{"id":"udit-narayan","type":"person","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/udit-narayan","language":"en","name":"Udit Narayan","name_en":"Udit Narayan","name_ne":"उदित नारायण झा","description":"Nepalese playback singer","headline":"Nepalese playback singer","also_known_as":[],"summary":"Udit Narayan Jha (born 1 December 1955; ) is an Indian playback singer whose songs are featured in Indian cinema, primarily Hindi films.","summary_more":["He has won four National Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards, with twenty nominations among many others. He won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer three times for the songs Mitwa from Lagaan (2001), Jaane Kyon Log from Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Chhote Chhote Sapne Zindagi Khoobsoorat Hai (2002) and Yeh Taara Woh Taara from Swades (2004). He also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bhojpuri in 2005 as the producer of Kab Hoi Gawna Hamar. He was awarded the Lata Mangeshkar Award by the Government of Madhya Pradesh  in 2015. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2009 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution to arts and culture.","His contribution to the Indian music industry was recognised by Lata Mangeshkar, who bestowed upon him the title Prince of Playback Singing.","He made his Hindi playback debut with Mohammed Rafi in Unees-Bees (1980).","In recognition of his contribution to Nepalese music, the King of Nepal, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, awarded him the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu in 2001. He is the only male singer in Filmfare Awards history to have won across three decades: the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s."],"facts":[{"key":"born","label":"Born","values":[{"text":"1 December 1955","date":"1955-12-01"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q469818#P569"}},{"key":"birthplace","label":"Place of birth","values":[{"text":"Bhardaha","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4901266","page":"https://diginpl.com/places/bhardaha"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q469818#P19"}},{"key":"citizenship","label":"Citizenship","values":[{"text":"India","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q668"},{"text":"Nepal","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q837"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q469818#P27"}},{"key":"occupation","label":"Occupation","values":[{"text":"singer","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q177220"},{"text":"film actor","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10800557"},{"text":"television presenter","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q947873"},{"text":"film producer","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3282637"},{"text":"playback singer","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1755412"},{"text":"recording artist","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55960555"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q469818#P106"}},{"key":"awards","label":"Awards","values":[{"text":"Padma Bhushan","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q932650","date":"2016"},{"text":"Padma Shri in Art","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30132541","date":"2009"},{"text":"Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3885232","date":"2001"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q469818#P166"}},{"key":"x","label":"X (Twitter)","values":[{"text":"realuditnarayan","url":"https://x.com/realuditnarayan"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q469818#P2002"}},{"key":"facebook","label":"Facebook","values":[{"text":"UditnarayanOfficial","url":"https://www.facebook.com/UditnarayanOfficial"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q469818#P2013"}}],"office":null,"sections":[],"cited":[{"id":"early_life","title":"Early life and education","items":[{"text":"Udit Narayan Jha was born on 1 December 1955 in an ethnic Maithil Brahmin family to Nepalese national Harekrishna Jha and Indian national Bhuvaneshwari Jha.","sources":[{"url":"http://www.mid-day.com/articles/aditya-bakes-a-cake-for-father-udit-narayan-on-birthday/16736163","title":"Aditya bakes a cake for father Udit Narayan on birthday","publisher":"Mid-Day","date":"3 December 2015"},{"url":"https://newsable.asianetnews.com/entertainment/exclusive-udit-narayan-on-completing-40-years-in-bollywood-bitterness-of-struggle-makes-success-sweeter-qd00cc","title":"Exclusive – Udit Narayan on completing 40 years in Bollywood: Bitterness of struggle makes success sweeter","publisher":"Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd","date":"5 July 2020"},{"url":"https://www.outlookindia.com/miscellaneous/song-of-life-diary-news-298795","title":"Song Of Life Diary","publisher":"Outlook","date":"8 May 2017"}]},{"text":"In September 2018, at a ceremony held by the Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America, he stated that he identifies as a Bihari.