Chhaayaageet #272 - “Agar yeh gana hit nahi hua, toh recording ka kharcha main dunga.”
If this song is not a hit, I will pay the cost of the recording.
The filmmaker hands over a thick envelope to one of the composers. This is double the usual payment. The composer takes the money. His mind drifts back to the day this almost didn’t happen.
The lyricist and the duo of composers are in a small music room. They are excited. They have just finished a new tune. The lyrics match the exact situation of the film. The filmmaker sits across from them.
“Bhai, yeh gana suno, aapko pasand aayega” Brother, listen to this song, you will like it, says one of the composers.
They begin to sing the hook of the song.
The filmmaker holds up his hand, stopping them mid-sentence. “Yeh kya hai? Yeh labz bahut purana lag raha hai.” What is this? This word feels very old-fashioned.
The lyricist is disappointed but keeps his composure. “Lekin story ke hisaab se yeh labz hi sahi hai.” But according to the story, this word is the right one.
The filmmaker is visibly frustrated now.
The composers exchange a look. They agree with the lyricist. “Theek hai, shayad humari awaaz mein accha nahi lag raha hai.” Okay, maybe it doesn’t sound good in our voices. The composer says. “Singer ko bulate hain.” Let’s call the singer.
A few hours later, the male singer enters the booth. He sings the lines with deep emotion. His voice is smooth and perfect. He finishes and looks at the filmmaker through the glass.
The filmmaker still looks bored. “Gaana to accha gaaya, par gaane mein dum nahi hai.” He sang well, but the song doesn’t feel powerful.
Both composers are frustrated. There is another sad version of the song planned, and they were planning to have a different singer for it. Why not call the other singer too? This song is already on the chopping block. Last-ditch effort. They decide to call him.
The second singer shows up at the studio in a few days. He sings the same lines in his own unique style. It sounds like a guaranteed blockbuster.
“Ab toh pasand aaya hoga?” Do you like it now? The composer asks with a lot of hope.
“Nahi,” No, the filmmaker says bluntly. “Iss labz ka koi throw hi nahin hai.” There is no throw in this word.
The composer stands up, his face red with anger. Enough is enough.
“Aapko lagta hai yeh nahi chalega?” You think this won’t work? He shouts. “Agar yeh gana hit nahi hua, toh recording ka kharcha main dunga.” If this song is not a hit, I will pay the cost of the recording.
The room goes silent. The filmmaker looks surprised. He wasn’t expecting this reaction.
“Lekin,” But, the composer continues, “agar yeh hit ho gaya, toh aap mujhe double paise denge.” if it becomes a hit, then you will pay me double the money.
The filmmaker looks at the confident faces of the composer. He shrugs and says, “Theek hai, mujhe manzoor hai.” Okay, I agree.
The composer snaps back to the present. He can feel the weight of the double payment in his hand. He looks at the filmmaker and smiles.
“Maine kaha tha na,” I told you so, the composer says softly.
The filmmaker laughs and nods. The word he hated is now playing on every radio station in the country.
Sameer wrote the lyrics of the song Pardesi Pardesi in the film Raja Hindustani. The music was composed by Nadeem-Shravan, and the film was directed by Dharmesh Darshan. The film was produced by Karim Morani along with his partners at Cineyug, Ali Morani and Bunty Soorma. The first version of the song was sung by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, and Sapna Awasthi. The second version was sung by Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik. In the film, the song was picturized on Aamir Khan and Karishma Kapoor.
Sameer, along with Nadeem-Shravan, was excited about this song and wanted to play it for Karim Morani. As soon as Karim Morani heard the word “Pardesi”, he felt it was a turn off for him. The word didn’t have a throw, and because of the way the tune was composed, it was sung as if it were made of two separate words. Nadeem felt that he could convince him by having Udit Narayan sing. When that didn’t work, he called Kumar Sanu to sing it. When that also did not work, he was irate. He told the producer that if the song does not become a big hit, he will pay for the entire expense incurred during the recording of the song. But if the song is a hit, the producer will pay him double.
At the 42nd Filmfare Awards in 1997, the film emerged as the biggest winner of the night, sweeping the major categories. The film won a total of five awards: Best Film, Best Actor (Aamir Khan), and Best Actress (Karisma Kapoor). Nadeem-Shravan won Best Music Director, and Udit Narayan took home Best Male Playback Singer specifically for the song Pardesi Pardesi.
Lyrics: Sameer
Music: Nadeem-Shravan
Singers (Version 1): Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik
Singers (Version 2): Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik, Sapna Awasthi
*ing: Aamir Khan, Karishma Kapoor
Director: Dharmesh Darshan
Producer: Karim Morani
Film: Raja Hindustani (1996)