New Delhi: Just a few days ago, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma had made a shocking claim that the Oscar winning song ‘Jai Ho’ was written by A.R. Was not composed by Rahman. But the famous singer Sukhwinder Singh, who lent his voice to Singer Jai Ho, has completely rejected this allegation. He claims that this internationally appreciated song was composed by AR Rahman.
Sukhwinder rejected Verma’s claim
This famous song from Danny Boyle’s 2008 film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ caught the attention of the world when it won the Best Song award at the Oscars. It was Sukhwinder who lent his voice to the track written by Gulzar and emphasized that ‘Jai Ho’ was initially for Subhash Ghai’s film ‘Yuvraaj’, but it was definitely Rahman’s composition. Recently, in a discussion with Hindustan Times, Sukhwinder clarified, ‘I have only sung it. Ram Gopal Varma ji is not a small personality, perhaps he realized something was wrong. Ram Gopal Varma is not a novice. He must have misunderstood something.
Sukhwinder told that Jai Ho was first made for Subhash Gayi’s movie.
Describing the development of Jai Ho, Sukhwinder said that Rahman had composed it in his Juhu studio after being inspired by Gulzar’s songs. Then Subhash Ghai heard the song and appreciated it, but he did not find it right for ‘Yuvraj’, due to which he demanded a different song from Rahman which would suit the changing dynamics of the character of the film. Sukhwinder shared that ‘He said that the character for whom he wanted to sing had become mischievous in the story, this song was not fitting. He wanted a more spicy song. He told Rahman, but he insisted that it was good. I also said ‘make some changes’ but Subhash ji said that the whole song should be different, completely new.
Oscar winning song included in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ after not being used in Yuvraj
Despite the decision not to use the song in Yuvvraaj, Sukhwinder took a moment to sing it informally in the studio after a meeting with Gayi and the version that later became famous worldwide was captured. He then shared this presentation with Rahman, who presented it to Danny Boyle, leading to it featuring in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. Rahman also fulfilled Ghai’s request by writing another composition for ‘Yuvraj’.
Sukhwinder had sung Jai Ho in a fun-filled manner.
Sukhwinder further said, ‘Then he left from there and Rehman also left. I was sad and requested Gulzar Sahab to wait for 10-15 minutes. He asked why, I replied that he had written it very well, let me try to sing it. I sang while dancing and jumping. This was the same “Jai Ho” that you hear today. I sent it to Rahman Sahab, who narrated it to Danny Boyle, the director of Slumdog Millionaire. Rehman also kept his promise and gave another song to Subhash ji for Yuvraj.
Earlier, Ram Gopal Varma had courted controversy by saying that during the studio visit, Ghai was surprised to learn that Rahman had not composed the song. He recounted a heated exchange where Ghai challenged Rahman’s integrity as a music director, to which Rahman reportedly responded firmly about his song ownership.
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FIRST PUBLISHED: April 21, 2024, 10:26 IST