Pankaj Udhas

Pankaj Udhas was born in Jetpur near Rajkot, Gujarat in a Gujarati family and is the youngest of three brothers. He hails from Charakhdi, a small village near Rajkot in Gujarat. His parents are Keshubhai Udhas and Jituben Udhas. His eldest brother Manhar Udhas achieved some success as a Hindi playback singer in Bollywood films. His second elder brother Nirmal Udhas is also a well-known Ghazal Singer and was the first of the three brothers to start singing in the family. He had studied in Sir BPTI Bhavanagar. His family moved to Mumbai and Pankaj attended St. Xavier's College in Mumbai.Pankaj Udhas' older brother, Manhar, was a stage performer and this aided Pankaj in his introduction to musical performance. His first stage performance was during the Sino-Indian War, when he sang "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" and was given Rs. 51 by an audience member as a reward.[citation needed]
Four years later,[when?] he joined the Sangeet Natya Academy in Rajkot and learned the nuances of playing the tabla. After that, he pursued a Bachelor of Science degree at Wilson College, and St Xavier's college Mumbai and started training in Indian classical vocal under the tutelage of Master Navrang. Udhas's first song was in film Kamna a solo song composed by Usha Khanna and written by Naqsh Lailpuri the film was a flop but his rendition was very much appreciated. Subsequently, Udhas developed an interest in ghazals and learned Urdu to try to pursue a career as a ghazal singer. He spent ten months in Canada and the US doing ghazal concerts and returned to India with renewed vigour and confidence. His first ghazal album, Aahat, was released in 1980. From this, he began to have success and, as of 2011 he has released more than fifty albums and hundreds of compilation albums. In 1986, Udhas received another opportunity to perform in film, in the film Naam, which brought him fame. In 1990, he sang the melodious duet "Mahiya Teri Kasam" with Lata Mangeshkar, for the movie Ghayal. This song achieved immense popularity. In 1994, Udhas sang the notable song, "Na Kajre Ki Dhar", from the film Mohra. He continued working as a playback singer, making some on-screen appearances in films such as Saajan, Yeh Dillagi, Naam and Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Aayee. His album Shagufta launched by Music India in December 1987 was the first to be released on compact disc in India.Later, Udhas started a talent hunt television program called Aadab Aarz Hai on Sony Entertainment Television. Udhas will make his acting debut in a Marathi movie. The film is titled 'Thoda Tujha Thoda Majha' and was launched recently in Pune. Pankaj would be working with Anupam Kher, Varsha Usgaonkar and Ajinkya Deo in this Marathi movie.Actor John Abraham calls Udhas his mentor.