‘People suggested Arijit Singh,’ Amaal Mallik had to convince people to get Sonu Nigam for ‘Bhool Bhoolaiyaa 3’ |

Kartik Aaryan’s ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’, which hit theatres in November 2024, was a commercial success and also got a lot of love for its music. The film’s soundtrack struck a chord with audiences, particularly tracks like Ami Je Tomar 3.0 rendered by Shreya Ghoshal and Mere Dholna 3.0 sung by Sonu Nigam.Recently, composer Amaal Mallik opened up on the truggle that went into bringing Sonu Nigam on board for Mere ‘Dholna 3.0’. Amaal revealed that the singer’s inclusion was not unanimously supported at first, with people doubting whether Sonu Nigam was the right fit for the song.

Speaking about his creative process, Amaal said that he puts deep thought into selecting the right voice for a composition. He recalled that there was resistance to Sonu Nigam singing the track, saying, “They didn’t want someone as amazing as Sonu Nigam to sing Mere Dholna 3.0; they were not sure we should go with someone like Sonu Nigam. And now, he’s everywhere. One song changes everything. Even he has to go through this! For someone as legendary, as talented as him, you put him in the witness box, take his test! Then where do we stand,” he said.While the producers and director backed his decision, Amaal added that others involved in the project had differing opinions. Elaborating further, he added, “Bhushan Kumar Sir is convinced. ANR (Artists and Repertoire, who belong to the division of a record label) is convinced. The director is convinced. Other people from the marketing team someone’s coming; from the actor’s team, the manager’s coming who are then suggesting ‘Why shouldn’t we go with Arijit Singh? Shouldn’t we go with Vishal Mishra?’ And I understand as my choices were these three, but I wanted a little bolder voice,” he said.Amaal went on to explain why he firmly believed Sonu Nigam was the ideal choice, describing him as the embodiment of classical music in India. Recounting the recording session, he said, “He completed the song in 45 minutes. It is the toughest song on Earth that I have recomposed. Pritam da’s original that I made into a new verse. That sargam at the end, ask any classical musician, who think it must have taken 5 hours to complete. We had booked the studio from 7 to 12 at night. He came directly from a show in the US at 10 and finished it by 10:45, around 11. And then everyone was like ‘Wow, what a song!’ But during the process to bring his voice for the song, they were ready to remove me from the film saying that you aren’t listening to us! So when I am choosing my singer, there are times that the composer is getting replaced!” he said.