When Javed Akhtar Got Into Heated Discussion With Aamir Khan Over Actor’s Contribution To Iconic Song ‘Papa Kehte Hain’

Rajesh Roshan’s music in Mahesh Bhatt’s Papa Kehte Hain was far more successful than the film.

In 2018, Amal Malik put out a remix version of composer Rajesh Roshan and poet Javed Akhtar’s 1996 hit ‘Ghar se nikalte hi kuch der chalte hi, raste mein hai uska ghar’. The beautiful love song rendered originally by Udit Narayan was featured in the film Papa Kehte Hain. The remix was sung by Armaan Malik.

Shockingly, there was no mention of composer Rajesh Roshan in the music video which credited the composition as “Music Composed & Reprised by Amaal Malik”.

Even more shocking was the fact that Javed Akhtar’s lucid poetic lyrics were completely changed and credited to one Kunaal Vermaa. Disgusted and angry Javed Akhtar had taken legal action against his desecrated song.

Said Javed Saab, “This has to stop. And I’ve taken the legal recourse. I sent legal notices to the people responsible for doing this to Ghar se nikalte hi. They changed the lyrics of one of my well-known songs. What is to stop them from changing the lyrics of Ae mere watan ke logon, the patriotic classic that has the nation weeping may make us weep in another way altogether if, God forbid, they decide that poet Pradeep’s immortal lines need updating and revalidation. The new version of Ghar se nikalte hi makes no mention of my lyrics, Rajesh Roshan’s composition and Udit Narayan’s singing. This is sheer vandalism.”

Javed Saab also got into a heated discussion with Aamir Khan over the poet’s place in the film song. Aamir made it clear that he felt a song becomes a hit because it is picturised on a big star. To this, Javed saab asked him, “Your first big song was Papa kehte hain. Did it make you a star or did you make that a song run?”

When Aamir again insisted that it’s the star who makes a bigger contribution to a song becoming a hit, Javed retorted, “Your so-called contribution is nothing but interference. We lyricists would be eternally grateful if you keep your so-called contribution to yourself. We manage to do good work not because of, but in spite of your contribution. But when Aamir went a step further to claim that in any film, a writer contributes more than a song-writer to the film, it was the last straw for Javed Saab. He said, ‘Good for Chetan Bhagat’.”