Is learning classical music important?

Hi

In the past, almost all playback singers in Bombay had learnt classical music and the majority of songs were classically based. Recently however, the songs Bollywood has turned out have mostly lost their classical touch.

In this forum, many people support and praise singers due to their classical foundations. I'm not saying that these people are wrong with their praise and I in fact support them, but in today's Bollywood, is learning classical music neccessary? We see many singers and MDs today like Himesh, Anu Malik, and i think Sunidhi Chauhan who do not have a real STRONG classical base but these singers are very successful in Bollywood. Contests like SRGMP are trying to find singers for Bollywood. Therefore, how neccessary is learning classical music in order to join Bollywood?