Renowned playback singer Sonu Nigam, who was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2022, pointed out how some legends from the music industry are yet to receive the recognition. He posted a video hours after the Padma Awards 2025 were announced. Among singers, Sharda Sinha, also known as "Bihar Kokila", who passed away last year was awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously, while Arijit Singh was honoured with the Padma Shri.

Kishore Kumar and Alka Yagnik haven`t received Padma Awards 

Sharing a video on Instagram with the caption, “India and its pending Padma Awardees,” Sonu said in Hindi, “Two singers have inspired the entire world. One of them was confined to just the Padma Shri award—Mohammad Rafi Sahab. And the other didn’t even get a Padma Shri—Kishore Kumar ji. Posthumous awards are being given nowadays, but even among the living legends, there are those like Alka Yagnik, who has had such a long and phenomenal career, yet hasn’t received any recognition like that. Shreya Ghoshal, who has been proving the brilliance of her art for so long, also deserves recognition. Sunidhi Chauhan, who has inspired an entire generation with her unique voice, hasn’t received anything yet either.”