Pankaj Udhas' funeral: Ghazal maestro's last rites performed with full state honours, celebs pay tribute
Pankaj Udhas began with a tribute performance by a band. The hearse, decked with white flowers, was paraded through the streets. Several celebrities arrived at his residence in Mumbai to pay their condolences.
Musicians Shankar Mahadevan and Ustad Zakir Hussain, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and actor Vidya Balan were among others who arrived arriving at the house of the singer to pay their last respects. Pankaj Udhas' daughter Nayaab shared a statement on Instagram. It read, "With a very heavy heart, we are saddened to inform you of the sad demise of Padmashri Pankaj Udhas on 26th February 2024 due to a prolonged illness." Singer Rekha Bhardwaj also mourned the demise of Ghazal mastero Pankaj Udhas and called it a "personal loss".
She told ANI, "It is a personal loss for us. We had a very long association with him through Khazana (Ghazal festival). Apart from the songs, we could witness his patience and wisdom..." Meanwhile, Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt recalled shooting for the iconic song 'Chitthi Aayee Hai' from his 1986 film 'Naam' with late Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas and shared that initially the artiste was hesitant to be part of the movie.
Earlier, renowned devotional singer Anup Jalota recalled his close bond with the late ghazal maestro Pankaj Udhas and said, "I have lost my friend." "People have lost Pankaj Udhas, lost a great Ghazal singer. I have lost my friend. The trio of Pankaj (Udhas), Talat (Aziz), and me was very famous.
We did a lot of concerts together. I am very sad about the demise of Pankaj Udhas. He took Ghazal to every household and made a place for himself in people's hearts.
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