Shreya Ghoshal, who began her playback singing career in 2002, continues to be one of the most popular film singers 24 years later. After beginning her career with a classical-based album like Devdas, the singer proved her versatility with songs like ‘Jaadu hai Nasha Hai’ and ‘Chikni Chameli’ among others. However, songs like ‘Chikni Chameli’ also received plenty of brickbats for their suggestive lyrics and objectification of female actors, especially with plenty of children performing to it on public platforms and reality TV shows. During a recent interview, Shreya spoke about why she will never record a song like ‘Chikni Chameli’ ever again.

Speaking to Raj Shamani on his podcast channel, Shreya Ghoshal said about ‘Chikni Chameli’, “Yes, I did perform it. I like that song. I think it’s good. But I won’t record songs like that anymore. I’m not embarrassed. I sang that song at that time. It’s one song I will always have to live with, where even children in the audience may dance to it. Sometimes I close my eyes. But I cannot disown it. It’s my song.”

At the same time, the renowned singer also recalled what makes the number a great work of art in its own right, while clarifying that she did not fully grasp the meaning when she first sang it. “That song is not just a fun number; there’s a lot of artistry in it. There were toned-down versions too. The one that finally appeared in the film was more subtle than the original drafts, though still suggestive. At that time, I didn’t always understand what I was singing. I wasn’t mature enough to fully grasp the meaning of certain lines,” she added.

Performed by Katrina Kaif for the Hrithik Roshan starrer Agneepath (2012), ‘Chikni Chameli’ continues to be one of the most popular dance numbers. On YouTube, the song video has over 860 million hits.