On the 12th anniversary of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, music composers Salim-Sulaiman recall what went into the making of its album

Actors Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, directed by Aditya Chopra, was a blockbuster. The film celebrated the individuality of a man and a woman, hailing from different circumstances, who end up falling in love with each other after their sudden arranged marriage.

It had a music album, composed by composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant. On the 12th anniversary of the film, the duo reveals how SRK made the songs timeless and how the mukhda of a song was actually an Aditya’s tune.

On the creative vision for the song, Sulaiman says, “The film was well written, conceived with exact places and spots for songs and the brief was very simple. Raj and Suri (both played by SRK) were to have their own distinct identities through music. Suri being the traditional husband and Raj, the urban hero. The music had to be simple melodies that even the most basic person would be able to sing and get the feeling of comfort and love when you hear them.”

Salim adds, “Composing music for the film was a huge opportunity. We had worked with Adi as a producer on Chak De India and Aaja Nachley but working with him as a director was special. We wanted this album to be most memorable for us and the audience but more importantly, I wanted the music to work for the film.”

Speaking about the USP of the music album, Salim says, “Even though the songs were made for different situations in the story, they had a common thread. They belonged to the same world and were very reflective of the characters. The importance of the Golden Temple in the story and the song added quality.”

Sulaiman adds, “I think the simplicity of the songs with traditional melodies and production of music to have cutting edge, yet familiar sound, was the USP.”

A lesser known fact is that the mukhda of the song Haule Haule Ho Jayega Pyaar was apparently Aditya’s tune. Sulaiman reveals, “The song’s lyrics actually came from the scene that Adi had written and it ended with the dialogue Taani partner, haule haule ho jayega pyaar. Adi kept humming a kind of rough tune to these lyrics and it sounded good, even in its rough basic form. So we decided to develop it further with Jaideep (Sahni). We decided to keep the melody as simple as possible.”

Shah Rukh is considered the king of romance and Salim says the superstar’s lip-syncing to the songs made them even more special. “SRK brings joy to every song. RNBJ was special because all the songs are chartbusters and SRK is a big reason for that. He truly celebrates every song on screen and makes them timeless,” he adds.