Slumdog's 'Jai Ho' was composed for Yuvvraaj

'Har gaane ki ek kundli hoti hai' - this is something that Aditya Chopra firmly believes in. Confirms Pritam, the man who has composed quite a few soundtracks for Yash Raj Films, "I remember what Adi [Aditya Chopra] used to say when I was composing for his Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai. He said that 'har gaane ki ek kundli hoti hai'. At the time a song is born, it is decided how it is going to perform in the future. He used to add that factors like orchestra, backing vocals, singing and even marketing - all these things contribute to make a song a hit or a flop."

What he perhaps missed out saying was that sometimes just a change of hands for a song makes a huge difference to it's prospects. One look at what has happened with the song 'Jai Ho' in Slumdog Millionaire and you will get the gist. Nominated in Oscars under the category of 'Best Original Song', 'Jai Ho' is joined by 'O Saaya' from the same film. Not many are aware though that composer A.R. Rahman, who has himself been nominated for 'Best Original Score' for the same film, had originally created the song for Subhash Ghai's Yuvvraaj.

This is where the 'kundli' factor comes into picture. Written by Gulzar saab, 'Jai Ho' was short listed for Yuvvraaj and though Rahman was excited about the number, Subhash Ghai wasn't too kicked about it. As per Ghai, the number was too subtle and soft to be picturized on the character played by Zayed Khan. Hence he opted for another track (was it 'Shano Shano'?)

Meanwhile Rahman and Gulzar did feel that the song had immense potential and hence decided to use it for Slumdog Millionaire. Even though it plays only in the end credits of the film, it did promise to make a huge impact. Subhash Ghai didn't have an issue with the song exchanging hands and 'Jai Ho' ended up in the international arena, something that it was destined for.

The flagship number of Slumdog Millionaire, 'Jai Ho' is a catchy number that boasts of an amazing mix of melody and rhythm while remaining Indian at heart. No wonder, it is the lone promotional song of the film and also sees a music video being dedicated to it. Gulzar saab celebrates the spirit of love and life with 'Jai Ho' and infuses enough power in it that justifies all the nominations it is receiving today.

Subhash Ghai doesn't regret missing out 'Jai Ho' in Yuvvraaj though. A firm believer in destiny, he resonates Aditya Chopra by stating that every song has it's destiny, due to which it was bound to be in Slumdog Millionaire in spite of being composed for his Yuvvraaj.