After a spectacular partnership that began with Karz (1980), his first production under the newly installed Mukta Arts banner, Subhash Ghai and Laxmikant-Pyarelal became family friends. Earlier, Ghai had worked with L-P in films like Gautam Govinda (1979) but after he set up his own production house, he and Laxmikant became inseparable, drinking, partying and making chartbusting music together. With Om shanti om (Karz), Tu mera hero hai (Hero), My name is Lakhan (Ram Lakhan) and Choli ke peeche kya hai (Khalnayak), SG and L-P became a dream team for 16 long years.
Understandably, when Ghai brought Nadeem-Shravan — the name ruling the recording rooms of the 90s — into Pardes (1997), it was a body blow for Laxmikant.
The murder of Gulshan Kumar in 1997 brought the Nadeem-Shravan juggernaut to an abrupt halt with Nadeem fleeing the country as one of the accused. But Ghai did not return to his old friend. In search of a new sound for Taal (1999), he signed the latest craze who was holding the world spellbound with his unique mix of beats and melody in Roja (1992), Bombay (1995), Rangeela (1995) and Dil Se (1998). Shah Rukh atop a train punching to the rhythm of Chaiyya chaiyya was an unforgettable cinematic moment that decade.
Laxmikant and family experienced the grief of being “pink-slipped” by a friend. But at no time did Laxmikant grouse that SG had moved on to Nadeem and Rahman because he had a wife called Rehana. That insinuation would’ve been just as far-fetched as Rahman’s whine that his workload had lessened in the last eight years because of “communal bias”.
The truth lay elsewhere. After the high of Lagaan (2001) in which a quartet of Aamir Khan, Javed Akhtar, Saroj Khan and A.R. Rahman had delivered the musical gem Radha kaise na jale, the producer-hero had repeated the composer for Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008). But Aamir was one of the first major producers to step back when the Mozart of Madras got pricey over royalty. Was “communal bias” at work when Aamir chose Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy over Rahman for Taare Zameen Par (2007)?
Meanwhile, other filmmakers compromised their work pattern to accommodate Rahman’s nocturnal meetings in Chennai where he delighted in making them wait interminably. One producer told the composer that he’d stay put in his hotel room and wait for Noel, Rahman’s secretary, to call him. Another filmmaker who’d signed him in the early millennium said Rahman always wanted the first sitting of a film to be at a dargah near his house. Filmmakers complied.
Like Pritam, he also had the annoying habit of giving producers only the “scratch” (raw version) of a song, keeping them on tenterhooks as he tweaked it till almost release day.
Flashback to the 70s, when R.D. Burman had broken all records with Teesri Manzil and Hare Rama Hare Krishna. But once RD took his place in the sun for granted and men like Dev Anand had to wait for their sittings, he was cancelled. Dev moved to Rajesh Roshan for Des Pardes (1978). Thus, even a genius like R.D. Burman had his downfall.
Contrarily, there’s been an upswing in Rahman’s career.
Aamir has returned to Rahman for his big-budget film Lahore 1947. Rahman was signed by Dinesh Vijan for Chhaava (2024), his costliest production so far. Nitesh Tiwari handed Rahman Ramayana, his most ambitious film to date, where he partners Oscar-winner Hans Zimmermann.
Facts aside, it’s petty to throw at Rahman his past identity as Dileep Kumar. Or the national honours won by him fair and square. They don’t take away his right to express an opinion on Chhaava or indeed on anything else. Just as producers have the freedom to work or not to work with him.
Bharathi S. Pradhan is a senior journalist and an author