Usha Uthup addresses buzz over 'Didi Go' song in the wake of Mamata Banerjee's defeat

Mumbai, May 14
Veteran playback singer Usha Uthup has reacted to the ongoing controversy surrounding her Bengali rendition of the Arabic song ‘Didi’.

Social media was abuzz with many users sharing a video of the singer's live performance in which she can be heard singing the song inspired by ‘Didi Go’. Netizens claimed that the singer was taking shots at the recently dethroned Chief Minister of West Bengal.

One of many users wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “In celebration of Didi leaving Bengal, Usha Uthup had fun by singing ‘Didi Go.’ It should be remembered that during the TMC regime, cut money was allegedly demanded from her for her performances, due to which she became troubled and moved to Mumbai. Now she has returned”.

Responding to the same, the singer took to her Instagram, and shared a note in which she denied any political undertones to her performance in question.

She wrote, “There has been a post circulating on Twitter, Insta and WhatsApp regarding me, and I would like to clarify that several statements made in that post are incorrect and misleading. The song in question is a Bengali song, composed many years ago and inspired by an Arabic tune. I have been performing it for over two decades purely as a musical rendition. I should like to clarify that I have lived in Kolkata since 1976 and never left Kolkata since then and moved to Mumbai. Kolkata has always been my home, and I continue to live and work here with immense love for the city and its people”.

However, the word "Go" in "Didi Go" in Bengali is a term of endearment.

“The interpretations, comments, and narratives being circulated in that post are entirely not mine, and I do not associate myself with or take any onus for them in any manner. Please do not unnecessarily embroil me in controversies that I have absolutely nothing to do with”, she added.