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Aamir Khan Sang The Whole Aati Kya Khandala Song In Just 30 Minutes: Lalit Pandit On 23 Years Of Ghulam
Superstar Aamir Khan is a master of all trades. From acting, directing to producing films, he has done it all in a successful way. In the past, he even gave us a glimpse of his singing skills when he went behind the mic for the all-time popular 'Aati Kya Khandala' song from Vikram Bhatt's 1998 film Ghulam which also starred Rani Mukerji.
The crime drama clocked 23 years earlier this month. In a chat with Spotboye, music composer Lalit Pandit, one-half of the popular Jatin-Lalit duo who composed the song for the film narrated an interesting anecdote about how they got Aamir to sing 'Aati Kya Khandala' song.
Lalit revealed that the idea of Aamir Khan singing for Ghulam struck him when he heard the superstar humming 'Saagar jaisi aankhon waali' song from the film Saagar when they were on their way to the sets of Ghulam at Film City in Mumbai. He said that he liked the texture of Aamir's voice.
Lalit told the entertainment portal, "I suggested to him (Aamir), 'Why don't you sing a song?' Aamir thought I was joking. He replied, 'Arrey kya yaar! Main kahan gana-wana ga sakta?'. But I insisted and said, 'No, Aamir your vocal texture is so mike-friendly. We can compose a song that will suit your voice."
The music composer said that he and his brother Jatin realized what a responsibility it was and added, "To have Aamir sing was no small thing. His fans would expect something special. During those days we had got quite a few stars to sing for us, like Govinda and Sanjay Dutt. Salman also was keen to sing. Shah Rukh Khan was also a part of a song in Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. Director Vikram Bhatt loved the idea of Aamir sing."
Jatin said that since Aamir's language in Ghulam was of a Bombaiya tapori like Rangeela, they decided to compose a song accordingly. While the superstar was excited to sing, he was also cautious and requested the music composer-duo to came up with a song which suited his range and taste.
"He said, 'Please compose something suited to my range and taste. I will sing it only if I am convinced it's good for me. I don't want to end up making a hash of it.' We assured him that the song will be first approved by Aamir. We kept discussing all the details of the song on the way to Film city, for example the hero was a tapori, so he won't sing poetry...we kept discussing the possibilities. After the visit to the set that night we got down to composing the song. The next morning. director Vikram Bhatt was on the phone as excited as can be he couldn't get over the fact what a sensation Aamir's singing would be. Everything else was put on pause," Pandit recalled.
The music composer revealed that it was Nitin Raikar, an assistant on the sets of Ghulam, who came up with the idea of 'Aati Kya Khandala' and added, "He is very talented and lively. We composed a tune and asked Nitin to write the lyrics. Nitin came up with Ae kya bolti tu."
Lalit recalled, "Whenever Aamir would drop in to discuss the song, Jatin and I would make him sing any of his favourite songs so we would know which notes he was comfortable in. We discovered he was okay in 4-5 notes. The higher notes, he avoided. I made a note of Aamir's range and composed the song within that range. If you listen again to Aati kya khandala, you will see it is more talk than sing." The music composer said that 'Aati Kya Khandala' song was more about Aamir's attitude than his singing.
Lalit further revealed that Aamir had made him promise that no one from his family would get to know that he was crooning for Ghulam as they never thought of him as singer.
"When we played the song everyone including Mukesh and Mahesh and Vikram loved it. Aamir liked it too. But, he said he will sing it only when he was fully comfortable. His okay was the last step. He made us promise that no one in his family would get to know that he was singing for Ghulam, as they never thought of him as much of a singer. Aamir consented to give us time to rehearse the song with him but the the appointed time had to be according to his convenience. Aamir was very busy, so were Jatin and I. Aamir would come very late in the night to rehearse for the song, around midnight and then we would rehearse for around 90 minutes with the perfectionist each night," Lalit told Spotboye.
He further revealed that Aamir finished the whole recording for the song in just 30 minutes and was even nominated for a Filmfare award for his singing.
"When it actually came to recording the song, Aamir sang the whole song in just 30 minutes. I am not kidding. He was that prepared after rehearsals. And can you believe he was nominated for a Filmfare award for singing?," Lalit walked down the memory lane.
Speaking about Ghulam, the film revolved around an amateur boxer who runs errands for a local gangster, but revolts against him after the latter kills his friend. The film was a box office hit.
