Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya recently opened up about his sole collaboration with Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman on the song ‘Ae Nazneen Suno Na.’ Reflecting on the experience, Abhijeet candidly expressed frustration with Rahman’s unconventional working methods, describing a disorganised process that clashed with his own structured approach.
In a conversation with Bollywood Thikana, Abhijeet explained why their collaboration did not extend beyond a single song. The singer was receiving calls from all the major composers like Anu Malik, Anand-Milind, and Jatin-Lalit, who wanted to work with him, and he was always busy dubbing. However, when he went to meet Rahman, he had to wait at the hotel for a very long time.
Recalling the recording process, the singer shared his discomfort with Rahman’s preference for odd hours. “I decided I couldn’t wait indefinitely, so I suggested recording in the morning. But then, at 2 am, I got a call to come to the studio. Am I crazy? I told them I was asleep. The next morning, when I went to the studio, he wasn’t there,” Abhijeet revealed. He went on to explain that they didn’t have the habit of working at regular hours, whereas he was used to working in a systematic way. “Now, in the name of creativity, if you say that you will record at 3:33 am, I don’t get it,” he added.
Abhijeet highlighted how an assistant of Rahman was in charge at the studio that day. Despite having a cold due to the air-conditioning, Abhijeet was insisted upon to sing. He acknowledged that, while the song was part of a less successful film, it was Rahman’s creation and gave credit to the composer. Abhijeet also mentioned how his requests to meet Rahman went unanswered. “I was told that I should have waited for him and left later,” he shared.
The singer also mentioned an earlier near-collaboration with Rahman for the film ‘Rangeela’. Abhijeet said this was the first time he saw the composer maintaining regular working hours but described the creative process as disjointed. Speaking to Lehren Retro previously, he remarked, “They called me saying the song was changed, and since Udit has already sung for the character, my vocals would be used differently. It didn’t feel musical to me. Rahman was recording in patches.”
