AR Rahman Asked Sukhwinder Singh To Make a Song To Shut Subhash Ghai Up: 'You're Paying For My Name'

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma recently shared an incident where AR Rahman reacted to Subhash Ghai’s frustration during the making of the film Yuvvraaj. Ghai, upset with Rahman’s delays in composing music, sent him a harsh letter demanding prompt delivery on that front. AR Rahman suggesting they meet at Sukhvinder Singh’s studio to work on the songs.

RGV shared with Film Companion, “Subhash Ghai was making a film called Yuvvraaj. Now, Yuvvraaj is Salman (Khan) and Katrina (Kaif). Rahman is notorious for delaying in giving the music. Subhash Ghai was upset about it, and at a certain point, he wrote a nasty, stinging letter to Rahman, saying, ‘How can you delay, my dates are here, Salman’s dates are here, and you are not giving the songs’. Rahman responded (to him) but saying that ‘I am in London, I’ll come to Bombay (Mumbai) on my way to Chennai and we’ll meet at Sukhvinder Singh’s studio and I’ll make the songs for you there.’”

RGV mentioned, “That day, Ghai went to Sukhvinder’s studio, where Rahman was on his way from the airport. “On that day, he (Ghai) went to Sukhvinder, and Rahman was on his way from the airport, and Sukhvinder was making some tune. Subhash Ghai asked him what he was doing, and he said that Rahman called him and asked him to make a song. Subhash Ghai was so angry. He thought because he was putting pressure on Rahman, Rahman was making someone else do the song. He thought that Sukhvinder had told him this by mistake, and then Rahman came and asked Sukhvinder if he had made something. In front of Subhash Ghai only he asked him. Sukhvinder said yes, and made them listen to the tune. Rahman said he liked it and asked Subhash Ghai if he liked it.”

RGV said that Ghai was fuming in anger and yelled at Rahman. He shared, “Subhash Ghai blew up the thing, he told Rahman, ‘I am paying you crores of rupees as my music director and you are making Sukhvinder make a tune for me. You have the guts to say that in front of me? If I want Sukhvinder, I’ll sign him, who are you to take my money and make Sukhvinder do the music for me?’”

RGV continued, “Rahman’s answer is one of the greatest I have heard in my life. Rahman said, ‘Sir, you are paying for my name, not my music. If I am endorsing it, it becomes mine. Now you happen to be here, how do you know where I took Taal music from? How do you know whichever music… My driver could have done it, maybe someone else, whatever else’.”

He said Rahman eventually sold the song to another filmmaker, which turned out to be Jai Ho from the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Earlier this year, Subhash Ghai had mentioned that Jai Ho was originally intended for Yuvvraaj, but he believed it wouldn’t fit the Salman Khan-starrer.