Alka Yagnik regrets turning down AR Rahman’s collaboration offer with Kumar Sanu: ‘I felt like banging my head against the wall – Times of India

Today, AR Rahman is celebrated worldwide as one of the greatest music composers. But there was a time when his name didn’t carry the weight it does now, especially in Bollywood. Veteran playback singer Alka Yagnik recently opened up about how she and Kumar Sanu initially hesitated to work with the then up-and-coming composer, a decision they both later regretted.
In an interview with Radio Nasha, Alka shared that during the early days of AR Rahman’s career, he was relatively unknown in Bombay, although he was already well-known in the South. She recalled that Rahman, who was very young at the time, had reached out to her from Chennai, expressing that he was a fan and wanted her and Kumar Sanu to sing the entire soundtrack for a film he was composing. However, Yagnik faced a dilemma because Rahman needed her to come immediately, but her schedule was already fully booked. Additionally, she had developed strong working relationships with the composers in Bombay and didn’t want to abandon them for someone whose talent she was not yet familiar with.
She continued, “I called Sanu ji and told him about the offer. His reaction was similar to mine. He said, ‘I’ve never heard of AR Rahman. I can’t just abandon my commitments for someone I don’t know.’ So, we both turned down the offer. Later, when I heard the songs he composed, I felt like banging my head against the wall. They were so beautiful.”

Despite missing out on that early opportunity, Alka eventually collaborated with Rahman. However, their first meeting was a bit awkward. “The next time I worked with Rahman, he jokingly mentioned that I didn’t sing his older songs. I was so embarrassed—I wanted to disappear right then and there,” she admitted.
In her previous interview, Alka recalled working on the soundtrack for the movie Taal, where she finally got to experience Rahman’s unique approach firsthand. She recounted that she was called to the studio around 9 PM, but AR Rahman did not arrive until after 2 AM. When he eventually showed up, he appeared completely refreshed, as if he had just woken up, while both she and Subhash ji were exhausted. However, Yagnik noted that Rahman had a calm and divine aura, which put her at ease despite the late hour.

In Taal, Alka lent her voice to three songs, including the iconic Taal Se Taal.