AR Rahman and Anand Bakshi couldn’t talk while working on Taal, recalls Subhash Ghai: ‘One didn’t know English and the other didn’t know Hindi’

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Akshaye Khanna’s iconic film Taal celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. Beyond its captivating love story, Taal has been adored by fans for its timeless music. Recently, the film’s director, Subhash Ghai, shared insights into how music composer AR Rahman and lyricist Anand Bakshi overcame language barriers to create the unforgettable, evergreen soundtrack that continues to resonate with audiences today.

During an interaction with Radio Nasha, Subhash Ghai revealed that when Rahman and Bakshi were working on Taal, they didn’t share a common language for communication. He said, “When I first made Anand Bakshi and AR Rahman meet, Anand ji didn’t know English and Rahman didn’t know Hindi. I placed a harmonium between them, thinking there might be some jugalbandi. They asked each other, ‘No, you play something,’ ‘No, you play something.’ But after 15 minutes of silence, I realised there was a communication gap.”

Despite this challenge, Ghai explained how the two artists eventually devised a way to collaborate creatively and craft the iconic music for the film. “The first song we worked on for Taal was ‘Kariye Na.’ Rahman composed the music first, and then I took it to Bakshi ji to write the lyrics,” he added, highlighting how the collaborative process worked despite the initial obstacles.

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In the same interview, Ghai also disclosed that AR Rahman received minimal fees for working on Taal. “He was paid minimum fees in Taal,” Ghai said, to which the composer laughed and added, “Let’s not go there!”

Taal is set to be re-released in theaters on September 27, allowing fans to experience its music and story once again on the big screen.