Independence Day special | Tuning into patriotism

Singers and musicians take us through the behind the scenes of working on popular patriotic songs from their careers.

Sandese Aate Hain (Border) and Mera Rang De Basanti Chola

Sonu Nigam, singer

Recording for Sandese Aate Hain was like a blissful dream. Although back then in 1996, it was like a critical examination for a young man in his early 20s. Besides the fact that it was a very long, intense and difficult song, what made it more intimidating was the presence of stalwarts like Anu Malik ji (composer), JP Datta ji (director), Javed Akhtar ji (lyricist) and Roop Kumar Rathod ji as my co-singer. The atmosphere was as if Goddess Sarasvati had descended in Sahara Studio. Rang De Basanti Chola was recorded in AR Rahman’s (composer) studio in 2001. The vibe in his studio is very calm and artistic. I was little unsure as to how people will take this new version of the song when all our childhood we sang the older version, but when I heard the first line of the song, I was super impressed by Rahman as he gave it a very difficult melodic manoeuvre.

Teri Mitti (Kesari)

Arko Mukherjee, composer

We had a lot of sittings to brainstorm about the lyrical verses, the sound and finding the right singer for Teri Mitti. It all seems more than worthwhile now. When I work on any song now, I keep in mind that the expectations are sky high, thanks to Teri Mitti.

Dil Diya Hai (Karma)

Kavita Krishnamurthy, singer

Har Karam Apna Karenge was one of my major movie songs. Subhash (Ghai; filmmaker) ji was very kind and told me what the situation of the song was, so that I could put in the right emotions. Laxmikant-Pyarelal (composers) ji had made a fabulous song and Anand Bakshi (lyricist) ji wrote such beautiful lyrics. We recorded the live session at Mehboob Studios (Mumbai) with many musicians and chorus. We all had to make sure that we didn’t make mistakes, else the song would have to be re-done as there was no dubbing facility back then. It is always a joy to sing a patriotic song.

Chak De! India (Chak De! India; 2007)

Salim Merchant, composer

Making a patriotic song is not an easy task. The song should have a lot of depth and should be heartfelt. It can’t be just about energy and josh. Working on the title song of Chak De! India was very difficult. We (Salim-Sulaiman; composer duo) came up with six versions and none of them worked, because every version had something missing. Finally, the seventh version is what released as the title song of Chak De! India. While working on the seventh version, I told Jaideep (Saini; lyricist), “Please, kuch kar yaar”. He wrote Kuch Kariye, Kuch Kariye Nas Nas Meri Khaule. Before that, I asked Aditya Chopra (producer), “What is it that you want in the song?” So he said that the song should become as popular as Jumma Chumma (Hum; 1990). So the hook had to be very celebratory and celebratory and he started singing Chak De, Chak De India. That’s when I was convinced that I would repeat the words Chak De.

Rang De Basanti (Rang De Basanti)

Daler Mehndi, singer

It’s quite a story actually. I reached Mr (AR) Rahman’s studio in Chennai and saw two men. One of them, I thought, was some Italian documentary maker. But after dubbing Rang De Basanti director Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra. The other one read out the lyrics and I told him. “Bahut naam hoga aapka, bahut kamaal bol dikhe hain aapne.” I was unaware that I was speaking with maverick copywriter Prasoon Joshi (laughs). Yeh gaana bahut saare states ke music ka khoobsurat mishran hai. It was difficult to sing in Awadhi, Magadhi and Brij bhasha. I added the robust Punjabi tadka, ‘Ting ling ling ling’ to the song and glad that AR retained it. I am sure this song is close to every Indian’s heart.

Suno Gaur Se Duniya Walon

Shankar Mahadevan, composer-singer

We were doing our first project as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (SEL) and director Mukul Anand told me, ‘Shankar, I want a patriotic song that plays everywhere - from cricket stadiums and weddings to awards functions and concerts.’ When he heard this song, he was really happy, but halfway through the film, he passed away. We were dejected that our career as SEL had taken a plunge down even before taking off. But the song became so popular that it went beyond the film because that’s when the Kargil War also happened. It touched people’s hearts and emotions. It’s a very important song for us and has played a huge role in boosting our career.