Vishal Shekhar make Big B, Sanju and Abhishek sing 
By Joginder Tuteja, October 20, 2007 - 13:44 IST
The birthday gift
11th October was a day that composer duo Vishal-Shekhar would never forget. No, they were not busy celebrating Amitabh Bachchan's 65th
birthday. Instead they were grinning from ear to ear as they got a return gift from Big B himself when he recorded a song for them on the same
day for Sujoy Ghosh's fantasy flick Aladin and the Mystery of the Lamp.
Unable to conceal his excitement, Vishal Dadlani reveals, "It was one of the highlights of our professional career. All these years we had been
waiting for an opportunity like this when we would be able to compose a song with Mr. Bachchan. It was a nothing short of a dream coming
true when he crooned the number 'O Re Saawariya'."
Shekhar Ravjiani adds, "Since Mr. Bachchan plays a genie in the film, 'O Re Saawariya' can be called as a 'genie-rap' song. It is a mad
number and presence of Mr. Bachchan has taken it to a different level altogether. The song has turned out to be one wild affair and now we
are excited to see how Sujoy gets it picturised on screen."
More to come
Apparently, this is not the only number which Big B has sung for Aladin and the Mystery of the Lamp. "That's right", says Vishal, "There
is one more number which he has consented to sing for the film. Even this number is quite whacky in appeal. It is cool and a mix of urban as
well as Bhojpuri elements. Imagine all the fun we should be having once the songs are on!"
"In fact we wanted him even in the song 'Chod Naa Re' that we composed for Kaante years back", divulges Shekhar, "Since the
song was picturised on Mr. Bachchan in a major way, we thought that he would be the right fit for the song. Unfortunately things didn’t work
out at that time and Sudesh Bhonsle came in instead. Of course he did a very good job but then we always longed for the moment when we
could get the original voice for a song of ours."
Big B and Burman connection
But why such a fascination with Bachchan's voice? "Arrey, what are you saying", Vishal interrupts with mock amazement, "I can safely say
that he is one of the reason why I am a composer today. Sholay was the first film which I saw when I was a young kid. Later, the film had
such a huge impact on me that I became a die hard Bachchan fan. Since R.D. Burman composed for number of his films, his music too made a
strong influence on me and paved my way to become a composer."
Sanjay Dutt sings too
Well, this is not all what makes the soundtrack of Aladin and the Mystery of the Lamp special. It may well create a record of sorts when it
comes to actors singing the song since Sanjay Dutt too has recorded a song for the album.
Confirms Sujoy Ghosh, film's director, "I was lucky to have actors who are also singers. We have been witness to so many popular numbers
by both Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt. The situations in the film gave us a good platform to have the two sing a few sings. Vishal,
Shekhar and me have been together since Jhankaar Beats and later Home Delivery. Together we are a bunch of people who love
to freak out when it comes to creating music. The same seems to be happening in Aladin and the Mystery of the Lamp as well."
"Sanjay Dutt's track is another delightful piece that we have been able to get in place. We recorded the song three weeks back with him",
informs Vishal. "I can't reveal much about the situation for the song since the film's release is still some time away. What I can say though is
that Sanjay Dutt has come up with yet another tremendous rendition."
In the future
It has been quite some time since news started making rounds about Vishal-Shekhar bringing a private album with Abhishek Bachchan. "It is
definitely happening", confirms Shekhar, "It is just that none of us want to hurry up the project and compromise on even a single tune. We
are looking at getting the album out soon. Meanwhile, we are also trying to rope in Mr. Bachchan as well for a song."
Concludes Vishal, "In any case, apart from Aladin and the Mystery of the Lamp, Mr. Bachchan would also be heard in Bhootnath
which has music by us. We look forwarding to composing many more songs with him. The kind of energy he brings with himself is infectious
and only aids in pushing yourself harder to get nothing but the perfect results."
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