- Amaal Mallik faced challenges getting Sonu Nigam to sing Mere Dholna 3.0 for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
- Hindi music industry restricts composers' freedom to choose singers, says Amaal Mallik
- Sonu Nigam completed the 'tough' Mere Dholna 3.0 recording in 45 minutes after a US show
Amaal Mallik, who re-composed "Mere Dholna 3.0" for Kartik Aaryan's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, shared how he faced challenges to bring Sonu Nigam on board for the song. During a recent chat with Pinkvilla, the singer-composer said the Hindi music industry is going through a tough phase, as composers are not allowed absolute freedom to choose their singers. Amaal added that composers at times get replaced if they don't align with the production team or label's decision about choosing singers.
"Singers Like Sonu Nigam Are Put in the Witness Box"
The original "Mere Dholna," which was used in Bhool Bhulaiyaa, was composed by Pritam. Shreya Ghoshal and M.G. Sreekumar sang the song.
For the reprised version, "Mere Dholna 3.0," Sonu Nigam came on board.
Sharing what went on behind the song, Amaal Mallik told Pinkvilla, "They didn't want someone as amazing as Sonu Nigam to sing 'Mere Dholna 3.0'; they weren't sure we should go with someone like Sonu Nigam. And now, he's everywhere. One song changes everything. Even he has to go through this! For someone as legendary and talented as him, you put him in the witness box and make him take a test! Then where do we stand?"
Talking about how arbitrary decisions are being taken in the Hindi music industry, Amaal Mallik said, "Bhushan Kumar Sir was convinced. ANR was convinced. The director was convinced. From the marketing team, someone's coming; from the actor's team, the manager's coming—who are then suggesting, 'Why shouldn't we go with Arijit Singh? Shouldn't we go with Vishal Mishra?' And I understand, as my choices were these three, since I wanted a little bolder voice. I thought there's only one person who is the epitome of classical music in this country—that's Sonu Sir—and I knew he could pull it off."
Sonu Nigam didn't disappoint Amaal Mallik.
"He (Sonu Nigam) completed the song in 45 minutes. It is the toughest song on Earth that I have recomposed—Pritam da's original that I turned into a new verse. That sargam at the end—ask any classical musician—you will think it must have taken five hours to complete. We had booked the studio from 7 to 12 at night. He came directly from a show in the US at 10 and finished it by 10:45, around 11. And then everyone was like, 'Wow, what a song!'"
Amaal Mallik's revelation comes at a time when Arijit Singh stepped back from playback singing just a week ago. Industry insiders opine that Arijit's decision was somewhat influenced by the Hindi music industry's internal politics.
Amaal composed one of the most-played party songs of this generation, "Sooraj Dooba Hain," which was sung by Arijit Singh.
"Despite being produced on a modest budget of Rs 8-9 lakh, the song earned the music labels around Rs 60-70 crore, while Amaal received nothing beyond minimal publishing rights.
"It earned Rs 60-70 crore for the label, and I got nothing except for the publishing rights, which are negligible—not even close to Rs 1 crore," he revealed in the interview.