In a conversation with Radio Nasha, Imtiaz Ali shared an intriguing insight into the composition “Vida Karo.” This is the climactic song for his latest film, Amar Singh Chamkila. The song is a touching farewell to the central characters.
“Vida Karo” serves as an honest farewell to the film’s protagonists, Chamkila and Amarjot, portrayed by Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra. Amar Singh Chamkila is about the singer couple who tragically lost their lives due to longstanding prejudices against their music. The lyrics are inspired by a poem by Shiv Kumar Batalvi. The song echoes Chamkila’s acceptance of his fate while highlighting societal biases.
Imtiaz Ali on ‘Vida Karo’: ‘some people started crying in the studio’
According to Ali, the composition process unfolded at 2:30 am in AR Rahman’s studio. “Rahman came and sat at his piano at 2:30 am when I and Irshad Kamil were getting ready to leave his studio. He said to switch off the lights and asked for some candles to be lit so that we enjoy the process. He started playing the tune while we spoke about old Hindi film songs… Rahman was talking about music in Guru Dutt films. I was simply enjoying the music as an audience,” Ali recounted.
The song’s lyricist, Irshad Kamil, was also part of this late-night session. “Irshad sat down and wrote the lines within 45 minutes. Rahman said let’s sit down and compose the song right now. While it was happening, some people started crying in the studio. Rahman joked ‘what have you done Irshad Kamil, you are making people cry,'” Ali added.
Imtiaz Ali also disclosed the decision-making process behind choosing Arijit Singh to lend his voice to this composition. He revealed that the suggestion came directly from Rahman. Praising Arijit’s dedication, Ali remarked, “When a composer sings their song, there is a gravitas and attachment to it. Sometimes you need a singer who can sing the melody with the same attachment. Arijit brings that to the music — he sings truthfully and without milawat. I also enjoy that he sings the whole song. He doesn’t sing one line to bring it in ‘sur’. In this era when people say you can auto tune or get AI to sing the song, he sings truthfully.”
“Vida Karo” is a collaborative genius from AR Rahman, Irshad Kamil, and Arijit Singh under the visionary direction of Imtiaz Ali. The song is now available across various platforms.
