Abhijeet Bhattacharya and Shahrukh Khan's connection goes back years as the former lent his voice to some of the actor's most iconic songs, including Tumhe Jo Maine Dekha, Tauba Tumhare Ishare, Chaand Taare, I Am The Best, and Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main, among many more. Songs like these became a part of the Bollywood Hall of Fame and cemented the playback singer as the voice of Shah Rukh. However, after a public falling out, Abhijeet sang for the actor one last time seven years ago. Recently, he opened up about the relationship the two shared, and his eagerness to collaborate again for the purpose of creating memorable music.
Abhijeet Bhattacharya recently appeared for a candid chat on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast, during which he opened up about how hurt he was after his public fallout with Bollywood legend, Shah Rukh Khan. For the uninitiated, things between Abhijeet and Shah Rukh first began to sour when the former felt his contributions weren't appreciated on set. During the podcast, the veteran playback singer recounted how he felt about it all and said:
"I didn't say it in anger. I never abused him, there are so many people who did, some named their dog after him, his contemporaries. Then Farah Khan's husband (Shirish Kunder) insulted him, they all then hugged it out. My problem is that I was expressing my pain."
Abhijeet further expressed that Shah Rukh, being senior to him professionally and age-wise, could have extended an olive branch. While the singer didn't expect an apology, he did feel that the actor could have offered to hug things out, but instead, Abhijeet was ignored.
Further in the interview, Abhijeet Bhattacharya discussed the kind of relationship he shared with Shah Rukh Khan. He revealed that despite frequently collaborating on projects, the two were never friends and hardly met. In Abhijeet's words:
"We never met too often even before. We would meet on the day of music lunch or during celebrations. Now, no, we don't meet. We were never friends. I am a musician, I go to the studio and return home. I don't meet people and party like filmy log."
Abhijeet also confessed that he eagerly hoped to sort things out with Shah Rukh for the sole purpose of their musical chemistry. The playback singer described their pairing as 'made for each other,' and referred to their voices as 'husband and wife.' On that note, Abhijeet stated that husbands and wives fought, but they eventually made up.
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Abhijeet Bhattacharya also revealed that Shah Rukh Khan's contemporaries had never seen him as a star in those days. Rather, they would call him 'hakla,' and even slammed Abhijeet for singing for him. Abhijeet recalled:
"There were a few stars who told me, 'hakle ke liye gaa raha hai na tu?' I was like why are they feeling jealous, I got the award for my singing. After that experience I lost interest (in playback singing for the stars) and started focusing on my shows and concerts. Even today I am very happy doing that."
During the conversation, Abhijeet Bhattacharya was also asked about his remarks that Shah Rukh Khan had become a star due to his songs. The singer clarified that his words had been taken out of context, stating that he merely meant to point out that no SRK song was as memorable as the ones Abhijeet had sung for him. He claimed that even though Udit Narayan and Kumar Shanu sang for the star and new music directors made songs for him, no one could name any of those songs off the top of their mind, like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or Darr.
What do you think about Abhijeet Bhattacharya's heartfelt admissions?
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