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.patnadaily.com/index.php/news/13809-bihar-jharkhand-association-of-north-america-honors-singer-udit-narayan.html","title":"Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America Honors Singer Udit Narayan","publisher":"PatnaDaily","date":"8 September 2018"}]},{"text":"Later, he accepted her as his wife, whom he married in 1984, and promised to provide for her maintenance.","sources":[{"url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Udit-Narayan-meets-first-wife-Ranjana/articleshow/1694218.cms","title":"Udit Narayan meets 'first wife' Ranjana","publisher":"The Times of India","date":"30 June 2006"},{"url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Tale-of-two-wives/articleshow/1833057.cms","title":"Tale of two wives","publisher":"The Times of India","date":null},{"url":"https://www.filmfare.com/news/bollywood/udit-narayans-first-wife-ranjana-jha-files-case-amidst-kiss-controversy-71702.html","title":"Udit Narayan's first wife Ranjana Jha files case amidst kiss controversy","publisher":"Filmfare","date":"24 February 2025"}]},{"text":"With Deepa Gahatraj, he has one son, Aditya Narayan, who is also a playback singer.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/sa-re-ga-ma-pa-l-il-champs-host-sa-re-ga-ma-pa-l-il-champs-aditya-narayan-today-people-know-me-by-my-name/story-1gH4kJrnmRyEXrFEHb7DYJ.html","title":"Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs' Aditya Narayan: Today people know me by my name","publisher":"Hindustan Times","date":"10 March 2017"},{"url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Udit-Narayan-meets-first-wife-Ranjana/articleshow/1694218.cms","title":"Udit Narayan meets 'first wife' Ranjana","publisher":"The Times of India","date":"30 June 2006"},{"url":"http://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/celebs/indian-celebrities-who-married-their-mistresses-277600-32.html","title":"Indian Celebrities Who Married Their Mistresses","publisher":"Indiatimes.com","date":"26 October 2015"},{"url":"https://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/jun/28udit.htm","title":"Udit Narayan wants compromise with first wife","publisher":"Rediff.com","date":"28 June 2006"}]}]},{"id":"career","title":"Career","items":[{"text":"During his teen years, Narayan performed as a staff singer for Radio Nepal and sang in hotels around Kathmandu.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.khaleejtimes.com/entertainment/were-a-musical-family","title":"We're a musical family","publisher":"Khaleej Times","date":null}]},{"text":"He made active efforts to pursue a musical career, which were not supported by his father, who urged him to pursue a profession as a doctor or engineer.","sources":[{"url":"https://indiawest.com/udit-narayan-expresses-gratitude-to-fan-wife-farmer-parents/","title":"Udit Narayan expresses gratitude to fan, wife, farmer parents","publisher":"India West","date":null},{"url":"https://www.ap7am.com/en/101985/when-udit-narayan-revealed-what-his-papa-asked-to-make-it-big-in","title":"When Udit Narayan revealed what his papa asked him","publisher":"AP7AM","date":null}]},{"text":"In 1978, he received a music scholarship through a cultural-exchange programme to study classical music at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan in Mumbai.","sources":[{"url":"https://english.sahityapost.com/struggle-is-necessary-for-any-artist-its-bitterness-makes-success-sweeter-udit-narayan/","title":"Struggle Is Necessary for Any Artist; Its Bitterness Makes Success Sweeter: Udit Narayan","publisher":"Sahityapost English","date":null}]},{"text":"While in Mumbai, he visited several music directors' offices and auditioned frequently, initially struggling to secure opportunities.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.khaleejtimes.com/entertainment/were-a-musical-family","title":"We're a musical family","publisher":"Khaleej Times","date":null}]},{"text":"Narayan’s Bollywood career began in 1980 when music director Rajesh Roshan offered him his first playback opportunity in the film Unees-Bees, where he recorded a duet with Mohammed Rafi.