Filmmaker Farah Khan has revealed that A.R. Rahman originally composed the song “Masakali” for her Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Om Shanti Om”.
During the latest episode of her YouTube vlog, Farah visited Vishal Dadlani’s farmhouse and discussed their long professional association.
Recalling the making of “Om Shanti Om”, she said Rahman was her first choice for the film’s music, while Vishal and Shekhar were considered as the second option if the collaboration did not work out.
Farah recalled telling Vishal about her plan and said he had hoped the arrangement would succeed. He even suggested that he and Shekhar could assist Rahman on the project.
“The first song which Rahman made for ‘Om Shanti Om’ was ‘Masakali’,” Farah said, adding that she loved both the song and its title, although she was unsure where it would fit into the film.
Vishal joked that the soundtrack would still have been successful even if he and Shekhar had not eventually joined the project. Farah, however, credited the duo with making the film’s music memorable.
Vishal described “Om Shanti Om” as the last traditional masala Bollywood musical, praising its grand songs and visuals.
He also recalled how audiences continue to discuss the making of “Dhoom Tana”, particularly because it was created before the widespread use of artificial intelligence.
The song “Masakali” was eventually used in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s “Delhi-6”, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor. The film was released in 2009, a year after “Om Shanti Om”.
Directed by Farah Khan and produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, “Om Shanti Om” starred Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles. Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade and Kirron Kher also featured in prominent roles.
