'Badal Pe Paon Hai' singer Hemaa Sardesai reveals why she quit Bollywood: ' I refused to compromise my virtues, values and principles'
Hemaa Sardesai, known for delivering hit tracks like 'Aawaara Bhanware', 'Ishq Sona', 'Badal Pe Paon Hai,' and more, chose to step away from Bollywood despite being at the peak of her career and even working with legends like AR Rahman. Recently, Hemant Dalvi shared an Instagram post about the singer's versatility. Thanking him for his praise, she revealed that she distanced herself because she didn't want to compromise her values.
The singer shared details about why she left the music industry in the same comment. She added, "It is true that I decided to move away from the industry after major success of my songs, coz I refused to compromise my virtues, values & principles. And hated to see others do that."
Hemaa Sardesai expressed that there were only a few playback singers in the industry at that time. She added, "After many continuous walk outs from studios, strictly refusing to compromise, I was God-blessed to get Awara Bhavren from none other than AR Rahmanji himself. No other song has gone over more than 14 weeks on the no 1 position. Yet the road ahead was still so tough. Despite giving blockbuster hits, I was mostly the last choice of most music directors, as I had the very stern 'no-compromise' stance."
The 'Janam Samjha Karo' singer recalled how and when she would get approached for the project. She wrote, "But with these MDs when film directors/ producers insisted on my voice, or when a fight/argument occurred between the music director & his choice of singer, I would be invited to sing the song."
The singer expressed that she was not the one who would compromise at any cost. She shared, "Calling me to the sitting room to learn the song before the recording was useless, as I would not compromise. So I would be called directly to the studio, and the song was played to me, and I had to get it in 15 minutes to go on the mike to render it. God always supported me. And the song was a super hit. And so I rendered more than 100 Bollywood songs mostly like this. And most of the songs were greatly loved sheerly by Gods grace."
Hemaa Sardesai shared that with the emergence of singing reality shows, the music industry had over 50 female playback singers.
She wrote, "After 'Badal Pe Paon Hai' when I was in the studio for my next song, I was told that many of these upcoming singers were compromising their virtues to compete with me. I could not bear that…as I had been proclaimed as 'Ambassador For The Girl Child'...and to see this blasphemy was not an easy thing for me."
She revealed that she decided to give up Bollywood. The comment further read, "This was one of my biggest career sacrifices. I have always walked that Path. God took me straight away to Hollywood then."
Sardesai concluded her comment, adding, "And there were several other international achievements too. Also, my 'Badal Pe Paon Hai' from Chakde India has been played consistently after our women's cricket team of India."
Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”
'Badal Pe Paon Hai' singer Hemaa Sardesai reveals why she left Bollywood
Instagram influencer Hemant Dalvi took to his Instagram to share that Hemaa Sardesai left the Bollywood music industry after giving the audience several hits. Soon, the singer replied, "Dear Hemantji. Dear all, Thankful for this great post."The singer shared details about why she left the music industry in the same comment. She added, "It is true that I decided to move away from the industry after major success of my songs, coz I refused to compromise my virtues, values & principles. And hated to see others do that."
Hemaa Sardesai expressed that there were only a few playback singers in the industry at that time. She added, "After many continuous walk outs from studios, strictly refusing to compromise, I was God-blessed to get Awara Bhavren from none other than AR Rahmanji himself. No other song has gone over more than 14 weeks on the no 1 position. Yet the road ahead was still so tough. Despite giving blockbuster hits, I was mostly the last choice of most music directors, as I had the very stern 'no-compromise' stance."
The 'Janam Samjha Karo' singer recalled how and when she would get approached for the project. She wrote, "But with these MDs when film directors/ producers insisted on my voice, or when a fight/argument occurred between the music director & his choice of singer, I would be invited to sing the song."
The singer expressed that she was not the one who would compromise at any cost. She shared, "Calling me to the sitting room to learn the song before the recording was useless, as I would not compromise. So I would be called directly to the studio, and the song was played to me, and I had to get it in 15 minutes to go on the mike to render it. God always supported me. And the song was a super hit. And so I rendered more than 100 Bollywood songs mostly like this. And most of the songs were greatly loved sheerly by Gods grace."
She wrote, "After 'Badal Pe Paon Hai' when I was in the studio for my next song, I was told that many of these upcoming singers were compromising their virtues to compete with me. I could not bear that…as I had been proclaimed as 'Ambassador For The Girl Child'...and to see this blasphemy was not an easy thing for me."
She revealed that she decided to give up Bollywood. The comment further read, "This was one of my biggest career sacrifices. I have always walked that Path. God took me straight away to Hollywood then."
Sardesai concluded her comment, adding, "And there were several other international achievements too. Also, my 'Badal Pe Paon Hai' from Chakde India has been played consistently after our women's cricket team of India."
More about Hemaa Sardesai
Hemaa Sardesai was the first singer to release an American single, 'Power of Love', backed and published in Hollywood by Tony Mercedes. According to the Indian singer, he is the Grammy-winning music mogul who produced Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You'. Reportedly, she is the only Indian singer to win the Grand Prix at the International Pop Song Festival in Germany, performing at the International UNICEF Concert in Europe.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”
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