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/icymi-udit-narayan-in-a-41-year-old-pic-from-his-debut-song-recording-2480385","title":"ICYMI: Udit Narayan In A 41-Year-Old Pic From His Debut Song Recording","publisher":"NDTV","date":"1 December 2023"}]},{"text":"The song Papa Kehte Hain became a nationwide hit and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1989.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/udit-narayan-looks-back-at-his-career-with-affection-14692.amp","title":"Udit Narayan looks back at his career with affection","publisher":"Filmfare","date":null}]}]},{"id":"statements","title":"Notable statements","items":[{"text":"When his acceptance of the Padma Shri led to criticism in Nepal, he told the Nepalese daily Kantipur that he was \"from Nepal but his mother's home was in Bihar.\" In a 2017 interview with the Indian magazine Outlook, he clarified that he was born in Baisi, a village in Bihar, and clarified that his father Harekrishna was a native of Nepal.","sources":[{"url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Artistes-have-no-borders-Udit-Narayan-tells-Nepal/articleshow/4037648.cms","title":"Artistes have no borders, Udit Narayan tells Nepal","publisher":"The Times of India","date":"27 January 2009"},{"url":"https://www.outlookindia.com/miscellaneous/song-of-life-diary-news-298795","title":"Song Of Life Diary","publisher":"Outlook","date":"8 May 2017"}]}]}],"cited_from":"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Udit_Narayan&oldid=1380578884","videos":[],"last_reviewed":null,"organizations":[],"same_as":["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udit_Narayan","https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A3_%E0%A4%9D%E0%A4%BE","https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q469818","https://x.com/realuditnarayan","https://www.facebook.com/UditnarayanOfficial"],"faq":[{"q":"When was Udit Narayan born?","a":"Udit Narayan was born on 1 December 1955 in Bhardaha."}],"related":[{"name":"Tenzing Norgay","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/tenzing-norgay"},{"name":"Suman Pokhrel","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/suman-pokhrel"},{"name":"Manisha Koirala","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/manisha-koirala"},{"name":"Gyanendra of Nepal","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/gyanendra-of-nepal"},{"name":"Birendra of Nepal","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/birendra-of-nepal"},{"name":"Nirmal Purja","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/nirmal-purja"},{"name":"Dipendra of Nepal","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/dipendra-of-nepal"},{"name":"Śuddhodana","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/suddhodana"},{"name":"Mahendra of Nepal","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/mahendra-of-nepal"},{"name":"Chandra Bahadur Dangi","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/chandra-bahadur-dangi"},{"name":"Tribhuvan of Nepal","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/tribhuvan-of-nepal"},{"name":"B. P. Koirala","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/b-p-koirala"}],"places_in":[],"nearby":[],"image":{"url":"https://diginpl.com/kb-img/udit-narayan-d70fdce7ea.jpg","width":500,"height":364,"license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","credit":"Bollywood Hungama","page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Udit-Narayan-2019.jpg"},"sources":[{"label":"Wikipedia (English): Udit Narayan","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udit_Narayan","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"},{"label":"Wikipedia (Nepali): उदित नारायण झा","url":"https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A3_%E0%A4%9D%E0%A4%BE","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"},{"label":"Wikidata item Q469818","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q469818","license":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"},{"label":"Image: Udit-Narayan-2019.jpg by Bollywood Hungama (CC BY-SA 3.0)","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Udit-Narayan-2019.jpg","license":null},{"label":"Wikipedia (English), revision used for cited facts: Udit Narayan","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Udit_Narayan&oldid=1380578884","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"},{"label":"Mid-Day: Aditya bakes a cake for father Udit Narayan on birthday (3 December 