Imagine a Masakali in Om Shanti Om! The probability of that happening was not unlikely, as director Farah Khan revealed in the latest episode of her YouTube channel. Farah was visiting music director Vishal Dadlani’s farm house in the vlog, where they chatted about their decades-long equation. Farah revealed that she went to music director AR Rahman for Om Shanti Om first and he made Masakali for the film!
What Farah said
During the chat, Farah recalled when she told Vishal that she is going to AR Rahman for composing the music of Om Shanti Om and if it does not work out then Vishal and Shekhar would be their second choice! Vishal said that he hopes it works out and even suggested if both of them can work as assistants to him on the project.
Farah added, “The first song which Rahman made for Om Shanti Om was Masakali! I don’t know where I was going to put it but I love that song and love that word.” Vishal joked that even if he and Shekhar had not come as composers later, the music of Om Shanti Om would still be great. Farah replied that because of the two only the music was epic.
Vishal added, “The big, masala music that was in Om Shanti Om, is the only one. This is the last one! The traditioal masala Bollywood musical is this one, even now I get reels explaining how we made Dhoom Tana without AI at that time when there was no AI. The visuals! How did they create it? We just did it and we were having fun.”
The song Masakali was later used in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi-6, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor. The film was released a year after Om Shanti Om, in 2009.
About Om Shanti Om
Directed by Farah Khan and produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, the film featured Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone (in her Bollywood debut), Arjun Rampal, and Shreyas Talpade, with Kirron Kher in a supporting role. The story follows Om, a junior film artist in the 1970s who dreams of becoming a superstar. He falls in love with Shanti, a leading actress, but witnesses her tragic death orchestrated by a producer. Om also dies in the incident, only to be reborn decades later as a successful actor. With memories of his past life returning, he seeks justice.