United News of Bangladesh

Singer Babul Supriyo has recalled his 2005 disagreement with Sonu Nigam and compared it with the earlier dispute between legendary singers Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi over music royalties. Supriyo and Nigam had a heated exchange at music director Aadesh Srivastava's birthday party at Mumbai's Sun-n-Sand Hotel in Juhu in 2005. What began as a discussion about music royalties eventually turned into an argument. In a recent interview with SCREEN, Supriyo said similar differences had once emerged between Mangeshkar and Rafi over the same issue. "A similar fallout happened even between Lata Mangeshkar and Rafi Sahab; it was over the same thing," he said, adding that the issue should now be left in the past. Supriyo said older musicians are helping singers secure better earnings and that music companies have also recognized the importance of royalties. He recalled that singers previously had royalty agreements and said he still receives royalties from his HMV contracts for albums released in 1998-99. However, he said payments were generally linked to successful songs and depended on what music companies agreed to pay. He said artists who had only one or two hit songs often did not receive royalties. He also recalled refusing to give up his share of earnings from live shows despite pressure from some music companies, saying the decision cost him several songs. Supriyo said the music industry's revenue model has changed significantly with the rise of digital platforms, even after CDs and cassettes declined. He added that his relationship with Nigam is now good and praised Nigam, Anup Jalota, Shaan and other senior singers for their efforts. Regarding the Lata-Rafi dispute, a biography of Rafi says differences over royalty payments on their duets led the two singers to stop recording together for around two to three years in the early 1960s. According to Mohammed Rafi: My Abba - A Memoir, Mangeshkar wanted royalty payments from producers, while Rafi believed singers should not receive royalties after being paid their agreed fees. The two eventually reconciled after music director Jaikishen helped resolve their differences. Their first duet after the dispute was recorded for the film Palkon Ki Chhaaon Mein. Source: NDTV

Bollywood singer Babul Supriyo on Wednesday became a minister in the West Bengal government, as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejigged her Cabinet in the wake of the cash-for-jobs scam. Apart from 50-year-old Supriyo, four other new faces --  Snehashish Chakraborty, Partha Bhowmik, Udayan Guha and Pradip Majumder -- were inducted into the Cabinet by Mamata. All of them were administered the oath of office this afternoon. The Cabinet reshuffle comes barely a week after Mamata sacked Partha Chatterjee, one of her senior ministers, from the Cabinet as well as from all posts of her ruling Trinamool Congress party following his arrest in the school teachers' recruitment scam. Chatterjee held several portfolios in the state Cabinet, including Commerce and Industry, IT and electronics, and Industrial Reconstruction. He was also the Trinamool Congress party's general secretary. Read:Bollywood singer Babul Supriyo to become minister in Bengal govt? Supriyo joined the Trinamool Congress party in September 2021, two months after he was dropped as a federal minister by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  After joining politics and India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) some eight years ago, he became India's junior Urban Development Minister and Heavy Industries Minister in the Modi government's first tenure. He was the junior Environment Minister in the second term. Born Supriya Baral, he entered Bollywood as a playback singer in the mid-nineties and has sung for many films since then. He has also done playback singing in 11 Indian languages during his musical career.

Bollywood singer Babul Supriyo on Saturday announced his retirement from Indian politics, barely a month after he was sacked as a federal Minister by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the mega Cabinet rejig. "I'm leaving...farewell...," Supriyo wrote on Facebook. "If you want to do social work, you can do it without being in politics...let's organise myself a little first and then..." The 50-year-old country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian from the eastern Indian state of West Bengal's Asansol constituency, however, made it clear that he would not join any other political party. Read: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty's husband arrested "Heard everyone's words -- father, (mother) wife, daughter, two dear friends...After hearing everything, I say that I am not going to any other party - #TMC, #Congress, #CPIM, nowhere...I am a one Team Player! Have always supported one team #MohunBagan...Have backed only BJP in West Bengal...That's it...I am going..." he wrote. Supriyo joined politics -- and the BJP -- some seven years ago. He served as junior Urban Development Minister and Minister of State for Heavy Industries in the Modi government's first five-year tenure. He was made the junior Environment and Forest Minister after the BJP returned to power in 2019. Read: Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar dies Born Supriya Baral, he entered Bollywood as a playback singer in the mid-nineties and has sung for many films since then. He has also done playback singing in 11 Indian languages during his musical career. Supriyo was among 13 federal Ministers who were dropped by Prime Minister Modi in the Cabinet reshuffle earlier this month -- some of the others being then Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.