretation.

Calling it a “slam,” “attack” or evidence of a renewed feud would be much harder to justify.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The most interesting part of Kumar Sanu's remark isn't really the word “chumma.”

It is the relationship behind the joke.

During their peak years, Sanu and Udit were competing in an industry where a single major soundtrack could define a singer's year. Both became voices associated with the biggest stars, composers and romantic hits of their generation.

Three decades later, that competition has become something they can talk about with distance.

Sanu's joke consequently works on two levels.

For anybody who followed the 2025 controversy, the reference is easy to recognise. But within the full interview, it sits alongside Sanu's acknowledgement that his relationship with Udit is better now than it was during their competitive years.

That is why the strongest version of this story isn't “Kumar Sanu attacks Udit Narayan.”

It is about two giants of 1990s playback music reaching the stage where an old rivalry and even an uncomfortable viral controversy can become part of their public banter.

The joke is the hook.

Their changed equation is the story that gives it context.

Sources & Verification

The Celebrity Hour independently reviewed the available record of Kumar Sanu's August 2026 interview rather than relying on the supplied news lead. The original interview was published by The Lallantop on August 8, 2026, and its official programme page confirms that Sanu discussed Udit Narayan, their rivalry and numerous stories from his career.

The precise “chumma” exchange was cross-checked against multiple reports documenting the interview. Udit Narayan's side of the 2025 controversy was checked against his contemporaneous interviews, including his direct comments to HT City.

Crucially, this article does not claim that Sanu explicitly named Udit while making the joke. The connection to Udit is presented as contextual interpretation rather than a direct accusation.