2015)","url":"http://www.mid-day.com/articles/aditya-bakes-a-cake-for-father-udit-narayan-on-birthday/16736163","license":null},{"label":"Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd: Exclusive – Udit Narayan on completing 40 years in Bollywood: Bitterness of struggle makes success sweeter (5 July 2020)","url":"https://newsable.asianetnews.com/entertainment/exclusive-udit-narayan-on-completing-40-years-in-bollywood-bitterness-of-struggle-makes-success-sweeter-qd00cc","license":null},{"label":"Outlook: Song Of Life Diary (8 May 2017)","url":"https://www.outlookindia.com/miscellaneous/song-of-life-diary-news-298795","license":null},{"label":"PatnaDaily: Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America Honors Singer Udit Narayan (8 September 2018)","url":"https://www.patnadaily.com/index.php/news/13809-bihar-jharkhand-association-of-north-america-honors-singer-udit-narayan.html","license":null},{"label":"The Times of India: Udit Narayan meets 'first wife' Ranjana (30 June 2006)","url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Udit-Narayan-meets-first-wife-Ranjana/articleshow/1694218.cms","license":null},{"label":"The Times of India: Tale of two wives","url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Tale-of-two-wives/articleshow/1833057.cms","license":null},{"label":"Filmfare: Udit Narayan's first wife Ranjana Jha files case amidst kiss controversy (24 February 2025)","url":"https://www.filmfare.com/news/bollywood/udit-narayans-first-wife-ranjana-jha-files-case-amidst-kiss-controversy-71702.html","license":null},{"label":"Hindustan Times: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs' Aditya Narayan: Today people know me by my name (10 March 2017)","url":"https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/sa-re-ga-ma-pa-l-il-champs-host-sa-re-ga-ma-pa-l-il-champs-aditya-narayan-today-people-know-me-by-my-name/story-1gH4kJrnmRyEXrFEHb7DYJ.html","license":null},{"label":"Indiatimes.com: Indian Celebrities Who Married Their Mistresses (26 October 2015)","url":"http://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/celebs/indian-celebrities-who-married-their-mistresses-277600-32.html","license":null},{"label":"Rediff.com: Udit Narayan wants compromise with first wife (28 June 2006)","url":"https://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/jun/28udit.htm","license":null},{"label":"Khaleej Times: We're a musical family","url":"https://www.khaleejtimes.com/entertainment/were-a-musical-family","license":null},{"label":"India West: Udit Narayan expresses gratitude to fan, wife, farmer parents","url":"https://indiawest.com/udit-narayan-expresses-gratitude-to-fan-wife-farmer-parents/","license":null},{"label":"AP7AM: When Udit Narayan revealed what his papa asked him","url":"https://www.ap7am.com/en/101985/when-udit-narayan-revealed-what-his-papa-asked-to-make-it-big-in","license":null},{"label":"Sahityapost English: Struggle Is Necessary for Any Artist; Its Bitterness Makes Success Sweeter: Udit Narayan","url":"https://english.sahityapost.com/struggle-is-necessary-for-any-artist-its-bitterness-makes-success-sweeter-udit-narayan/","license":null},{"label":"NDTV: ICYMI: Udit Narayan In A 41-Year-Old Pic From His Debut Song Recording (1 December 2023)","url":"https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/icymi-udit-narayan-in-a-41-year-old-pic-from-his-debut-song-recording-2480385","license":null},{"label":"Filmfare: Udit Narayan looks back at his career with affection","url":"https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/udit-narayan-looks-back-at-his-career-with-affection-14692.amp","license":null},{"label":"The Times of India: Artistes have no borders, Udit Narayan tells Nepal (27 January 2009)","url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Artistes-have-no-borders-Udit-Narayan-tells-Nepal/articleshow/4037648.cms","license":null}],"license":{"text":"CC BY-SA 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/","facts":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"},"attribution":"Text from the Wikipedia article Udit Narayan, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Udit-Narayan-2019.jpg — Bollywood Hungama, CC BY-SA 3.0.","cite":"\"Udit Narayan\". DigiNepal. Last updated 3 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/udit-narayan. Retrieved 4 November 2026.","date_modified":"2026-11-03T06:43:32Z","facts_checked":"2026-11-03","alternates":{"html":"https://diginpl.com/people/udit-narayan","en":"https://diginpl.com/people/udit-narayan","ne":"https://diginpl.com/people/udit-narayan?lang=ne"}}