New Delhi: Vishal Bhardwaj said Tuesday that Darlings co-producer and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was so impressed by ‘La Ilaaj’ that he sang the film’s song to the music composer over a phone call. Shah Rukh Khan is producing Darlings, the upcoming ‘Netflix’ film, via his ‘Red Chillies Entertainment’ along with lead star Alia Bhatt’s banner ‘Eternal Sunshine Productions’.
Bhardwaj has composed the track which is penned by veteran lyricist-writer Gulzar. The duo are credited for creating hit songs for films such as Maachis, Maqbool, Omkara and Kaminey‘, among others.
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“Shah Rukh called me one night around 12-12.30am. He started singing the song on the phone. Shah Rukh sang the entire song. Then he started narrating the meaning of it… He said ‘It would have been more fun had the song been for me’,” the composer told reporters here.
It was heartening to be praised by Shah Rukh, said Bhardwaj. “I felt so nice… He is the producer of the film. He listened to the song, called and appreciated it. This is what we, artistes, want in our lives. We only seek appreciation,” Bhardwaj added.
The composer was speaking at the launch event of ‘La Ilaaj’. Bhardwaj was joined by Bhatt, other Darlings cast members Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma, Roshan Mathew and the film’s director Jasmeet K Reen.
See video: https://youtu.be/Ee7zS3lXI2Y?t=5
Bhardwaj dedicated the song, the title of which means ‘incurable’, to his close friend and frequent collaborator Tabu. As a filmmaker, he has worked with the actor on Maqbool, Haider and the upcoming ‘Netflix’ film Khufiya.
“She (Tabu) is ‘la ilaaj’ for me, I’m ‘la ilaaj’ for her. I can’t work without her,” Bhardwaj added.
Also an acclaimed director, Bhardwaj said he considers himself a music composer first. He started his career as a music director with films such as Maachis and Satya, and went on to make his directorial debut with Makdee in 2002.
“I became a director so that I can employ myself as a music composer. Otherwise no one was taking me,” Bhardwaj said with a smile.
Darlings, a Mumbai-set dark comedy, will stream on Netflix from Friday.